Ezekiel 6-7

Bible study with Dr. Chuck Missler

REVIEW

Five years after his captivity (Ezekiel 1:2), in 593 BC, Ezekiel received his call to be a prophet (Ezekiel 1-3).

Ezekiel has a unique two-part ministry
Between 592-586 BC his messages contained warnings about Jerusalem’s destruction (Ezekiel 4-32).

Ezekiel 4-24: God’s Judgment on Jerusalem (Given before the siege of Jerusalem)

Ezekiel 25-32: God’s Judgment on the Muslim Nations (Given during the siege)

Ezekiel's last message of this era was delivered in April 585 BC, just after Jerusalem and its temple were destroyed.
For the next 13 years, Ezekiel remained silent. Then, in April 571 BC, Ezekiel took up a new ministry, one of hope, promise, and comfort for the exiles (Ezekiel 33-48).

Ezekiel 33-48: The Restoration of the Jews (Given after the siege)

Ezekiel 33-36: They return to their land

Ezekiel 37: They experience new life and unity

Ezekiel 38-39: They are protected from Gog and Magog

Ezekiel 40-48: The Millennial Kingdom

Ezekiel’s task was to confront Israel with her sin and warn her of impending destruction (Cf. Ezek 3:17). Ezekiel employed several means to focus on the people’s need for judgment. These included: signs (Ezekiel 4-5); sermons (Ezekiel 6-7), and visions (Ezekiel 8-11). In each case the emphasis was on sin and its ensuing suffering.

Zechariah 13:8-9
"In the whole land," declares the LORD, "two-thirds will be struck down and perish; yet one-third will be left in it. This third I will put into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, 'They are my people,' and they will say, 'The LORD is our God.'"

In the book of Ezekiel, this is exactly the theme: That Israel will know "The LORD is our God."


EZEKIEL 6: God pronounces judgment against idolatry

Ezekiel 6-7 are messages or sermons, explaining the object lessons Ezekiel acted out up to Ezekiel 5. Up to this point, Ezekiel had acted God’s judgments out. From this point on, Ezekiel turned his attention to the whole land of Israel: judgment was going to come upon the entire land.

Ezekiel was with the second delegation of people who were taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar. They were taken as slaves of the government of Babylon working in the agricultural area by the river, Chebar, the great canal running off the Euphrates River. Most of the Israelites, however, were still back in the land, and Jerusalem had not yet been devastated.

False prophets continued to assure the people that everything was going to be fine and that the captives would be able to return shortly. Meanwhile, Jeremiah was prophesying that the captivity would last 70 years, but no one paid any attention to him. The people listened to the false prophets, because their message was more pleasing to the ear…

"Son of man, set your face against the mountains of Israel; prophesy against them" (Ezekiel 6:1-2)
This verse opens the first of the two messages; the second message in Ezekiel 7 begins in a similar tone. Both of these messages also conclude in the same manner with,
Then they will know that I am the LORD."

2 Corinthians 5:11
Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience.

The Mountains of Israel (Ezekiel 6:3)
These mountains formed the chief topographical feature of the land of Israel.

Ezekiel’s tone here shows that he had given up on his people. Rhetorically, he prophesied against the mountains because of idolatry (Cf.1 Kings 13, where the prophet spoke to the altar rather than to King Jeroboam). Under the new kingdom, the Ezekiel would portray the felicity of the mountains (Ezekiel 36:1-15).

Seriousness of Idolatry (Ezekiel 6:4-14)
The role of Jerusalem and Israel was to be a witness to the rest of the world of who God is and His love for all people. However, time after time, the Israelites continue to fall into idolatry. Idolatry is a serious sin that resulted in death. God brought the nation heavy judgments whenever it sinks into idolatry. These judgments even included cannibalism (Ezekiel 5), which vividly illustrates for us the severity of idolatry! The sieges and abuses on the Israelites by their conquerors were also brought about as God’s judgment of idolatry (Leviticus 26:30-33; Hosea 4:13; Isaiah 65:7; Jeremiah 3:6).

High Places
High places were in Canaan before Israel arrived, and God commanded Israel to destroy them (Numbers 33:52). Israel was to worship only at the tabernacle, placed at Shiloh (Deuteronomy 12:2-14; 1 Samuel 1:3).

After the destruction of Shiloh (probably by the Philistines) and before the construction of the Temple in Jerusalem, Israel had no central place of worship. The altar and tabernacle were relocated at Gibeon (2 Chronicles 1:1-3), and the Ark was taken to Kiriath Jearim (1 Samuel 6:21-7:1).

After the temple in Jerusalem was completed, worshiping at high places was once again discouraged. Most high places remaining in the land were dedicated to false gods (1 Kings 11:7-10).

The conflict between true worship and false worship often centered on these high places. The course of idolatry had been checked in Israel by leaders such as Samuel, David, Asa, and Hezekiah (2 Kings 18:3-4). Manasseh did not follow God and re-introduced many types of pagan worship (2 Kings 21:1-6). Josiah had engaged in a far-reaching reform in 622 BC (2 Kings 23:8-9), but his successors did not continue his work (2 Kings 23:13-20).

"You will know that I am the LORD" (Ezekiel 6:7)
This statements sets the main theme throughout Ezekiel.

Levitically, contact with a dead body was considered defiling (Num 9:6-10; 2 Kgs 23, et al.). That is why the grave sites were whitewashed at the time of Passover, so that strangers coming to celebrate would not inadvertently stumble on the graves and become ceremonially defiled so that they could not celebrate the feast. Since the ground God wanted to have sanctified was defiled by the idols, He was defiling that ground with their bones. It’s ironic that the temple incense was being replaced by foul smell of decomposing dead bodies.

The Remnant (Ezekiel 6:8-10)
A "remnant" is again mentioned.

Isaiah 1:9
Unless the LORD Almighty had left us some survivors, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been like Gomorrah.

Sodom and Gomorrah were completely wiped out, and obviously here, Israel was not totally wiped out (cf. Isaiah 20:20-22; Jeremiah 43:5; Zephaniah 2:7; Zechariah 10:9, 12:2-3, 12:9-10; Romans 9:6-13, 11:5-25).

There were some among these people who remained faithful to God. The nation as a whole went away from God, but there was a believing remnant. We should be encouraged in that God takes note of His faithful ones.

Idolatry is spiritual fornication
All through Scripture, especially in the Book of Revelation and the Old Testament prophecies, the concept of unfaithfulness theologically was idiomatically identical with the concept of unfaithfulness in a sexual sense.

Just as a wife can be unfaithful to her husband, Israel was viewed as being unfaithful to YHWH. So the concept of the faithless woman was an idiom, poetically speaking, that God used to speak to Israel.

God instructs Ezekiel to amplify this message (Ezekiel 6:11-14)
Judgment will come not only on Israel but on idolatrous Israelites wherever they are (Ezekiel 6:12).

The Cult of the Fertility Goddess (Ezekiel 6:13; Hosea 4:13)
Ezekiel 6:13 refers to the cult of the fertility goddess. The "oak" (Ezekiel 6:13) was the terebinth tree. It is a deciduous tree common to Palestine and grows to a height of 35-40 feet. The Elah Valley, where David slew Goliath, probably received its name because of the abundance of these trees (1 Samuel 17:2, 19).


EZEKIEL 7: Four Oracles of Doom (Ezek 7:1-13)
Ezekiel 7 is the climax to Ezekiel 4-6.

Four short oracles of doom open the chapter with the recurring theme
• "The end has come" (Ezekiel 7:2-4)
• "Evil has come" (Ezekiel 7:5-9)
• "The day has come" (Ezekiel 7:10-11)
• "The time has come" (Ezekiel 7:12-13)

"The end has come upon the four corners of the land!" (Ezekiel 7:2)
No portion of the Land would escape God’s judgment. This prophecy is restricted to Israel (Ezekiel 7:1, 3, 7; Amos 8:2; Jeremiah 10:22).

"I will repay you for your conduct" (Ezekiel 7:3-4, 8-9)
Those who professed to know Him by other names (Genesis 22:14; 33:20; Exodus 17:15) would now know Him by the name YHWH.

"The end has come! The end has come!" (Ezekiel 7:6)
Disaster had been predicted for Jerusalem by Micah, but that prophecy had remained unfulfilled for over 100 years (Micah 3:12). Now Jerusalem’s end was about to come.

This is a lamentation. In the English, it sounds repetitive, almost like a song or poem. However, in the Hebrew, they reveal puns of sound (homonyms) as well as ironies of thought.

This is an emotional closing to this section of the book. The English translation doesn't do it justice, but it does convey a sense of an emotional lyric.

"The day is near…" (Ezekiel 7:7)
In popular thinking, "the day" means the victory of Israel over its enemies (Cf. Isaiah 9:3; Hosea 2:2; Ezekiel 30:9), but the prophets stressed its aspect of judgment on Israel (Amos 5:18; Isaiah 2:12; 13:9; Jeremiah 30:7; Ezekiel 7:19; 13:5; 36:33; Malachi 4:1). A later development assigned to "the day of YHWH" was the overthrow of heathenism (Jeremiah 46:10; Ezekiel 30:2; 38:10, 14; 39:8, 11, 13; Zechariah 14:3) and the ushering in of the new order, the rule of God (Ezekiel 39:22: Mal 4:2).

"… the rod has budded" (Ezekiel 7:10)
Ezekiel’s imagery could be drawn from Aaron’s rod that budded (Numbers 17), or he could have been familiar with Jeremiah’s picture of an almond tree in blossom (Jeremiah 1:11-12).

If the allusion was to Aaron’s rod, the point would be that just as its budding indicated God had selected him for service, so the budding of Israel’s rod of arrogance indicated God had selected Jerusalem for doom.

If the allusion was to Jeremiah’s almond tree in blossom, the point would be that just as the budding of the almond tree indicated God’s judgment was sure to follow so the budding of violence in Israel indicated God’s judgment would follow.

"The seller will not recover the property that was sold—as long as both buyer and seller live" (Ezekiel 7:13)
Possessions would be confiscated and property owners torn from their land and carried to Babylon.

The buyer who normally rejoiced over a good business deal should not be happy because he would not be able to possess the land he had purchased. And, one forced to sell his land should not grieve because he would have lost it anyway.

When land was sold in Israel, the transaction was always temporary. Every 50 years, during the Year of Jubilee, the property reverted to its original owners (Leviticus 25:10, 13-17). However, God’s coming judgment would prevent original owners from reclaiming their properties; they would be in exile along with the buyers.

Final Scenes of Desolation (Ezekiel 7:14-27)
• The uselessness of defense (Ezekiel 7:14-18)
• The wealth of the city becoming a prey to the invader (Ezekiel 7:19-22)
• The stupefaction seizing all classes of people (Ezekiel 7:23-27)
The city (Ezekiel 7:14-15)
The king (Ezekiel 7:27)
The Temple (Ezekiel 7:20-22)
The enemy (Ezekiel 7:24)—are all referred to in enigmatic fashion.

There is no escaping God’s judgment (Ezekiel 7:14-15)
Those who sought escape outside Jerusalem’s walls were hunted down and murdered by Babylon’s armies. Those who sought protection within the city walls faced the dual enemies of famine and disease. The majority of the people would die, and even those who survived would pay a price.

Those who survive will mourn and repent (Ezekiel 7:16-18)
To "put on sackcloth" was a sign of grief or mourning and repentance (Genesis 37:34; 1 Samuel 3:31; Job 16:15; Jeremiah 6:26; Isaiah 58:5; Daniel 9:3-4; John 3:5-9; Matthew 11:21).

"Shaved heads" were used to lament disaster (Ezekiel 27:31; Isaiah 15:2-3; Jeremiah 48:37) and to mourn the dead (Genesis 37:34; Jeremiah 16:6; Micah 1:16). The Hebrews were forbidden to make tonsures for the dead (Leviticus 21:5; Deuteronomy 14:1; Ezekiel 44:20).

"… their gold will be treated as a thing unclean" (Ezekiel 7:19)
"Unclean" speaks of the ceremonial impurity of menstruation (Leviticus 15:19; Ezekiel 18:6) or of touching a corpse (Numbers 19:13, 20, 21) and here, especially of idolatry (Cf. Ezekiel 7:20, 36:17).

"Their silver and gold will not be able to deliver them" (Ezekiel 7:19)
Items deemed precious and priceless by Israel (and the world) would have little value in God’s eyes.

"… it has caused them to stumble into sin" (Ezekiel 7:19)
What was "it"? Idolatry. Worshiping of jewelry that was made into idols.

Idolatry was the stumbling block that led to the ruin of Israel (Cf. Ezekiel 14:3; 18:30; 44:12).

"I will give their wealth as plunder to foreigners" (Ezekiel 7:21)
Israel's wealth, including the Temple, would be plundered by foreigners—This was fulfilled when the Babylonians overtook Jerusalem.

"The place I treasure" refers to the Holy of Holies.

"Prepare chains!" (Ezekiel 7:23)
This was a symbolic action, speaking of captivity.

"I will bring the most wicked of nations to take possession of their houses. I will put an end to the pride of the mighty, and their sanctuaries will be desecrated" (Ezekiel 7:24)
This verse pretty much characterizes the land from that period of history until General Allenby entered Jerusalem in 1917 to deliver it from the Turks. It was under Islamic rule for more than 1200 years!

The scope of what Ezekiel talks about often broadens from a specific focusing on the Babylonians coming to execute God’s fury. Sometimes we see glimpses in the text where he goes far beyond that to the End Times (Cf. Exodus 28).

There will be a famine of the Word (Ezekiel 7:26)
When God gave Israelites prophets of His Word, no one would listen. Upon His judgment, there would thus be a famine of the Word. Amos also talked about a famine of the Word (Amos 8:11).

"Then they will know that I am the LORD" (Ezekiel 7:27)
This phrase was emphasized 70 times in the books of Ezekiel.

Ezekiel closes Ezekiel 6 and 7 by amplifying, commenting, and elaborating on the object lessons of the two previous chapters. Divine justice is one of the evidences of the living God. Just as the Lord announces through Ezekiel that retribution upon the wicked leaders of Israel will convince them that He is the Lord, so in the final judgment of the wicked the ultimate justice of God will leave no doubt of His reality (Revelation).


IDOL WORSHIP TODAY

What God would have us do, as we wade through Ezekiel and get this perspective of God’s judgments on those ancient peoples, is to recognize that there are elements of their problems in our own lives that probably offend God no less than Israel offended God 2500 years ago.

Idol worship in a classical sense is still going on today. If astrology and the occult were simply superstitions and harmful only because they represented ignorance, then God would have dealt with them accordingly; but the Bible deals with those things as capital crimes!

Those of us who are in any way drawn or attracted to Ouija boards, or similar things, we should recognize that we are toying with something very serious. We need to realize that these communication portals open up both ways. We may be able to get a glimpse of the "other side," but spirits from that side may also be able to penetrate into our world. If we don’t know what we’re doing, think really hard before committing to the act.

We need to listen to what God is teaching us through these words. While we might not light candles to some carved image, we can inadvertently make idols of other things in our lives, whether it be a person, or a company, or a hobby, or some other material objective. Any kind of excessive preoccupation with something other than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, can become a form of idol worship.


SUMMARY: EZEKIEL 1-7

Ezekiel 7 wraps up the second major section of the prophecy of Ezekiel. In this division of the book, the complete captivity of Jerusalem and Israel became a reality, and the glory of the Lord departed from the Temple in Jerusalem.

Ezekiel 1-3: Ezekiel received a vision of God
Ezekiel 4-5: Ezekiel acted out four signs
Ezekiel 6-7: Ezekiel was given two messages on God’s coming judgment for Israel