Bible

In the Bible room again today we’re reading Session 2 of the summary of the book of Ezekiel, chapters 9 through 16.

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Ezekiel – Session 2 of 6

Chapter 9. Penalty

Ezekiel sees the wicked in Jerusalem will suffer the death penalty:

• In exile in Babylon, the prophet has a vision of Jerusalem;
• He sees six of the city leaders walking near the north gate;
• They are all carrying battle axes; one is wearing a linen robe;
• The one in the linen robe is also carrying a horn of ink;
• These men are told to walk through the city to observe;
• They are to find the good people, and the wicked;
• Good people are to be marked with ink on the forehead;
• All the wicked are to be killed on the spot, no exceptions;
• Ezekiel falls, prays, asks God why He is killing so many;
• His answer: The Lord will punish with death all the wicked;
• The man in the robe reports back: he has done as commanded.

Chapter 10. Wheels

The wheels from chapter one remain in his vision:

• The prophet again sees the sapphire throne in his vision;
• And the four living creatures are there amongst the cherubim;
• The four wheels, each a wheel within a wheel, are there also;
• From the throne a voice speaks to the man wearing the robe;
• He is to go amongst the wheels, gather coals from the fire;
• And go out to spread them all over the city;
• There was a loud noise, like the voice of Almighty God;
• The wheels could move in any direction at any time;
• And each of them is full of eyes, seeing everywhere;
• The wheels and the cherubim all move together;
• The spirit of the living creature is in the wheels;
• Ezekiel sees the glory of the Lord depart from the temple.

Chapter 11. Strangers

The Lord says Jerusalem will be taken over by some strangers:

• Ezekiel is taken in the Spirit to the east door of the temple;
• There, he sees twenty-five men, leaders of the city;
• The Lord tells the prophet these men are wicked leaders;
• He is to speak out against these men for their sinful advice;
• The Lord will send strangers to place judgement on them;
• They have defied the Lord and will die by the sword;
• The Lord tells Ezekiel He will scatter His people everywhere;
• This is how He will spare them from being totally lost;
• He will bring them back to rebuild their home land;
• He will give them a new heart and new spirit;
• But the wicked ones He will destroy;
• Then the prophet is lifted back to the captives in Babylon;
• There, he tells them of all he has seen in his vision.

Chapter 12. Staged

Ezekiel is told to illustrate the coming exile in a staged presentation:

• The Lord says His people probably won’t listen;
• But they need to be told the truth about what’s coming;
• Ezekiel is to use a staged portrayal to make the point;
• He is to set up the scene, pack his personal belongings;
• And go in and out to depict the coming captivity;
• He will dig under a wall and crawl through to go out;
• His people question the purpose of his presentation;
• Ezekiel explains: this is going to happen in Jerusalem;
• There is going to be a massive invasion and kidnapping;
• The king will pack his belongings and try to crawl out;
• The invaders will be like a large net capturing the people;
• They will be hauled off to exile in Babylon;
• The king will pack his belongings and try to escape;
• The people say the prophet sees too far into the future;
• Ezekiel assures them the bad times are coming very soon.

Chapter 13. False

Ezekiel is told to speak out against the false prophets:

• These self-styled ‘prophets’ have been telling lies to Israel;
• They speak things from their own head not from the Lord;
• Their prophesies will fail like a wall without good mortar;
• They are like the women who use magic charms;
• The Lord will protect His people from false prophets.

Chapter 14. Estranged

The Lord tells Ezekiel His people are estranged from Him by their idols:

• Some people are setting up idols as objects of worship;
• When they get into trouble they come to the prophet for advice;
• Ezekiel wants to know if he should even hear their needs;
• The Lord says He will answer them himself;
• Idolatry will not be tolerated; He will punish idol worshippers;
• People who are unfaithful will suffer from famine;
• But the Lord will save a remnant of sons and daughters;
• These people will be seen as examples of serving the Lord.

Chapter 15. Worthless

The Lord tells Ezekiel His people have become like the wood of a vine:

• As the vine is worthless and is thrown into the fire;
• He will allow them to be consumed by the fire of an enemy;
• Israel has continued in their unfaithfulness;
• They have become worthless and the Lord will abandon them.

Chapter 16. Everlasting

Ezekiel is to reassure Israel of God’s everlasting covenant with them:

• Since the people of Israel were born, they have been hated;
• They have survived only under the protection of the Lord;
• The Lord has blessed them and made them prosperous;
• And they have come to be respected by all the nations;
• But their pride has caused them to be unfaithful to the Lord;
• They have been overcome by their degenerate heart;
• They wanted to be like all their neighbors;
• And now those neighbors will abuse them, burn their houses;
• Israel has become more wicked even than Samaria and Sodom;
• However, the Lord will not forget His everlasting covenant;
• He will remember His promise to Israel from their youth;
• He will provide an atonement for their sins;
• And they will remember and be ashamed for their behavior.

End of Session 2 of 6 of the book of Ezekiel