May 6, Ezekiel 22
"And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none. Therefore, I have poured out my indignation upon them. I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath. I have returned their way upon their heads, declares the Lord GOD." - Ezekiel 22:30-31
Chapter 21 was a grim summary of Israel's wickedness throughout its history. But Chapter 22 focused on the spiritual and moral bankruptcy of the people who lived in the then-present generation, the last generation that would live in Jerusalem before Nebuchadnezzar came to destroy the city of Jerusalem and the nation of Judah.
Ezekiel and Jeremiah's contemporaries could not blame their forefathers for their impending doom. They themselves were violent, immoral, faithless rebels. Their blunt disregard for God had robbed them of any sense of restraint. They had no respect for their fellows because they had no respect for God. They did not honor their fathers and mothers, they exploited the vulnerable ones—the sojourners, the widows and the orphans. They were unrestrained in their sin because they had forgotten God.
The people had become bold and brazen in their disobedience. That was easier to do when their spiritual leaders (the priests and false prophets) did the same sinful things. God asked them, "Can your courage endure, or can your hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with you?" He assured them that the fiery judgment he had promised them would come. They deserved the punishment he would pour out on them.
God searched among the people and the leaders for a man who could take the lead and bring the people back to God, but he found no one, not a single one. The sin was so deeply engrained and so widely practiced that God decreed their end before it happened. The Lord certified the coming destruction by speaking of the coming judgment as already accomplished, as if his wrath had already been poured out. He used the strange prophetic verb tense that sounds like past tense even though he was talking about the near future. The outcome was certain. Jerusalem would be destroyed, because God returned their sinful ways on their own heads.
As the chapter began, God asked Ezekiel, "Will you judge, will you judge the bloody city?" He was calling the prophet to announce their doom and explain why they deserved it, and to assure them that it was coming sooner than later. He did not commit his role as Judge of all to Ezekiel. But their own ugly record of abominations would judge them. Ezekiel would judge them only in the sense of announcing their judgment. Their wicked history and their ungodly present sinfulness testified against them and convicted them. Ezekiel was only the appointed prosecutor who listed the charges. God would be the one who would pronounce them guilty and pour out the deserved punishment.
When a child doubts that the parents mean what they say and proceeds to misbehave or break the rules, he sometimes must learn the hard way that Dad and Mom will deliver the threatened consequences. When a criminal believes he is above the law and will not be caught or convicted, his punishment will seem harsh, but he earned and well-deserved it. I cannot think of any mindset more foolish than to think that God does not mean what he says and that I am free to do as I please. If you and I are thinking such delusional thoughts, we need a serious attitude adjustment and course correction while there is still time. May God have mercy on us all, and grant us clarity and repentance before it is too late.
Copyright © 2024 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Today in God's Word—May 2024
East Tallassee Church of Christ
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