TODAY’S READING: EZEKIEL 24-27
OVERVIEW:
God’s purging ofJerusalem(chapter twenty-four); God’s judgment against Gentile nations (chapter twenty-five); God’s judgment againstTyre(chapter twenty-six through chapter twenty-seven).
HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:
Chapter Twenty-four contains an image ofJerusalemas a bloody city. This accusation is mentioned numerous times in the book of Ezekiel. Ezekiel is instructed to tell a parable about a bloody stew that representsJerusalem. Numerous times in the Word of God the shedding of “innocent blood” is mentioned as a cause for God’s vengeance (Deut.19:10; I Sam. 19:5; I Kings2:31). The shedding of blood in the Old Testament looked forward to THE innocent blood that would be shed one day atCalvary(Matthew 27:4). It is true that the innocent blood of our Lord Jesus Christ redeemed us from sin, but it is also true that those who do not accept God’s gift of grace will be held accountable for the death of God’s only beloved Son and will suffer the wrath of God’s vengeance. God hates the shedding of innocent blood. How God must love us to have allowed His Son to shed His innocent blood!
Ezekiel is also instructed not to mourn when his wife dies (24:15-18). In this, Ezekiel is picturing the fact that there will be no time to mourn when God’s judgment comes onJerusalem. This foreshadows the coming Day of the Lord when judgment will be swift and extensive. However, even in judgment there is mercy. Ezekiel speaks specifically to certain Jews who will escape the judgment ofJerusalemand come toBabylon(24:25-27). This is fulfilled in Ezekiel 33:21. This foreshadows those who will be saved out of the tribulation.
Chapter twenty-five contains Ezekiel’s prophecies against Gentile nations. These nations are judged because they rejoiced whenIsraelwas chastened by God (25:3, 6, 8) and have taken vengeance onIsraelwhen she was weak (25:12, 15). The doctrinal principle is clear. Don’t rejoice whenIsraelis chastened! Much of this world rejoices when bad news aboutIsraelis broadcast. There are many who look forward to the dayIsraelwill suffer during the tribulation. Those nations who bring judgment againstIsraelare a pawn in the hand of God to execute His sovereign plan. However, after God has used them He will judge them! On a more devotional note, the lesson is clear. We should never rejoice when we see God’s chastening on others.
Chapters twenty-six and twenty-seven begin a three-chapter judgment againstTyre. The eleventh year in verse one refers to the eleventh year of Jehoiachin’s reign. In 586 BC, the 11th year of Jehoiachin’s captivity, on the tenth day of the month,Jerusalemwas captured.
It is Nebuchadrezzar that God will use to bring judgment onTyre. It is interesting that Nebuchadrezzar is called “a king of kings” (26:7), making him a type of the anti-Christ. Just as Nebuchadrezzar ruled the kings of the world, the coming anti-Christ will also stand in authority until the true King of kings arrives!
Tyre, an ancient city of the Phoenicians, appears for the first time in the Bible in the Old Testament in Joshua 19:29. In Old Testament times,Tyrewas a great commercial city. During the reign of David and Solomon,Tyreexercised great influence on the commercial, political, and even religious life ofIsrael. Hiram, king ofTyre, was a devoted friend of David (II Samuel5:11) who helped both David and Solomon in their building operations (I Kings 5:1-12; I Chron. 14:1; II Chron. 2:3, 11). ThoughTyreandIsraelwere friendly in the days of David and Solomon, they later drifted apart. The Tyrians then later sold Jews as slaves to the Greeks and to the Edomites (Joel 3:4-8; Amos 1:9-10). This entire chapter is a lamentation describingTyreas a very glorious and great trade ship destroyed by the high seas.
The prophecies set forth in chapters twenty-six through twenty-eight were fulfilled literally with unmistakable clarity (Isaiah 23; Jer. 47:4). Oftentimes we can forget that many of these prophecies have been fulfilled historically. This only confirms the accuracy of God’s Word.
CHRIST IS REVEALED:
As the One who shall “set glory in the land of the living” during the Millennium (Ezekiel 26:20).