National Inquirers: Idolatrous Minds Want To Know (Ezekiel 20:1-44)

My mother was convinced I’d be arrested and led away handcuffed to jail.

I was on my way to the movies. She warned me that theaters were cracking down on people smuggling outside snacks instead of buying a $20 candy bar at the concessions stand.

My mom, you see, got all her news from the National  Enquirer. After all, “Enquiring Minds Want to Know.”

The 6^th century Elders of Judah were ‘National Enquiring.’ The chapter begins, “It came to pass… that certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the LORD, and sat before me.”

That’s great!! Wasn’t it? No, it wasn’t great at all.

In verse three the LORD said, “Have you come to inquire of Me? As I live… I will not be inquired of by you.” ’

“Inquiring of the LORD” means seeking a divine revelation concerning a particular question.

They didn’t need a revelation because they didn’t heed what the LORD had revealed.

To paraphrase Maverick & Goose, “They had a need…The need to heed.”

I’ll organize my comments around two questions: #1Looking Back, Have You Heeded The Lord?, and #2 Looking Ahead, Will You Heed The Lord?

#2 Looking Back, Have You Heeded The Lord?

  (v1-33)

The LORD enjoys reviewing the history of Israel.There are many such long recitals, like the fifty-three verse recap given by Stephen in the Book of Acts.

In our text, the LORD recounts five periods: the Exodus (v5-9), the wilderness (v10-26), the Promised Land (v27-29), the present (v30-38), and the future Millennial Kingdom (v39-44).

Ezk 20:1  It came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the LORD, and sat before me.

Ezk 20:2  Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

Ezk 20:3  “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Have you come to inquire of Me? As I live,” says the Lord GOD, “I will not be inquired of by you.” ’

We are not told exactly what they inquired about. Most likely they were asking if the plan to ally with Egypt would get them free from Babylon. No it wouldn’t; and the LORD had been telling them that for decades through his prophets. No need to inquire; it had been asked & answered.

You may have experienced times when it seems as though God is not telling you what to do, where to go, and what to say. Likely He has already told you.

Let’s take the common experience of issues in the workplace. Are you praying for your boss to change? Or your fellow employees? That’s great – especially if you are praying for their salvation. Or maybe you are asking the Lord to provide you a transfer out.

Are you thanking God that you are worthy to suffer for Him that you might show grace and thereby glorify the Lord? Are you abiding with joy, producing the fruit of the Spirit, so that they might see Jesus? Because that is why you are there. If you are not heeding Him, God likely will seem silent when, in fact, He has spoken volumes to you in the Word.

Ezk 20:4  Will you judge them, son of man, will you judge them? Then make known to them the abominations of their fathers.

A better translation is, “Are you willing to warn them?” The Gospel is both good news and a warning of the consequences of rejecting Christ.

Evangelist Ray Comfort likes to say that no one puts on a parachute unless they know the plane is going to crash. Sinners must be told that they need saving.

Some of you here today need a salvation parachute period.

God pointed out “the abominations of their fathers” to show them that their own abominations were exponentially worse.

Ezk 20:5  “Say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “On the day when I chose Israel and raised My hand in an oath to the descendants of the house of Jacob, and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt, I raised My hand in an oath to them, saying, ‘I am the LORD your God.’

Ezk 20:6  On that day I raised My hand in an oath to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, ‘flowing with milk and honey,’ the glory of all lands.

Ezk 20:7  Then I said to them, ‘Each of you, throw away the abominations which are before his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.’

The Jews in the Exodus worshipped the gods of Egypt. The LORD swore 3x that He would deliver them, despite their idolatry. In fact, the nation continued in idolatry until the Babylonian captivity.

The LORD treated them like a work in progress.  He was confident in Himself that having begun the work of transforming them He would complete it.

Jesus is our confidence as well; He will finish what He started.

The LORD didn’t need to swear an oath 3x. He did it so that we would never entertain doubt that He would, or could, forsake them.

Ezk 20:8  But they rebelled against Me and would not obey Me. They did not all cast away the abominations which were before their eyes, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I said, ‘I will pour out My fury on them and fulfill My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.’

“Fury” & “anger,” and grace.   

Ezk 20:9  But I acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned before the Gentiles among whom they were, in whose sight I had made Myself known to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt.

Ezk 20:10  “Therefore I made them go out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness.

Ezk 20:11  And I gave them My statutes and showed them My judgments, ‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them.’

In Ezekiel 39:23 it says, “The nations will know that the house of Israel went into exile for their iniquity, because they were unfaithful to Me. So I hid My face from them and handed them over to their enemies, and they all fell by the sword.”

Though Israel’s rebellion was not the testimony God desired, He used it to reveal His grace to the Gentiles. We should never take sin lightly. Nevertheless, where sin abounds, grace abounds.

Randy Alcorn writes, “Any concept of grace that makes us feel more comfortable about sinning is not biblical grace. God’s grace never encourages us to live in sin; on the contrary, it empowers us to say no to sin and yes to truth.”

Ezk 20:12  Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them.

Ezk 20:13  Yet the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness; they did not walk in My statutes; they despised My judgments, ‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them’; and they greatly defiled My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My fury on them in the wilderness, to consume

Israel began observing the Sabbath only after God instituted it during the Exodus. Prior to this, there is no biblical record of Sabbath observance by anyone.

Didn’t God rest on the seventh day, thereby  establishing the Sabbath? He rested, but there is no indication that it was to be a continuous observance. There is nothing about Adam and Eve or their children observing it.

Here’s the clincher: If the Sabbath was a universal command for mankind, how could the LORD make it “a sign between them” and Himself?

Ezk 20:14  But I acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned before the Gentiles, in whose sight I had brought them out.

Ezk 20:15  So I also raised My hand in an oath to them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, ‘flowing with milk and honey,’ the glory of all lands,

Ezk 20:16  because they despised My judgments and did not walk in My statutes, but profaned My Sabbaths; for their heart went after their idols.

Ezk 20:17  Nevertheless My eye spared them from destruction. I did not make an end of them in the wilderness.

Ezk 20:18  “But I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, nor observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols.

Ezk 20:19  I am the LORD your God: Walk in My statutes, keep My judgments, and do them;

Ezk 20:20  hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the LORD your God.’

Ezk 20:21  “Notwithstanding, the children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes, and were not careful to observe My judgments, ‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them’; but they profaned My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My fury on them and fulfill My anger against them in the wilderness.

Their fathers adopted the surrounding cultures – their laws but more awful, their gods. God intended His special nation to be separate, in order to reach the Gentiles with grace.

Ezk 20:22  Nevertheless I withdrew My hand and acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the Gentiles, in whose sight I had brought them out.

Ezk 20:23  Also I raised My hand in an oath to those in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the Gentiles and disperse them throughout the countries,

Ezk 20:24  because they had not executed My judgments, but had despised My statutes, profaned My Sabbaths, and their eyes were fixed on their fathers’ idols.

The Jewish scattering, called the diaspora, began with the Babylonian exile and continues today. More than half of the Jews live outside Israel.

Ezk 20:25  “Therefore I also gave them up to statutes that were not good, and judgments by which they could not live;

Ezk 20:26  and I pronounced them unclean because of their ritual gifts, in that they caused all their firstborn to pass through the fire, that I might make them desolate and that they might know that I am the LORD.” ’

God “gave them up,” letting Israel suffer the consequences of adopting pagan laws. Romans chapter one shows how a nation deteriorates when it rejects God.

Ezk 20:27  “Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “In this too your fathers have blasphemed Me, by being unfaithful to Me.

Ezk 20:28  When I brought them into the land concerning which I had raised My hand in an oath to give them, and they saw all the high hills and all the thick trees, there they offered their sacrifices and provoked Me with their offerings. There they also sent up their sweet aroma and poured out their drink offerings.

Ezk 20:29  Then I said to them, ‘What is this high place to which you go?’ So its name is called Bamah to this day.” ’

Ezk 20:30  Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Are you defiling yourselves in the manner of your fathers, and committing harlotry according to their abominations?

Ezk 20:31  For when you offer your gifts and make your sons pass through the fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols, even to this day. So shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live,” says the Lord GOD, “I will not be inquired of by you.

Ezk 20:32  What you have in your mind shall never be, when you say, ‘We will be like the Gentiles, like the families in other countries, serving wood and stone.’

“It will never be.” Is God’s interference a type of determinism? Is God forcing the Jews? No.

Geno pointed out that we believe the Bible teaches Relational Sovereignty. Theologian Roger Olson says it “seeks to harmonize divine sovereignty with human free will, suggesting that God’s governance is relational and interactive.”

Before you inquire of the Lord, take a look back. Are you heeding the revelation that He’s already given you? If not, start there.

#2 Looking Ahead, Will You Heed The Lord?

(v33-44)

These next verses look ahead to the future one-thousand year Kingdom of God on Earth.

Ezk 20:33  “As I live,” says the Lord GOD, “surely with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out, I will rule over you [“Fury” is the future Time of Jacob’s Trouble. Two-thirds of the Jews on Earth will be killed; one-third will remain to enter the Kingdom]

Ezk 20:34  I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out.

Ezk 20:35  And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will plead My case with you face to face [Jesus warned that generation who would experience the time of trouble to flee into the Judean wilderness and hide from the antichrist’s armies. Facing extinction, they call out to Jesus]

Ezk 20:36  Just as I pleaded My case with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will plead My case with you,” says the Lord GOD.

Ezk 20:37  “I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant [The rod was a shepherd’s tool for inspecting his sheep. The LORD is here talking about the separating of believers from unbelievers at His Second Coming. In Matthew 25 He acts like a shepherd, sending the sheep into their reward – the Kingdom on Earth]

Ezk 20:38  I will purge the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the country where they dwell, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

Ezk 20:39  “As for you, O house of Israel,” thus says the Lord GOD: “Go, serve every one of you his idols – and hereafter – if you will not obey Me; but profane My holy name no more with your gifts and your idols.

Ezk 20:40  For on My holy mountain, on the mountain height of Israel,” says the Lord GOD, “there all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, shall serve Me; there I will accept them, and there I will require your offerings and the firstfruits of your sacrifices, together with all your holy things.

Ezk 20:41  I will accept you as a sweet aroma when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered; and I will be hallowed in you before the Gentiles.

Ezk 20:42  Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for which I raised My hand in an oath to give to your fathers.

Ezk 20:43  And there you shall remember your ways and all your doings with which you were defiled; and you shall loathe yourselves in your own sight because of all the evils that you have committed.

Ezk 20:44  Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have dealt with you for My name’s sake, not according to your wicked ways nor according to your corrupt doings, O house of Israel,” says the Lord GOD.’ ”

God will “bring [them] into the bond of the covenant.” Since this is a Millennial scene, the covenant referred to is the New Covenant. The New Covenant is first revealed in Jeremiah 31:31-34. One element of it is the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit as He takes up residence within believers, enabling us to obey God to His glory.

The New Covenant was always meant for all believers. The Church is experiencing it now, though not fully until Jesus returns.

Verses 40-44 depict a judgment upon individual Jews. It will take place on Earth, in the Millennium.

Church Age believers will appear before Jesus in Heaven prior to the Millennium, a review for rewards based on sincere service to the Lord.

What is the only activity mentioned that the LORD, Adam, & Eve did together? “The LORD walked in the Garden,” and it is inferred by His calling to them that they walked with Him.

Who observed the Sabbath perfectly while on Earth? Jesus.  Matthew records one such Sabbath. Jesus took a walk with His disciples, they ate grain, and Jesus healed a man.

Walking with the Lord in a renewed relationship with Him; learning from Him; serving Him.

That’s the Sabbath.

Kings Of The Bungle (Ezekiel 19)

What is the one song you just can’t stand… besides It’s a Small World? Wind Beneath My Wings.

I wouldn’t dislike it so much if I hadn’t heard so many well-meaning but awful renditions of it at funerals I’ve officiated. It consistently ranks among the most popular funeral songs.

I’m showing my age by using the word “funeral.” Families now prefer “Celebration of Life.”

If we want services to sound more uplifting, maybe we should revive the Latin term from the Middle Ages: fūnerālia.

Funeral songs are prominent in our text today.

Two “lamentations” are on the LORD’s playlist. The CEV translates v14, “This funeral song must be sung with sorrow.”

1. The first introduces us to a couple of ferocious lions. Their extreme behavior makes it necessary to trap & eliminate them.
2. The second depicts a vine that is incredibly fruitful… until it isn’t. It is violently uprooted.

A lioness raises her cub to be a ferocious predator. Egyptian hunters trap him. The lioness raises another cub, more ferocious than the first. He also is captured, but this time it is at the hands of hunters hired by Babylonian.

A full and fruitful grape vine is planted by a stream. It towers above even the tallest trees. From its branches royal scepters for the king are made. Suddenly, but not without warning, it is uprooted and burned.

The lion, the vine, and the scepter are common emblems for Israel:

• The lioness is Israel.
• The two ferocious cubs are two of Judah’s last kings.

• The vine is Israel.
• God uproots her and puts her in Babylon.

I’ll organize my comments around two questions: #1 Is The Lord Lamenting Your Portrayal Of The Lion?, and #2 Is The Lord Lamenting Your Lack of Fruit On The Vine?

#1 Is The Lord Lamenting Your Portrayal Of The Lion? (v1-9)

A lamentation is a passionate expression of grief or sorrow directed toward God. What is it when God is the one lamenting?

Throughout the Book of Ezekiel, we’ve see that the LORD is deeply emotional, allowing the actions of His people to impact His feelings.

Scholars argue about the extent of God’s emotions. The Doctrine of Impassibility asserts that God does not experience emotional changes or suffering due to external events or actions of His creation. It emphasizes God’s unchanging nature and His transcendence over creation.

John Owen in describing impassibility once said, “It is agreed upon by all the orthodox.” Until the 19th century, almost all Christian theologians believed that God is impassible.

Opponents of impassability point out that the Bible portrays God as experiencing emotions, such as anger, pleading, laughter, and, in the incarnation, even weeping. In many ways, God wears His heart on His sleeve.

I like what one commentator said, “God is impassible but not unemotional.”

The Bible definitely portrays God as experiencing a range of emotions, such as love, hate, jealousy, joy, grief, laughter, and compassion. Since His emotions are holy and pure, He must feel to a greater extent than we do.

Have you had to put down a loved pet? Think of God having to “put down” these two ferocious lions.

Our relationship with Jesus is intimate and dynamic. He is Judge, but He is also our Father. Our actions can definitely impact Him. Otherwise, why pray?

Impassibility means we cannot fully grasp God’s feelings, but our actions do affect Him. Do you obey God out of fear of judgment or love for Him, leading to obedience to His Law?

Ezk 19:1  “Moreover take up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,

We often say, “God is on the throne,” and He is – as King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and ruler over all nations. However, the specific throne of David in Jerusalem remains unoccupied. The world awaits the true heir, who will one day take His rightful place as “The Lion of the Tribe of Judah.”

• Jacob, the patriarch of Israel, fathered twelve sons who became the fathers of the twelve tribes. In Genesis 49, he bestowed leadership upon Judah, likening him to a lion and prophesying that a ruler would emerge from his line. Hebrews 1:8 states, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.”
• The Bible leaves no doubt as to the identity of the Lion. In Revelation 5:5, Jesus is called “the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David.”

Judah would fall in 586BC, just a few years after Ezekiel delivered these laments. God sang them some two years prior to the fall of the city. They simultaneously signaled the inevitability of the captivity, but also the possibility of repentance.

Singing the laments before they were conquered gave hope.

The prophets and the godly remnant of Jews knew the times. In the days of David, we are told that the tribe descended from Issachar “had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do” (First Chronicles 12:32).

Understanding the times is more than knowing we are in the Last Days excitedly awaiting the coming of the Lord to resurrect & rapture us.

Understanding the times is knowing what God is doing to further the redemption of humans & the restoration of His creation. It is knowing how we ought to live.

A marvelous way to know how to live in the Church Age is to read about the apostle Paul. He said we should imitate him the way he imitated Jesus” (First Corinthians 11:1).

Paul famously said, “Most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (Second Corinthians 12:9-10).

When it was midnight in his life, he sang.

Remember people saying “Party like it’s 1999?” We should “Praise like He’s coming for us is today.”

These are parables that the Lord has set to the music of “lamentation.” “Princes of Israel” means kings in their succession.

Ezk 19:2  and say: ‘What is your mother? A lioness: She lay down among the lions; Among the young lions she nourished her cubs.

Theologian C.H. Dodd is attributed with saying, “Don’t make a parable walk on all fours.” We shouldn’t try to assign meaning to every detail. Some details are necessary simply to further the story and nothing else. You are looking for the one, main lesson.

Ezk 19:3  She brought up one of her cubs, And he became a young lion; He learned to catch prey, And he devoured men.

Ezk 19:4  The nations also heard of him; He was trapped in their pit, And they brought him with chains to the land of Egypt.

Historically, Jehoahaz was the king deposed by Pharaoh Neco II, who “led him with hooks” – likely literal hooks through his nose or jaw attached to a rope – and took him to Egypt, where he died in captivity.

Ezk 19:5  ‘When she saw that she waited, that her hope was lost, She took another of her cubs and made him a young lion.

Ezk 19:6  He roved among the lions, And became a young lion; He learned to catch prey; He devoured men.

Ezk 19:7  He knew their desolate places, And laid waste their cities; The land with its fullness was desolated By the noise of his roaring.

Ezk 19:8  Then the nations set against him from the provinces on every side, And spread their net over him; He was trapped in their pit.

Ezk 19:9  They put him in a cage with chains, And brought him to the king of Babylon; They brought him in nets, That his voice should no longer be heard on the mountains of Israel.

Jehoiachin was the king deposed by Nebuchadnezzar. Mercenaries caught & caged him. He was released after 37 years in prison.

Jehoahaz & Jehoiachin were The Ghost & the Darkness of Judah. That’s the title of the film based on the true story of two man-eating lions in Tsavo Africa. They terrorized workers during the building  of the Kenya-Uganda Railway in 1898. They killed at least 35 men, maybe over 100, until hunted and killed by Lt. Col. John Henry Patterson, a British engineer and soldier.

Both lions of Judah violently “devoured men.” No matter exactly what “devoured” means, that description is not fit for a King of Judah portraying the future, final lion of the tribe of Judah, Jesus Christ. We are not imitating Jesus if we can be described using such words.

For some time now there has been a hipster attempt to call believers “Christ-followers” in favor of “Christians.” Both are accurate. I like Christian for at least two reasons:

1. First, it is biblical. “Christian” appears in Acts 11:26 & 26:28, and First Peter 4:16. In Acts it reads, “and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.” I ran into something I need to research further. There are scholars who translate “called” as “divinely called.” In other words, God revealed to them they ought to be called Christians.
2. Second, I like “Christian” because it means “like Christ.” It reminds me that my life is a portrayal of Jesus. I am following Him, but that’s only one aspect of imitating Him.

Mariano Rivera, the legendary New York Yankees closer, famously entered games to Metallica’s Enter Sandman. He didn’t choose the song. It was chosen by those who watched him.

People watch us. What song would they associate with me? With you?

In Zephaniah 3:17 we read, “The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”

What song is the Lord singing over you?

#2 Is The Lord Lamenting Your Lack Of Fruit On The Vine? (v10-14)

The Bible is the best commentary on the Bible.

The parable-lamentation of the vine in Ezekiel nineteen finds its best in-depth commentary in Psalms 80:8-19.

You have brought a vine out of Egypt; You have cast out the nations, and planted it. You prepared room for it, And caused it to take deep root, And it filled the land. The hills were covered with its shadow, And the mighty cedars with its boughs. She sent out her boughs to the Sea, And her branches to the River. Why have You broken down her hedges, So that all who pass by the way pluck her fruit? The boar out of the woods uproots it, And the wild beast of the field devours it. Return, we beseech You, O God of hosts; Look down from heaven and see, And visit this vine And the vineyard which Your right hand has planted, And the branch that You made strong for Yourself. It is burned with fire, it is cut down; They perish at the rebuke of Your countenance. Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand, Upon the son of man whom You made strong for Yourself. Then we will not turn back from You; Revive us, and we will call upon Your name. Restore us, O LORD God of hosts; Cause Your face to shine, And we shall be saved!

Israel’s national history is depicted as a vine transplanted from Egypt to the Promised Land. Due to persistent unbelief, they became a fruitless vine. Nevertheless, God promised restoration and salvation for Israel.

In his commentary, John Gill wrote, “Lamentable was the case of the Jews already, but it would be still more so when all that was foretold of them should be accomplished. It denotes the continuance of the sad estate of that people; and perhaps may refer to their present condition, which will continue till they are turned to the Lord.”

Ezk 19:10  ‘Your mother was like a vine in your bloodline, Planted by the waters, Fruitful and full of branches Because of many waters.

Ezk 19:11  She had strong branches for scepters of rulers. She towered in stature above the thick branches, And was seen in her height amid the dense foliage.

The “scepter” that the Lord carries is also called a “rod.”

• If you are talking about a shepherd, you called it a rod.
• If you’re talking about the king, you call it His scepter.

Jesus is our Shepherd-King.

Ezk 19:12  But she was plucked up in fury, She was cast down to the ground, And the east wind dried her fruit. Her strong branches were broken and withered; The fire consumed them.

Ezk 19:13  And now she is planted in the wilderness, In a dry and thirsty land [Babylon was lush; this describes them spiritually]

Ezk 19:14  Fire has come out from a rod of her branches And devoured her fruit, So that she has no strong branch – a scepter for ruling.’ ”This is a lamentation, and has become a lamentation.

God sang this “lament” before the final siege of Jerusalem. It then became their lamentation when conquered.

The Lord was making funeral plans for Judah These were the songs He had written for them. 

In the Lion Lament, the lioness is described, “She lay down among the lions; Among the young lions she nourished her cubs.” It suggests a familiarity with other lions. She wanted to be among them and excel them in their wickedness. There was no separation from them. She thus became like them.

God’s people once asked Him for a king to rule over them. The reason they gave was that they wished to be like the other nations. They didn’t understand that they were chosen to be separate to show the nations the glory of God.

Christians can be too attracted to ideas and principles that have their origins not in the Bible. We want to be like others, like unbelievers. “In the world, but not of the world” – there is no better way to put the measurement of our separation.

We close with this Tozer quote. “The Christian is called to separation from the world, but we must be sure we know what we mean (or more important, what God means) by the world. We are likely to make it mean something external only and thus miss its real meaning.”

The Daddy Made Me Do It (Ezekiel 18:1-32)

It’s just about time for “Don’t Blame Me” bumper stickers.

It doesn’t matter whether things improve or worsen. There’s a strange sense of catharsis in declaring that despite your candidate’s loss, you remain unwavering.

“Don’t Blame Me I Voted For Harris” stickers are available now for $5.95 on amazon.

The 6^th century Jews had a “don’t blame me” proverb. It’s quoted here, in verse two, and in the prophecies of Jeremiah. ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, And the children’s teeth are set on edge.”

It was a protest proverb. The generation of Jews in Judah were soon to be overpowered by the Babylonian empire. They put the blame on their parents.

The LORD stepped in, saying, “You shall no longer use this proverb in Israel” (v3). The LORD holds each person responsible for the way they live their life.

Human beings have been passing the fig ever since Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the serpent. God held all three responsible.

I’ll organize my comments around two points: #1 Accept Your Responsibility & Walk Righteously, and #2 Admit Your Responsibility And Repent For Walking Unrighteously.

#1 Accept Your Responsibility & Walk Righteously (v1-24)

We must address an important question: Do the terms righteousness, unrighteousness, life, and death in this chapter pertain to eternal life, or do they focus on our earthly, temporal existence?

• We immediately think of eternal life at any mention of righteousness. We can’t say enough about the Lord declaring us righteous when we believe in Jesus Christ.
• A Jew reading this would immediately think of righteousness as the practical, daily keeping of God’s Law.

These verses, this chapter, describes how Israel was expected to live on Earth.

In His covenants with Israel, the LORD promised to physically & materially bless the Israelites for obedience, but punish them for disobedience:

• Blessings for obedience included material prosperity, fruitful harvests, protection from enemies, and health.^[1]
• Penalties for disobedience included famine, defeat by enemies, disease, and exile from the Land.^[2]

The Church is nowhere promised physical & material blessings while in our corruptible bodies.

In fact, the apostle Paul makes it clear in Ephesians that we are promised spiritual blessings in heavenly places.

Ezk 18:1  The word of the LORD came to me again, saying,

Ezk 18:2  “What do you mean when you use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying: ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, And the children’s teeth are set on edge’?

Cultural proverbs do not need to make sense, they only need to convey a singular idea. The Jews in Judah were facing a third incursion from King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. They blamed their predicament on the decisions of their parents.

Ezk 18:3  “As I live,” says the Lord GOD, “you shall no longer use this proverb in Israel.

The LORD interrupts and says, “No, nope, no way, absolutely not, not a chance, under no circumstances, never in a million years!”

Ezk 18:4  “Behold, all souls are Mine; The soul of the father As well as the soul of the son is Mine; The soul who sins shall die.

The Titanic sank and 1,514 souls were lost. Maritime and aviation disasters use the word ‘souls’ to be sure everyone is counted, e.g., passengers, crew, etc. The LORD uses ‘souls’ in that same way here. It means people; it means everyone.

From here all the way through verse nineteen the LORD repeats the works of righteousness and the works of unrighteousness that reveal whether a person is obeying or disobeying God’s Law.

Characteristics of the righteous souls include:

• Doing what is lawful and right.
• Not eating on the mountains. (This is referring to attending feasts to pagan gods of nature).
• Not lifting up eyes to the idols of the house of Israel.
• Not defiling your neighbor’s wife.
• Not approaching a woman during her impurity.
• Not oppressing anyone, but restoring to the debtor his pledge.
• Robbing no one by violence, but giving bread to the hungry and covering the naked with clothing.
• Not exacting usury nor taking any increase.
• Withdrawing your hand from iniquity and executing true judgment between man and man.
• Walking in God’s statutes and keeping His judgments faithfully.

Characteristics of the unrighteous person include:

• Eating on the mountains.
• Defiling your neighbor’s wife.
• Oppressing the poor and needy.
• Robbing by violence.
• Not restoring the pledge.
• Lifting your eyes to the idols.
• Committing abomination.
• Exacting usury and taking increase.

The LORD illustrates using the example of a father, his son, and the grandson.

1. God introduces the obedient father (v5-9). His daily walk and work are righteous, resulting in physical and material blessings.
2. His son, however, engages in sin and will face consequences for his own actions, regardless of his father’s righteousness (v10-13).
3. The wicked son’s son observes his father’s sins but chooses righteousness and obedience to God’s Law.

The argument ends where it began. Each individual is accountable for their own actions; righteousness leads to life/blessing while wickedness leads to death/punishment (v14-19).

There is a near-perfect example. Less than 150 years earlier, Judah experienced a succession of kings:

1. King Hezekiah was obedient, walking in righteousness.
2. His son was Manasseh, Israel’s worst king.
3. Manasseh fathered Josiah. He was a great & godly king

This succession of kings serves as a clear refutation of the proverb about sour grapes, demonstrating that each individual is accountable for their own actions.

Ezk 18:20  The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.

Jim Gaffigan usually does a bit in his stand-up comedy where he acknowledges that the audience is probably wondering how many jokes he has on a certain topic. This chapter is more tragedy than comedy, but at some point, we start to wonder how many times God is going to say pretty much the same thing. You are responsible for your own deeds and decisions.

Ezk 18:21  “But if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die.

Ezk 18:22  None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him; because of the righteousness which he has done, he shall live.

If someone makes a mistake, we say he needs to “own” it. If the “wicked” unrighteous person owns his or her sin, they repent and are restored to being blessed by God.

One eye-opening realization is that God holds “all souls” on Earth responsible to obey His Law.

Christians are adept at pointing out that no one can perfectly keep God’s Law. We use it to evangelize because God’s Law condemns us as sinners in need of a Savior. Is God being unfair? Is He asking us to do what we cannot do?

Jesus emphatically said, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till Heaven and Earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled” (Matthew 5:17-18).

Heaven & Earth won’t “pass away” until after Jesus’ Second Coming, and after the one-thousand year Kingdom of God on Earth. We are going to be surprised later in the Book of Ezekiel to learn that human beings will be offering sacrifices in the Millennial Temple.

Jesus equated anger with murder in the heart (Matthew 5:21-22). This reveals our sinful nature and the impossibility of fully keeping God’s Law, highlighting our need for a new heart, as the human heart is deceitful and desperately wicked.

God’s Law reveals our sinfulness, showing that we must repent and believe to be saved, as we cannot keep the Law to secure salvation. Yet, sitting here now, we trust others to obey the law and do not expect to be murdered.

For God to hold us personally responsible for our actions, we must possess free will. As A.W. Tozer stated, “God sovereignly decreed that man should be free to exercise moral choice, and man from the beginning has fulfilled that decree by making his choice between good and evil. When he chooses to do evil, he does not thereby countervail the sovereign will of God but fulfills it, inasmuch as the eternal decree decided not which choice the man should make but that he should be free to make it. If in His absolute freedom God has willed to give man limited freedom, who is there to stay His hand or say, ‘What doest thou?’ Man’s will is free because God is sovereign. A God less than sovereign could not bestow moral freedom upon His creatures. He would be afraid to do so.”

#2 Admit Your Responsibility & Repent For Walking Unrighteously (v23-32)

The Jews were attacking God’s character as someone who takes pleasure in treating people unfairly. Truth is, God treats everyone equally, and is constantly seeking to draw all men to Himself so they might be saved.

• Verse twenty-three: “Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?” says the Lord GOD, “and not that he should turn from his ways and live?
• Verse thirty-two: For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord GOD. “Therefore turn and live!”

Ezk 18:24  “But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? All the righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; because of the unfaithfulness of which he is guilty and the sin which he has committed, because of them he shall die.

The main takeaway here: The righteous man who sins knew the possible consequences and did it anyway.

The consequences of your parents decisions and deeds certainly do affect your life. Some of us has a better upbringing than did others. But you are not determined by it. You choose.

Ezk 18:25  “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ Hear now, O house of Israel, is it not My way which is fair, and your ways which are not fair?

Ezk 18:26  When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity, and dies in it, it is because of the iniquity which he has done that he dies.

Ezk 18:27  Again, when a wicked man turns away from the wickedness which he committed, and does what is lawful and right, he preserves himself alive.

Ezk 18:28  Because he considers and turns away from all the transgressions which he committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die.

Ezk 18:29  Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ O house of Israel, is it not My ways which are fair, and your ways which are not fair?

If parents are to blame for the decisions and deeds of their children, then God is unfair. He he would be holding the sons responsible for things they could not do.

Ezk 18:30  “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways,” says the Lord GOD. “Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin.

Ezk 18:31  Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel?

Ezk 18:32  For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord GOD. “Therefore turn and live!”

Ezekiel looks to Israel’s future, echoing God’s promise through Jeremiah of a New Covenant: His Law written on hearts, forgiveness, and sins remembered no more.

Jesus revealed the New Covenant at the Last Supper, saying, “This cup… is the New Covenant in my blood” (Luke 22:20), signifying His sacrifice would establish it.

Israel’s rejection of Jesus delayed their full participation in the New Covenant. In the mean time the Church enjoys partial participation through the Holy Spirit’s indwelling. God has not forsaken Israel; all Israel will be saved at the end of the Great Tribulation.

There’s one more thing I want to draw from this incredible text.

I am hoping it will be a word of encouragement to many who hear it. For sure you are going to want to highlight it and save it as a favorite.

The righteous father has an unrighteous son; and the unrighteous son has a righteous son.

It is not a hypothetical. It was acted out in the succession of Judah’s Kings.

Many believers endure the deep sorrow of having a prodigal son or daughter.

Part of the heartache is the inevitable, incessant blaming of yourself. You become inconsolable.

Jesus says to you, “The father [shall not] bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.”

We wait in hope that our prodigals would turn & return.

Riddle Me This, Riddle Me That, The Eagle You Picked Does Not Have Your Back (Ezekiel 17)

What do they call pastors in Germany?
German shepherds

What kind of lighting did Noah use on the Ark?
Floodlights

Before Boaz married, what kind of man was he?
He was Ruth-less

I am taken from a mine, and shut up in a wooden case, from which I am never released, and yet I am used by almost everybody.
What am I? Pencil Lead

The LORD tells Ezekiel to pose a rare riddle to the nation of Judah. He had tried many other methods to communicate that their idolatry was ruining them. Maybe this would be their “Aha!” moment.

I’ll organize my comments around two points: #1 Babylon Is Not So Bad When The Lord Wants You Discipled There, and #2 Egypt Is Always Bad Because The Lord Delivered You From There.

#1 Babylon Is Not So Bad

When The Lord Wants You Discipled There (v1-21)

If I said that I went to the University of Babylon, what would you think? Besides Iraq, there’s a Babylon in Illinois, and two in New York.

Ah, but I’m a Christian trying to be clever. What I mean to convey by saying ‘Babylon’ is that my university is not Christian, but worldly.

• Historically, Babylon is the ancient city and world empire that conquered Judah and destroyed Jerusalem in 586BC.
• Biblically, Babylon is synonymous with human pride, idolatry, and the pursuit of power apart from God.
• Spiritually, Babylon is often used as a metaphor for all worldly systems, e.g., its religions, politics, philosophies, psychologies, etc.

Anywhere a believer finds him or herself this side of eternity is Babylon.

Alistair Begg writes we must “realize that the place we are living is less and less like Jerusalem, and more and more like Babylon.”

To understand why Ezekiel’s message isn’t so dire, we look back to the prophet Habakkuk. He recognized Israel’s idolatry and cried out for God’s discipline. God’s response – that He would use the Babylonians to punish Judah – stunned him.

Discipline was well underway when Ezekiel wrote. King Nebuchadnezzar had come twice already to Jerusalem, taking captives.

With that brief background we can ‘riddle me this.’

Ezk 17:1  And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

Ezk 17:2  “Son of man, pose a riddle, and speak a parable to the house of Israel,

The Bible contains many genres: Historical narrative, law, wisdom literature, poetry, songs, prophecy, sermons, speeches, epistles (letters), Gospels, genealogies, covenants, etc. Add to that parables and add to that riddle parables!

Why so many types of literature?

The Creator and Sustainer of life desires to converse with you in every way that might draw you deeper in a relationship with Him.

If singing isn’t your preference, explore historical narratives in the Bible. If Proverbs are challenging, perhaps delve into prophecy. While we should engage with the whole of God’s Word, it’s natural to have personal preferences for certain sections.

A riddle must be heard or read all at once.

Ezk 17:3  and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “A great eagle with large wings and long pinions, Full of feathers of various colors, Came to Lebanon And took from the cedar the highest branch.

Ezk 17:4  He cropped off its topmost young twig And carried it to a land of trade; He set it in a city of merchants.

Ezk 17:5  Then he took some of the seed of the land And planted it in a fertile field; He placed it by abundant waters And set it like a willow tree.

Ezk 17:6  And it grew and became a spreading vine of low stature; Its branches turned toward him, But its roots were under it. So it became a vine, Brought forth branches, And put forth shoots.

Ezk 17:7  “But there was another great eagle with large wings and many feathers; And behold, this vine bent its roots toward him, And stretched its branches toward him, From the garden terrace where it had been planted, That he might water it.

Ezk 17:8  It was planted in good soil by many waters, To bring forth branches, bear fruit, And become a majestic vine.” ’

Ezk 17:9  “Say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Will it thrive? Will he not pull up its roots, Cut off its fruit, And leave it to wither? All of its spring leaves will wither, And no great power or many people Will be needed to pluck it up by its roots.

Ezk 17:10  Behold, it is planted, Will it thrive? Will it not utterly wither when the east wind touches it? It will wither in the garden terrace where it grew.” ’ ”

The legend of characters is thus:

• The first eagle is Babylon, “the city of merchants” (v4).
• The cedar tree and the vine represent the nation of Judah.
• The top of the cedar represents Judah’s king, Jeconiah.
• The seed the first eagle plants is Zedekiah. He was put in charge when King Jeconiah was deposed.
• The second eagle is Egypt.

The first eagle takes the top of the cedar tree and plants it in a foreign land. Babylon exiled Judah’s King Jehoiachin.

The first eagle plants a seed in fertile soil. Nebuchadnezzar replaced King Jehoiachin with his uncle, Zedekiah.

The vine grows but later seeks help from

another eagle. Zedekiah secretly approached Egypt to form an alliance against Babylon.

This disloyalty enraged Nebuchadnezzar. He conquered Egypt, then came the third time to Jerusalem, leveling it.

In verses eleven through twenty-one, the LORD reveals the decision that amped-up His discipline.

Listen for two words, one repeated four times and the other six times.

Ezk 17:11  Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

Ezk 17:12  “Say now to the rebellious house: ‘Do you not know what these things mean?’ Tell them, ‘Indeed the king of Babylon went to Jerusalem and took its king and princes, and led them with him to Babylon.

Ezk 17:13  And he took the king’s offspring, made a covenant with him, and put him under oath. He also took away the mighty of the land,

Ezk 17:14  that the kingdom might be brought low and not lift itself up, but that by keeping his covenant it might stand.

Ezk 17:15  But he rebelled against him by sending his ambassadors to Egypt, that they might give him horses and many people. Will he prosper? Will he who does such things escape? Can he break a covenant and still be delivered?

Ezk 17:16  ‘As I live,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘surely in the place where the king dwells who made him king, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke – with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die.

Ezk 17:17  Nor will Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company do anything in the war, when they heap up a siege mound and build a wall to cut off many persons.

Ezk 17:18  Since he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, and in fact gave his hand and still did all these things, he shall not escape.’ ”

Ezk 17:19  Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “As I live, surely My oath which he despised, and My covenant which he broke, I will recompense on his own head.

Ezk 17:20  I will spread My net over him, and he shall be taken in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon and try him there for the treason which he committed against Me.

Ezk 17:21  All his fugitives with all his troops shall fall by the sword, and those who remain shall be scattered to every wind; and you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken.”

“Covenant” (6x) & “oath” (4x) dominate these verses. Zedekiah swore in God’s name to serve Babylon in peace. He “despised the oath” he had made. He broke it.

The LORD called it “My oath which he despised, and My covenant which he broke…” God rules over the nations. He gives nations delegated authority to act freely. Nebuchadnezzar was appointed by God. He had the authority to depose Jehoiachin and to appoint Zedekiah. It was wrong to break the covenant.

Nebuchadnezzar “took away the mighty of the land, that the kingdom might be brought low and not lift itself up, but that by keeping His covenant it might stand.”

The 6^th century Jews were in danger of extinction. They would not stop sinning without an intervention.  God intervened. As a vassal to Babylon they would enjoy its protection. They would learn humility. They would repent and ultimately return.

Despite his cruelty and temper, King Nebuchadnezzar appointed a Jew, Zedekiah, as governor over Judah, intending to maintain peace with the region.

Zedekiah broke the oath, driven to do so only by a desire to maintain their independence from God.

The Jerusalem Jews were supposed to submit to Babylon, even to exile, as an appropriate and deserved discipline. It was the LORD’s way of preserving them. They instead added oath breaking to their rebellion by seeking an alliance with Egypt.

In Jeremiah 29:1-8, Jeremiah urged them to settle down, build homes, marry, and seek the welfare of the city where they’ve been exiled.

We live in Babylon. Another Jeremiah, David Jeremiah, said, “We live in a world that is becoming more like Babylon every day – a world that is self-absorbed, materialistic, and hostile to the ways of God.”

The Church will live in spiritual Babylon until the resurrection and rapture, after which our forever home, the New Jerusalem, will appear.

Living in Babylon means being thrown into fiery furnaces and spending nights with lions, but also experiencing the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit.

We all know enough about Daniel to know that he bore abundant fruit for the Lord. He was taken captive in the first of Babylon’s incursions. When we first meet him, Daniel is in his teen years.

We don’t see him demanding his rights, wanting to be transferred to another group of Magi, or taking advantage of situations for his own advancement. He makes no escape attempts. Babylon was where the LORD had placed him. It was God’s will.

Remember what we learned in Ezekiel 16. The spiritual fruit of love requires adversity. You will never know self control unless you are in situations where you might lose control. That’s Babylon.

Kirk Lazarus wisely warned, “You never go full idolater.” God protected His nation. Don’t argue with where God places you – it may be to save you from sin.

#2 Egypt Is Always Bad
Because The Lord Delivered You From There (v22-24)

Egypt illustrates the flesh. The “flesh” refers to the inherent human inclination toward sin and opposition to God’s will. When you believe Jesus for your salvation, you receive a new spirit and the permanent indwelling of God the Holy Spirit. However, your new spirit and the Holy Spirit dwell within your earthly physical body. You quickly find that “the good that [you] will to do, [you] do not do; but the evil [you] will not to do, that [you] practice.”

We will struggle with the flesh daily until the Lord takes us home or returns to give us new, heavenly bodies and end sin forever.

The closing verses give us a glimpse of future glory.

Ezk 17:22  Thus says the Lord GOD: “I will take also one of the highest branches of the high cedar and set it out. I will crop off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and will plant it on a high and prominent mountain.

Ezk 17:23  On the mountain height of Israel I will plant it; and it will bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a majestic cedar. Under it will dwell birds of every sort; in the shadow of its branches they will dwell.

In the riddle, the highest branch represents the king, and the “prominent mountain” refers to the hill where Jerusalem stands. This is the future reign of the Messiah, who we know is Jesus.

Ezk 17:24  And all the trees of the field shall know that I, the LORD, have brought down the high tree and exalted the low tree, dried up the green tree and made the dry tree flourish; I, the LORD, have spoken and have done it.”

It reminds me of the Christmas story, The Three Trees. Though humbled when they were not crafted into anything grand, they were later exalted as the wood for the manger, the fishing boat of Galilee, and the Cross.

Humility is a theme running all through the story of Jesus:

• He humbled Himself in the Garden of Eden, promising to be the Seed of the woman who would redeem Creation & Created.
• He humbled Himself in coming as a man who will remain fully God and fully man for all eternity.
• Ultimately He humbled Himself by dying on the Cross for our sins.

From eternity to eternity, Jesus is humble. When I’m not humble, I’m not like Jesus. When something or someone lacks humility, that’s not Jesus.

Egypt beckons. It’s like the sirens in mythology whose enchanting singing lured sailors to shipwreck & death.

We are always on the verge of “adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like…” (Galatians 5:19-21).

Christian recording artist Keith Green asked, “So you wanna go back to Egypt?”

We all do from time-to-time. There is no religion, or psychology, or politics, or philosophy, that is at all helpful in your Christian walk. Our help comes from the Lord. He goes to great lengths to design our circumstances so that we might be planted there and bear fruit by abiding there. Not so we can turn aside and become shipwrecked.

We can finish with this quote from Edwin Lutzer:

“Christians today are faced with at least three ways to respond: (1) Assimilate the secular culture, (2) Isolate from the secular culture, or (3) Engage the secular culture. In light of the Gospel, the only choice for the Christ follower is to engage.”

Substitute the word abide for engage and get to bearing fruit where you’re planted.