Bible

We’re back in the Bible room today reading Session 3 of the summary of the book of Ezekiel, chapters 17 through 24.

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Ezekiel – Session 3 of 6

Chapter 17. Riddle

Ezekiel tells of a riddle he receives from the Lord:

• A great eagle goes to a cedar forest in Lebanon
• He clips the highest branch from the tallest tree;
• And takes it to a merchant city of trade and plants it;
• Then he goes to a fertile land to get some seeds;
• And there he plants those seeds near a water source;
• The seeds grew into a leafy, spreading vine;
• There was another great eagle and the vine bent toward him;
• The Lord tells Ezekiel to explain this riddle;
• The seeds are the young leaders of Jerusalem;
• The king of Babylon is the first great eagle;
• He sweeps into Jerusalem and takes the captives;
• The king of Jerusalem makes an agreement with Babylon;
• The second eagle is the king of Egypt;
• Israel makes an agreement with Egypt for protection;
• The king of Israel breaks his agreement with Babylon;
• And that Israeli king will die in Babylon;
• The Lord says that’s what is coming to Jerusalem;
• But the Lord also says that branch from the tall cedar tree
• Is the restored nation of Israel which He will bring back;
• And everyone will know that He is the Lord God of Israel.

Chapter 18. Stop!

The Lord tells Ezekiel that His people must stop using an old adage:

• Here’s the old adage: “The fathers have eaten sour grapes,
• And the children’s teeth are set on edge”;
• The Lord says that is a totally false statement;
• Everyone is accountable for his own actions;
• It is the person who sins that will die;
• The Lord says: “All souls are Mine, the father and the son”;
• A father may live an exemplary life, do only good deeds;
• And that father will be rewarded accordingly and live;
• But his son may live a despicable life, do only evil deeds;
• And that son will be punished with death for his own actions;
• Likewise, if a father lives an evil life, he will die for his sins;
• But if his son does not behave like his father, he will live;
• A son will never bear the guilt of a sinful father;
• If anyone who has lived a sinful life turns away from that life;
• They shall be forgiven and all their sinful ways forgotten;
• But a person living a righteous life falls into sinful ways;
• That person will be condemned, his righteous life forgotten;
• The Lord tells His people to turn from their sins and live.

Chapter 19. Lamentation

The Lord gives Ezekiel a lamentation to say for the leaders of Israel:

• Israel is a lioness among lions, raising her cubs;
• One of her young lions grew to become strong and powerful;
• Well-known, he was trapped in a pit, taken to Egypt in chains;
• Another cub of the lioness also grew to become powerful;
• This one, trapped in a net, was taken in chains to Babylon;
• Their mother was like a strong vine, of good character;
• But her branches were all broken, withered, set on fire;
• Then she was transplanted to “A dry and thirsty land”;
• And she became desolate, without strong leadership.

Chapter 20. Inquiry

Ezekiel receives some visitors who have some questions for the Lord:

• They come to the prophet to make an inquiry;
• Promptly, the Lord says He has no interest in hearing them;
• He reminds them how He delivered them from Egypt;
• And brought them to a land of milk and honey;
• He gave them His agreement that He would be their God;
• And He gave them specific instructions how to worship Him;
• But they soon abandoned Him and took up idol worship;
• They rebelled against the Lord God in the wilderness;
• But the Lord kept His word, spared them from destruction;
• He implored the children to not follow the ways of their fathers;
• But the children also profaned the name of the Lord;
• To save them, He scattered them among the Gentile nations;
• The Lord tells Ezekiel to speak the Lord’s words to Israel;
• Their idol worship and child sacrifices have corrupted them;
• They have said they want to be like the Gentiles;
• The Lord says He will not even listen to their inquiry;
• They should stop profaning the name of the Lord;
• But the Lord says He will honor His agreement with them;
• He will ultimately save them from themselves and the Gentiles;
• The Lord tells Ezekiel to continue speaking in parables.

Chapter 21. Sword

The Lord says He will use His sword to both punish, and to save, Israel:

• The Lord tells Ezekiel to prophesy warnings to Israel;
• With His sword He will destroy both the wicked and the good;
• Israel will suffer great loss with bitterness and a broken heart;
• The Lord sharpened His sword, and polished it for death;
• He tells Ezekiel to make road signs for two roads;
• One to point toward the Ammonites, the other to Jerusalem;
• These are the two options for the ruler of Babylon;
• As the Lord’s sword, Babylon will attack the Ammonites first;
• This ungodly, wicked people will die and be forgotten.

Chapter 22. Despicable

The Lord tells Ezekiel: Jerusalem is a bloody city, worshipping idols:

• The city has become a vile, despicable place;
• It is filled with bloodshed and more and more idols;
• It is full of lewd, immoral people, guilty of lewd, immoral acts;
• The Lord will scatter this people among all the nations;
• They will be caused to remember the Lord is their God;
• They will be burned off as dross in a furnace to purify silver;
• False priests and false prophets have destroyed the city;
• The Lord says He needed a man who would ‘stand in the gap’;
• To bridge the gap on behalf of the land before the Lord;
• But He found no man to persuade Him to spare the land.

Chapter 23. Two

The Lord tells Ezekiel about two sisters who became harlots:

• They both had Jewish names but these are pseudonyms;
•  He is referring to two cities named Samaria and Jerusalem;
• The older sister, Samaria, lusted after a lover named Assyria;
• She became immoral and He gave her to the Assyrians;
• Her younger sister, Jerusalem, has become even more immoral;
• She lusted after the Chaldeans and sent them messages;
• So the Babylonians came and defiled Jerusalem with immorality;
• Then she went to Egypt seeking another lover;
• Jerusalem will ultimately be defiled by all these nations;
• Both cities will bear a severe penalty for their sins;
• Ezekiel is to speak out against them with the Lord’s words;
• The Lords He will bring trouble and plunder to them;
• They will cease their adulterous and sinful behavior;
• And they will know that He is the Lord their God.

Chapter 24. Parables

In his ninth year in captivity, Ezekiel is told to continue speaking in parables:

• This is the year in which Babylon starts the siege of Jerusalem;
• The prophet is to put a pot of water on a fire to boil;
• He is to place choice cuts of meat into the hot water;
• Keep it boiling but the scum will not be boiled off;
• Take out the meat but do not let anyone have any to eat;
• Place the pot of water where everyone can see it;
• The Lord says this is a picture of Israel: the city will burn;
• The fire will burn until the meat is burned up;
• Then leave the empty pot on the fire until it also is burned up;
• That it’s corruption, the scum, will be burned, purged off;
• This will be the judgement of the Lord;
• Ezekiel speaks to the people in the morning;
• In the evening his wife dies;
• The Lord instructs him not to show any signs of mourning;
• The people ask the prophet the meaning of his actions;
• He explains: when Jerusalem falls, they are not to mourn;
• But they shall recognize the hand of the Lord upon them;
• When someone escapes from Jerusalem to come tell them;
• Then they will be free to speak of the prophet’s words;
• And they will know he is speaking the words of the Lord.

End of Session 3 of 6 of the book of Ezekiel