Ezekiel · chapter 20 of 48
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Ezekiel 20 tells how some elders consult Ezekiel and the Lord refuses to answer them, instead reviewing Israel's history of rebellion in Egypt, in the wilderness and in the land. Again and again God decides not to destroy them for the sake of his name. It ends with a promise to gather them from the peoples, judge them like a shepherd and bring them to his holy mountain.
Ezekiel 20 is dated to the seventh year of the exile (c. 591 BC), a year after the temple vision. The elders seek an answer, and God answers them with history. It is a long look back that shows how Israel's rebellion is ancient, but also how constant the Lord's faithfulness has been.
In the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, some of the elders of Israel come to inquire of the Lord and sit before Ezekiel. The Lord answers that he will not be consulted by them and tells Ezekiel to judge them by making known to them the abominations of their fathers.
The review begins in Egypt. When the Lord chose Israel, he told them to get rid of the idols of Egypt, but they did not obey. For the sake of his name he brought them out. In the wilderness he gave them his statutes and his Sabbaths as a sign, but they rebelled: they rejected his rules and profaned his Sabbaths. Once more, for the sake of his name, he did not destroy them. He swore he would not bring them into the land, yet he told their children not to follow their fathers' ways; but they too rebelled. In verse 25 the Lord says he gave them statutes that were not good, a difficult text discussed below. When they came into the land, they offered sacrifices on every high hill.
Then the Lord turns to the present generation: are they defiling themselves like their fathers? He says he will not be consulted by them. If they think to be like the nations and serve wood and stone, it will not happen. With a mighty hand and outstretched arm he will be king over them. He will bring them out from the peoples and judge them in the wilderness of the peoples, as in the wilderness of Egypt, make them pass under the rod and bring them into the bond of the covenant. He will purge out the rebels. Afterward all Israel will serve him on his holy mountain, and he will accept them.
The chapter ends with a brief prophecy against the south: the Lord will kindle a fire in the forest of the Negeb, and all will see that he has kindled it. Ezekiel complains that they say he only speaks in parables.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
The Lord decides not to destroy Israel in Egypt for the sake of his name, so that it would not be profaned before the nations. Israel's salvation rests on God's character, not on their merits.
The Lord gave them his Sabbaths as a sign between him and them, so they would know that he is the one who sanctifies them. The Sabbath is a mark of relationship and not only a rule.
Some wanted to be like the nations, serving wood and stone. The Lord declares that this will not happen: the chosen people cannot shed their identity.
The chapter ends with their knowing that he is the Lord when he deals with them for the sake of his name, not according to their evil ways. In the end, judgment and restoration alike are a work of mercy.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: In the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month. — Ezekiel 20:1
Answer: For the sake of his name, so that it would not be profaned before the nations. — Ezekiel 20:9
Answer: His Sabbaths. — Ezekiel 20:12
Answer: Be like the nations, serving wood and stone. — Ezekiel 20:32
Answer: With a mighty hand, an outstretched arm and poured-out wrath. — Ezekiel 20:33
Answer: On his holy mountain, the mountain height of Israel. — Ezekiel 20:40
Israel's story is a mirror: the tendency to leave God for other things repeats again and again, and so does the Lord's patience, acting for the sake of his name. This reminds us that salvation does not depend on our performance but on God's faithfulness.
The Sabbaths as a sign invite us to think about rest and relationship with God as part of the identity of his people. In a small group, talk about which rhythms of rest and worship sustain your faith, and which influences around you make you, like the exiles, want to be simply like the nations.
Ezekiel 20 shows the history of Israel's rebellion and God's mercy. Chapter 21 returns to the present with the image of a sharpened sword announcing Babylon's judgment on Jerusalem.
It is a difficult text. Many understand it as a judgment in which God gives his people over to the practices they chose, even child sacrifice, so that they see the consequences. Others think it describes the laws of the nations. It does not say Moses' law was bad; verse 11 presents it as life.
In the Bible God's name represents his character and reputation among the nations. God acts so that his faithfulness is not discredited, and this grounds the people's hope: though they do not deserve it, the Lord keeps his covenant.