Lessons From Ezekiel – Lesson 20
The siege of Jerusalem has started. What God has had Ezekiel warn was coming is here. It is happening. Once the siege started God had two messages via object lessons for Israel. He had two things to say.
- Good ingredients went into Israel just like good ingredients went into the pot. Good is what should have come out of both. But instead what came out was filthy.
- Ezekiel’s reaction to the death of his wife was not natural. God told him not to cry or mourn. It was a hard thing to ask, but Ezekiel put God over self and he did not cry. And we are told the reason. When they mourn for their sin instead of mourning over their loss, they will realize that their reaction is also not normal. That it is God sent conviction and they will know that He is the Lord.
Now we know that not everyone will have that reaction. Even when you have a great revival there is always some holdouts. Even during the great revival in Nehemiah’s day there were some who refused and stayed in the background and just waited to do wickedness and wreck it all once Nehemiah left.
Not everyone will mourn for their sin instead of mourning for what was lost. But those that do will know it is of the Lord. God has a heart to reach people. And that was the purpose of asking such a hard thing of Ezekiel.
God does still ask some of His children to do some hard things and most of the time the reason still has to do with reaching people. He is not willing that any should perish. Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost. That is the heart of God.
After God said those 2 things to Israel thru Ezekiel, there is no more to say to them, about them, right now.
The siege must run its course over the next 3 years. The people now need to see the Word of God that they have been given come to pass. God is now going to turn Ezekiel’s attention and his preaching to several of the surrounding countries and people groups.
I think there are several reasons for this.
- Judgment is now coming on Israel and what is one of the big questions that comes to mind to someone under this kind of judgment? There can be many. For example why. But God has already covered that. Many times. Another question that comes is, but what about them over there. They have done just as wickedly or even worse than we have. Why are you just picking on me. This is not fair and evenhanded.
That kind of thinking can happen.
So God is going to answer that.
- Another reason is for these wicked nations themselves. These nations are going to watch God judge Israel and they would revel in it and might think things like, God is sure mad at them and they are finally getting what they deserve. And things like we are ok with the things we do because we are not getting judged like that.
So for reasons like those and no doubt other reasons as well, God is going to have Ezekiel address many of these nations by name and deal with their sins. First up is the Ammonites. They were in the land of Moab.
Ezekiel 25:2 Son of man, set thy face against the Ammonites, and prophesy against them;
Ezekiel 25:3 And say unto the Ammonites, Hear the word of the Lord GOD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou saidst, Aha, against my sanctuary, when it was profaned; and against the land of Israel, when it was desolate; and against the house of Judah, when they went into captivity;
It could be you know Aha, as in Aha that is too bad. Sarcasm. Or it could be Aha and is A’ Ha’ we are right, your God and sanctuary are nothing. It is clear here that they were glad to see your God’s house profaned. They could try to use the destruction of Jerusalem as some kind of proof that their false god is right.
Ezekiel 25:4 Behold, therefore I will deliver thee to the men of the east for a possession, and they shall set their palaces in thee, and make their dwellings in thee: they shall eat thy fruit, and they shall drink thy milk.
Ezekiel 25:5 And I will make Rabbah a stable for camels, and the Ammonites a couchingplace for flocks: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
Verse 6 gives more info on the sin of the Amorites reaction to the judgment on Israel.
Ezekiel 25:6 For thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast clapped thine hands, and stamped with the feet, and rejoiced in heart with all thy despite against the land of Israel;
This should be a lesson for us. God is not pleased when people rejoice at the judgment of others. Especially when they rejoice when His people are chastised.
And even when God is executing judgment on Israel, God is faithful to His promise that He made centuries before. I will bless them that bless you and curse them that curse you.
Ezekiel 25:7 Behold, therefore I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and will deliver thee for a spoil to the heathen; and I will cut thee off from the people, and I will cause thee to perish out of the countries: I will destroy thee; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD.
Ezekiel 25:10 Unto the men of the east with the Ammonites, and will give them in possession, that the Ammonites may not be remembered among the nations.
Ezekiel 25:11 And I will execute judgments upon Moab; and they shall know that I am the LORD.
And we know that is exactly what happened. The Ammonites were a large group of people that had existed for centuries. They had a distinct identity and culture and they had a fair amount of power.
All gone. God stretched out His hand upon them and caused them to perish. Their society and culture are wiped out. People and countries should be careful of how they treat Israel.
Hamas thought that because they had all the Palestinians behind them and because they had hundreds of miles of tunnels stocked full of weapons. That they had the power to invade Israel and kill babies and people and rape women and take hostages, they thought they could get what they wanted.
God is still blessing those that bless Israel and cursing those that curse Israel.
The U.S. spent hundreds of millions of dollars on a pier so we could send aid to Hamas. And time and again that Pier was just destroyed, by the water. That pier was engineered for that purpose and engineered to handle that ocean but what they did not figure in is God.
Israel is not the primary focus of the gospel right now. However, God still has future plans for Israel and He is still faithful to His promise to bless those that bless them.
In verses 12 thru 17 God deals with Edom and the Philistines. The Bible tells us that Esau is Edom.
Esau was brother to Jacob who was the father of the nation of Israel. Esau went and founded Edom and later when Israel left Egypt Edom would not let them pass thru their land on the way to the Promised Land. And they caused other hurt to Israel over the next centuries.
And God says He will stretch out His hand upon Edom and will make it desolate.
And God says He will also deal with the Philistines.
Ezekiel 25:15 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because the Philistines have dealt by revenge, and have taken vengeance with a despiteful heart, to destroy it for the old hatred;
Ezekiel 25:16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will stretch out mine hand upon the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethims, and destroy the remnant of the sea coast.
And we know that God did exactly that to both Edom and to the Philistines.
Next up will be Tyrus. A great city. And God has a lot to say to them.
God is showing not only to Israel but also all the nations and cities that were against Israel that God is watching all sin. He is not only concerned with the sin of Israel, but also of the sins of the heathen nations.
God is showing that He will judge it all and it will happen in His timing. God is showing during this siege of Jerusalem that God is not singling out or just picking on Israel. He is a fair judge. He sees everything. He knows everything that happens.
No one is getting away with anything. He is also not going to let any of these wicked nations get away with bad mouthing, judging, or treating Israel terrible especially during this time of judgment.
You might have heard people say something like it is not right to kick a man when he is down.
As we will see many nations started to do just that when Jerusalem is getting destroyed. But God is watching and He hears it all, and He is going to deal with it.
Don’t kick them when they are down.
This is a good lesson for us. Let God deal with chastising His own when and how He sees fit. And leave that alone. Don’t criticize and gossip and talk behind someone’s back who is a child of God and under some kind of chastening from our Lord.