Introduction
Last week we saw how Ezekiel began his prophetic ministry when the Lord commanded him to perform three mimes or three sign-acts to signify the suffering of God’s people when the city of Jerusalem is destroyed.
In the first mime, he was to make a model of Jerusalem and place model siege-works around it to signify how the Babylonians will lay siege to Jerusalem. And as part of the same mime, Ezekiel was to lie on his left side for 390 days to signify the 390 years of Israel’s sinful rebellion against the Lord; and then he was to lie on his right side for 40 days to signify the length of time Israel will suffer God’s punishment for their sinful rebellion. That was the first mime.
In the second, he was — in a sense — to scrape the bottom of the barrel and make bread from whatever ingredients he could find. And during the time that he was lying on his left side he was to eat only small rations of food and water. And then he was to bake a cake, using cow manure for fuel. And this second mime was to signify how the people in Jerusalem will eat rationed food only during the siege and they will be hungry. And then, afterwards, those who survive the siege will eat unclean food when they are sent away into exile.
That was the second mime. In the third mime he was to shave his head and beard and divide his hair into three parts: he was to destroy one third with fire; he was to cut up the next third; and he was to scatter the final third. This was to represent the fate of the people: some will be destroyed, not by fire, but by famine and disease; some will be cut down by the sword when the city falls to the Babylonians; and the remainder will be scattered when they were taken away into exile. That was the fate awaiting them. But then the Lord also commanded Ezekiel to take a few strands of hair and keep them safe. This was to signify how God will not destroy his people completely and a small remnant will survive. And when the time is right, the Lord will let the remnant return to the Promised Land to rebuild Jerusalem.
Those were the three mimes or sign-acts which the Lord commanded Ezekiel to perform. And it was done in silence. Ezekiel did not have to speak. But in the second part of last week’s passage, Ezekiel began to speak and to declare the word of the Lord. And in the message he interpreted the mimes. And he also added to them by explaining that the reason the Lord was going to destroy Jerusalem and let his people suffer is because of their wicked rebellion. The people rejected his laws and decrees. In fact, they were worse than the pagan nations. And because of their wickedness, he will do all these things to them to avenge himself on them for what they have done.
And we thought about how whenever we read these things in the Old Testament and how God will punish rebellious sinners it points forward to the great and terrible day of judgment when Christ comes again in glory and with power to judge the living and the dead and to condemn his enemies and to send them away to be punished for ever. And we would have been among those who are condemned if it were not for God’s kindness to us in Christ Jesus. We too are sinners and we deserve to suffer God’s wrath and curse for a lifetime of disobedience. But because of his great love for us, God sent his Only Begotten Son into the world as one of us to pay for our sins and shortcomings with his life when he died on the cross, suffering the wrath and curse of God in our place. And whoever believes in him is justified: pardoned by God and accepted as righteous in the sight of God for the sake of the perfect righteousness of Christ. And so, through faith in Christ, we have peace with God and can look forward to Christ’s coming, because when he comes we’ll be brought into the new Jerusalem in the new heavens and earth and God will dwell with us and we’ll see his glory in the face of Christ and we’ll be happy for ever and we’ll never have to leave.
That’s the future which awaits us because of God’s love for us in Christ Jesus. But when we turn back to Ezekiel, we see that the prophecy of God’s judgment on his disobedient people continues in chapters 6 and 7. And each chapter contains a new message from the Lord. So, in verse 1 of chapter 6 Ezekiel says, ‘The word of the Lord came to me….’ And in verse 1 of chapter 7 Ezekiel says again, ‘The word of the Lord came to me….’ So, each chapter contains a new message from the Lord. However, it’s really more of the same. It’s more of the same, because for the time being, God’s message about his disobedient people in Jerusalem is a message of judgment.
Chapter 6
Let’s turn then to chapter 6 and to the first of these two messages from the Lord. And the first message can be divided into two parts: verses 2 to 10 and verses 11 to 14. And one of the commentators gives both parts the title, ‘Cleaning house’. Just as God once cleansed the whole world when he sent a flood on it in the days of Noah, so he’s going to cleanse the whole of the Promised Land when he sends the Babylonians on it.
The Lord commands Ezekiel in verse 2 to set his face against the mountains of Israel and to prophesy against them. When he mentions the mountains of Israel, we’re to think of the high places which the people built throughout the land. You might remember from our studies in 1 and 2 Kings how these high places existed in the days of Solomon. At that time, people worshipped the Lord at these places of worship. However, as time went on, the people began to worship false gods and idols at these high places. Instead of worshipping the one true and living God, the Maker of heaven and earth, they worshipped idols who can do nothing and who are nothing.
And by commanding Ezekiel to set his face against the mountains and to prophesy against them, the Lord is telling Ezekiel to speak out against the people because of the high places which they have built in the mountains and where they practised their idolatry. But they didn’t only practise their idolatry in the mountains, but throughout the land. And so, the Lord goes on to address not only the mountains, but the hills and ravines and valleys too.
And his message is a message of judgment: he’s going to bring the sword against them to destroy the high places. And so, their altars which they built for the worship of false gods will be demolished and smashed. And the Lord will not only destroy the high places, but he intends to destroy those who worship there. God will lay the dead bodies of the Israelites in front of their idols and he will scatter their bones around the altars. And so, they worshippers will become as lifeless as their false gods. And their bodies will not receive a proper burial, but will be left lying on the open for wild animals to pick over.
Verse 6 is a reminder that the high places were not only built on mountains, but also in their towns and cities. And the Lord intends to destroy them all. And then, at the end of verse 6, he says that what they have made — that is, everything connected to their idol worship — will be wiped out. The same verb was used to describe the effect of the flood in the days of Noah. Just as God sent the flood to wipe the world clean of our wickedness, so he will wipe Israel clean of their idolatry. Or just as we wash dirty dishes to make them clean, so God will wash the land. The high places will be removed as well as those who worship there.
However, just as Ezekiel was told in chapter 5 to keep a few strands of hair safe to signify how God will keep a remnant of the people safe, so he tells Ezekiel in verse 8 that he will spare some of the people. They will escape the sword and will be kept safe when they are sent into exile. And according to verse 9 when they are scattered among the nations, they will remember the Lord. That is to say, they will remember to pay attention to him. They will remember who he is and how he’s always been like a faithful husband to them, loving and caring for them, whereas they have always been like an adulterous woman or an unfaithful wife. Instead of forsaking all others and loving him alone, they have gone after other gods. Instead of being loving, faithful and dutiful to him alone, they have gone astray.
The Lord says in verse 9 that they will remember how they have grieved him. God, of course, is impassible. That means he’s not affected by anyone or anything outside himself. We cannot really hurt him or grieve him. But the Lord uses this language to convey to his people that what they have done is wrong. They have been like an unfaithful wife who breaks the heart of her loving husband. And when they remember the Lord, and when they realise what they have done, they will loathe themselves for the evil they have done. And they will know that he is the Lord. They will know he is their covenant God who has bound himself to them with a promise to be their God. And since he’s their covenant God, their covenant-keeping God, then he has done what he said he would do according to the terms of the covenant. And according to the terms of the covenant in Leviticus 26, he will send blessings on them when they obey him and he will send curses on them when they disobey him. And that’s exactly what he has done, because in Leviticus 26 he warned them that if they turned away from him to worship other gods, he will destroy their high places and pile up their dead bodies and will turn their cities into ruins and will lay waste the land and scatter them among the nations. And so, when these things happen to them they will know that the Lord did not threaten in vain to bring this calamity upon them. It was not a vain or idle threat. He has done to them everything he said he would, because he is the covenant-keeping God.
And that, of course, is good news, isn’t it? Since he’s the covenant-keeping God, then not only will he punish them for their sinful rebellion, but he will also forgive them when they turn back to him, confessing their sins. He is the covenant-keeping God who has promised to be merciful and gracious and slow to anger and abounding steadfast love so that he does not always chide not does he keep his anger for ever. He does not deal with us according to our sins or repay us according to our iniquities, because he’s willing to remove them from us as far as the east is from the west. When his people sin against him and continue in it, he will punish them. But the moment they turn from their sins and turn back to him, he is ready to pardon them and he promises to remember our sins no more. And so, the Lord is saying to his people that when they are scattered to the nations and remember him and return to him, he will freely pardon them.
But that hasn’t happened yet. And so, in verse 11 the Lord told Ezekiel to strike his hands together and stamp his feet and cry out ‘Alas’. And he’s to cry out alas because of all the wicked and detestable practices of the house of Israel. And because of the wicked things they have done, some of them will fall by the sword; and some of them will fall by famine and plague. And in this way God will spend or use up his wrath against them. And when they lie slain among their idols, those who are left will know that he is the Lord, the covenant-keeping God who has done to them exactly what he said he would do, because they did not repent and turn to him for forgiveness. He says in verse 14 that he will stretch out his hand against them and make the land a desolate waste from the desert in the south to Diblah in the north. The Promised Land — which was once like the Garden of Eden, flowing with milk and honey — will become a wasteland. And it will happen because they have provoked the Lord by their persistent sin and rebellion.
Chapter 7
That’s the message in chapter 6. And it’s more of the same in chapter 7 which can be divided into three parts: verses 2 to 4; verses 5 to 9; and verses 10 to 27.
We used to see men in Belfast wearing a placard over their front and back with the words, ‘The end is nigh!’ And that’s the Lord’s message to his people in verses 2 to 4: ‘The end! The end has come….’ He’s announcing that the end has come on all four corners of the land. No part of the land will escape from the Lord’s anger which he is about to unleash against them. And what he does to them will be just, because he will punish them according to their conduct. In verse 4 he says he will not look upon them with pity and he will not spare them. Instead he will repay them for their conduct and for their detestable practices. And they will then know that he is the Lord, the covenant-keeping God who has done to them exactly what he said he would do, because they did not repent and turn to him for forgiveness.
In verses 5 to 9 the Lord says to them through Ezekiel that an unheard-of disaster is coming on them. He depicts their end as if it’s a wild animal which is about to wake up and attack them. And so, doom is about to come upon them.
He goes on to refer to a day which is near. He’s perhaps referring to the Day of the Lord. Sometimes the Day of the Lord is depicted in the Old Testament as the day when the Lord comes to save his people. But sometimes the Day of the Lord is depicted as the day when the Lord comes to destroy his enemies. And that’s the sense here. Because of their persistent sin and rebellion and refusal to repent, they have become the Lord’s enemies and he’s coming to destroy them. And so, there will be panic and not joy or celebrations. God is going to pour his wrath on them and use up his anger against them. Think of a boxer who exhausts himself after a fierce fight in which he crushes his opponent. That’s what the Lord will be like after he destroys his disobedient people. And once again he makes clear that his judgment is just, because he will judge them according to what they have done. And they will then know that he is the Lord, the covenant-keeping God who has done to them exactly what he said he would do, because they did not repent and turn to him for forgiveness.
And the final part of this chapter is verses 10 to 27. He again announces that the day is here and that doom has burst forth. The word translated ‘doom’ should perhaps be ‘chain’, because the survivors will be chained and led away into exile. Then he says the rod of arrogance has budded. It’s not entirely clear what he means, but perhaps the Lord is accusing his people of arrogance. So, instead of humbling themselves before him, they are proud-hearted. Or perhaps he’s referring to the arrogance of the Babylonians when they conquer Jerusalem. And when he refers to violence in verse 11, he perhaps means that the people have become violent and the people prey on one another. Or perhaps he’s referring to the violence of the Babylonians when they attack Jerusalem.
Because of what is about to happen, the seller will not recover the land he has sold. In other words, the Day of Jubilee, when property was returned to those who sold it, will be cancelled, because the Babylonians have taken possession of the land. And so, the buyer will not rejoice either, because the land he bought is taken from him.
And though someone blows a trumpet to warn the population of the danger, no one will respond to it. No one will go into battle, because they’ll be paralysed by fear.
In verse 15 he once again mentions how some will die by the sword and some by plague and famine. Any who survive will flee to the mountains to hide. And there their moaning will be like the sound of doves cooing. And the people will become faint and weak and they’ll put on sackcloth and they’ll shave their heads as a sign of their grief.
Their silver and gold will be no use to them in the days to come, because during the famine they will be no food to buy. He also mentions hw they once used their silver and gold to make jewellery and to make idols. But now their silver and gold will be handed over as plunder to the Babylonians. And the Babylonian invaders will desecrate God’s treasured place. He might be referring to the whole land as God’s treasured place or to the temple specifically. And the Lord will let the Babylonians do it, because of the persistent wickedness of his disobedient people.
And in the final paragraph the Lord says, ‘Prepare chains’. So, exile is coming, when they will be taken away. God’s going to bring the most wicked of the nations to take possession of their houses. And he will therefore bring an end to the pride of his disobedient people. And their sanctuaries — their high places — will be desecrated and destroyed. The people will seek peace, but there will be no peace. Instead there will be calamity upon calamity. Trouble upon trouble. They will look to their leaders: prophets, priests, elders, the king and his princes. But they cannot help them. The hands of the people will tremble when the Lord deals with them according to their conduct. And then they will know that he is the Lord, the covenant-keeping God who has done to them exactly what he said he would do, because they did not repent and turn to him for forgiveness.
Application 1
As I said near the beginning, one of the commentators gave both parts of chapter 6 the title, ‘Cleaning house’. Just as God once cleansed the whole world when he sent a flood on it in the days of Noah, so he’s going to cleanse the whole of the Promised Land when he sends the Babylonians on it. He’s going to cleanse the land of the high places, where people gathered to worship false gods and idols instead of the true God. And not only will he cleanse the land of the high places, but he will cleanse the land of the people who had defiled the land with their idolatry and with their pride and violence and all their other sins. By removing the high places and the people, and by sending the survivors into exile, the Lord was going to wipe the Promised Land clean. He was going to cleanse it from all that is sinful.
And in this way the Babylonians foreshadow what the Lord Jesus will do when he comes again in glory and with power. When the Lord Jesus returns it will be to destroy his enemies throughout the world: all those people who did not believe in him and who have defiled the world with their sin. And so, we read in the book of Revelation at the end of the Bible how the devil himself — Christ’s great arch-enemy — will be thrown into the lake of fire to be tormented day and night for ever. And then all those whose names are not written in the Lamb’s book of life — so all those people who do not belong to Christ and who remained his enemies — will be thrown into the lake of fire as well. And it says that in the new heavens and earth, where all of Christ’s people will live for ever, the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practise magic arts, the idolaters and all liars will be shut out of God’s perfect world. And nothing impure will enter the new Jerusalem to come in the new heavens and earth. Neither will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful. Only the Lord’s people will be able to enter the new Jerusalem, where they will live for ever in the presence of God the Father Almighty and Jesus Christ his Son.
And so, Christ will come to cleanse the world and to renew it and to make it whole and to make it clean and perfect. He will remove all sources of evil and all who hate what is good. And the new heavens and earth will be filled with God’s glory and whatever is dark and whatever is evil and whatever is sinful will be shut out from it.
When God sent the Babylonians to destroy the high places and those who worship there, and when he sent them to take the survivors into exile, he sent them to cleanse the land from everything that made it unclean. And in this way, the Lord was giving us a foretaste of what will happen when Christ comes again to judge and to condemn and to punish his enemies. He will come to renew the heavens and the earth and to remove all that is not right and to make it perfect and glorious and right.
Application 2
But then, when we look at ourselves, we have to admit that we do not belong in that perfect place, because we too are sinners who sin against the Lord continually. While we may not have bowed down to an idol at a high place, have we not put others things before the Lord? Have not loved other things more than we have loved him? Have we not trusted in other things more than we have trusted him? Have we not looked for peace and happiness in other things apart from him? An idol, after all, is anything which is more important to us that God is. And we are all guilty of putting other things before him: ourselves, our family, our home, our career, our money, our possessions. And then, we also disobey the Lord in countless other ways, because we are sinners by birth and we sin against him continually throughout our life, breaking every one of his commandments and falling short of doing his will.
And so, we should be shut out of his presence. Because of a lifetime of sin, we do not belong in the new Jerusalem to come in the new heavens and earth. We are among those who should be shut out of it, because our presence would only defile it.
But thanks be to God who loved us and who sent his Only Begotten Son to pay for our sins with his life and to cleanse us from all that is not right. The Lord said to Ezekiel that he would not spare his disobedient people. But thanks be to God who loved us so much that he did not spare his Son, but gave him up to die for our salvation so that we will be spared. God spent his anger on Christ and not on us. God judged him in our place. And by punishing him in our place, God has satisfied his justice which was against us.
And all who believe in Christ who died for sinners are pardoned by God. And his perfect righteousness — his perfect goodness, his perfect obedience — covers over our guilt and shame so that we are declared right with God because of Christ. And so, for those who are in Christ, there is no condemnation, but the hope of everlasting life in that new and perfect world to come. Because of Christ, we receive the right to eternal life in the presence of God. Because we’re sinners, we do not belong. But because of Christ, we now belong in the presence of God, because Christ belongs in the presence of God and we are united to him by faith.
But that’s not the end of the good news, because Christ also gives us his Spirit to renew us inwardly in this life and to make us more and more willing and able to do God’s will here on earth. By his Spirit living inside us and renewing us, Christ helps us to say no to sin. He helps us to overcome our sinful desires and he enables us to stand firm against outward temptations. By his Spirit he enables us to love his law so that we want to keep it more and more. And what the Spirit has begun to do in us he will bring to completion when Christ comes again and we are renewed in body and soul in an instant. Right now, the Spirit works in us slowly over time and he works in us inwardly. But when Christ comes again, he will renew us in an instant and he will renew us completely in body and soul. And so, we will not be out of place in the new Jerusalem to come in the new heavens and earth. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15, the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised and we will be changed: changed by the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ who will enable us to come before God and see his glory in the face of Christ our Saviour.
And God will eventually make these things known to his people through Ezekiel, because in Ezekiel 36 the Lord promises to cleanse his people from our idols and impurities. And he says he will will take away our old, hard heart of stone and give us a new heart and a new spirit. And his Spirit will move us to follow God’s decrees and to keep his laws. And then in chapter 37, the Lord promises that the time will come when all of God’s people will be united together under one king — and he means under Christ the King. And his people will no longer defile themselves with their idols and vile images or with any of their offences, because God himself will save us from our sinful backsliding; and he will cleanse us. And we will follow God’s laws and be careful to keep his decrees.
That’s what the Lord promises through Ezekiel in later chapters. And on the Day of Pentecost, Christ our King poured out his Spirit on his church in fulfilment of God’s promise through Ezekiel. And all who receive his Spirit receive a new heart to love God like never before so that we want more than anything else to walk in his ways, while we wait for Christ our King to come again to bring us into his glorious presence in the new heavens and earth, where we’ll be one people under one king. And we’ll worship God and Christ our King for ever.
Sermons and Stuff 