OVERVIEW:
Judgment pronounced against Jerusalem (chapter 21); Jerusalem’s sin (chapter 22); Jerusalem’s seduction (chapter 23).
HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:
Chapter 21 contains instruction from God for Ezekiel to sigh in the midst of the people. When asked by the people the reason for his bitter anguish, he is instructed to again remind Israel that God’s judgment is imminent, and will affect every person in the entire nation. God uses the visual image of a sharp sword being removed from its sheath to illustrate His judgment in this chapter. In the historical context, the sword represents the king of Babylon. (21:19) From a prophetic standpoint, this sword foreshadows the day Christ will come in judgment upon this earth with a sword that proceeds out of His mouth which, of course, is the word of God! (Revelation 19:15)
Ezekiel is also instructed to make a map and trace on it two routes for the king of Babylon to follow. One route goes to Jerusalem, while the other route will take him to Rabbath of the Ammonites. Ammon had conspired with Judah in 593 B.C. to rebel against Babylon. The question was whether the king of Babylon would decide to attack Rabbath or Jerusalem. Ezekiel is instructed to illustrate how the king of Babylon would call upon his gods to decide which path to take and which city to attack. To determine his course, the king of Babylon would use three types of magic. The first type of magic was the use of arrows. The arrows would be marked with a name, put in a quiver, and whirled about. The first one to fall out would reflect the decision of the god. The next form of magic was the use of “images” or teraphims. From the record of history, we learn that these images were actually the mummified heads of children! The third, and most common form of magic was the “liver”. It involved distinguishing judgment based upon the color of a sacrificed lamb’s liver. Upon hearing from his gods, the king of Babylon would choose to attack Jerusalem.
The Jews were skeptical of Ezekiel’s continual prophecies against Judah and Jerusalem. They doubted that the “magic” of the king of Babylon would result in his choosing Jerusalem as a target, and further doubted his ability to take the city. (21:23) Although the king of Babylon was using magic as His guide, as Proverbs 21:1 teaches us, his heart was in the hand of the Lord. God would use the king’s magic to bring judgment against His people.
God instructs Israel to remove the “diadem”, worn by the priests, and the “crown”, worn by the kings. Pay special attention to Ezekiel 21:27. God says: “I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him.” The fact that God uses the term “overturn” three times expresses the most severe judgment against these offices (the office of priest and king). God specifically states that after their captivity, neither of these offices would be restored, that is, until our Lord Jesus Christ comes! Notice how God the Father refers to His beloved Son in this verse. He states that Christ is the only One who truly has the right to the title Priest and King anyway!
Note also, that from an historical standpoint, the “wicked prince of Israel” is Zedekiah. (21:25–27) From a prophetic standpoint, however, Zedekiah typifies the coming antichrist.
In chapter 22, Ezekiel chronicles Jerusalem’s sins. Once again, God begins by judging the leadership. He specifically mentions the prophets, priests, and princes. (22:25–28) The specific sin of the priests was their violation of the law in not distinguishing between that which was holy and that which was profane. (22:26) The sin of the princes was their desire to make money at the expense of people. (22:27) The sin of the prophets was just flat-out lying about what God had said. (22:28) God looked for a man among the leadership to stand in the gap. The sad reality is He found none. Even the great prophets Ezekiel and Jeremiah were unable to turn the heart of a single man among the children of Israel to repentance. There would be a man who would come 400 years later, however, who would stand in the gap for all mankind! The “God-Man”, our Lord Jesus Christ! Hallelujah!
Notice in chapter 23 that the capital city of the Northern Kingdom, Samaria, and the capital city of the Southern Kingdom, Jerusalem, are likened to two sisters who are seduced into adultery by their “lovers”: the elder sister, Aholah, representing Samaria, and the younger sister, Aholibah, representing Jerusalem. Samaria was seduced by Assyria (this historical alliance is recorded in Isaiah 7:1–2; 10:5–11), and Judah was seduced by Egypt. As we have seen, Israel is repeatedly warned in scripture not to go to Egypt for help. But as we have also seen, Israel continually disobeyed God’s instruction. This culminated in Zedekiah’s formation of an alliance with Egypt against Babylon. (17:15)
Through the illustration of these two harlot sisters, chapter 23 provides one of the most vivid descriptions of the seduction of sin in the entire Bible. Interestingly, sin always follows a specific pattern, or process. This process can be summed up in four observable steps identified in this chapter:
- Desire. (23:5–7; James 1:14) The process begins when sin becomes “desirable” (23:6) to us.
- Delivered. (23:9; James 1:15a) It continues as God allows us to be “delivered” (23:9) to the passions we are allowing to control us.
- Defiled. (23:13, 17; James 1:15b) Acting upon our passions causes us to be “defiled”. (23:13, 17)
- Destroyed. (23:22–49; James 1:15c) God then allows our sin to run its destructive course in our lives. (James 1:15c; Romans 6:23)
Note also in chapter 23, that both Samaria and Jerusalem got what they wanted and it ended up destroying them both! There are also several other key principles worth noting in this chapter:
- Lust for what we see will eventually lead to actions. (23:14–16)
- What we see can destroy our mind. (23:17)
- Those who seduce us in the name of “love” will eventually hate us. (23:22, 28)
What a warning against the consequences of viewing pornography. And what a warning to those who covet wrong relationships!
CHRIST IS REVEALED:
- As the One who has the “right” to be both Priest and King ruling over Israel — Ezekiel 21:27
- As the One who will stand in the gap — Ezekiel 22:30