Latest / Teachings On This Day On FerventWord / On Oct 23, 2013: Ezekiel 19-25 I Did As I Was Commanded

Transcript

On Oct 23, 2013: Ezekiel 19-25 I Did As I Was Commanded · Teachings On This Day On FerventWord

• You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2013. We'll be looking this evening at Ezekiel chapters 19 through 25. And as we look at the book of Ezekiel, we are... Oh, I forgot to put the announcements on the screen when I was talking about him. So, there's Sunday, Pastor Chuck, come out 5 o'clock, light the night, uh... Yeah, come out, be involved, sign up on the back table and offer to pray for people. And so as we're working through Ezekiel right now, we're working our way through the major prophets. And we are looking at these messengers of God to his people. And there's been great, great things that God has in store for us as he's been speaking to his people, the nation of Israel and Judah. The prophet Ezekiel is written by Ezekiel. He wrote this book that we're studying through. He ministered from about 593 to 571 BC. And he had several things going on while he was writing these prophecies. First of all, he was declaring the fall of Jerusalem. And we'll be finishing up that segment of this book this evening as we go through our chapters. Secondly, he was pronouncing the judgment upon the nations. And that's chapters 25 through 32. We'll start that this evening and then you'll continue to read that this week as we go through the readings for the Bible in three years. And then thirdly, he was writing to give hope of restoration to the nation, that God still had a plan for them, even though this judgment was being brought upon them. And so Ezekiel was ministering these things to the people of God alongside of Jeremiah and Daniel. So all of their ministries kind of overlapped a little bit. You see Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel kind of all at the same time. It's during that final season of the nation of Judah before they're conquered by the nation of Babylon and then into the 70-year captivity as well. Now Ezekiel was in Babylon. He was in Babylon with the captives that were taken to Babylon during the previous times that Jerusalem was conquered. The rest of the Jewish people were in Jerusalem, but some of the captives, along with Ezekiel, along with Daniel, were in Babylon. And so that's where he is. That's where he's ministering from. And he's primarily ministering to the people that are in Babylon with him, to the captives that are there. But he's addressing and talking about the things that are going on back in Jerusalem because there was false prophets who were telling the people in Babylon, hey, you know, Jerusalem is going to be victorious. It's not going to be conquered and we're going to be allowed to go home. But that's not exactly or not at all what was going to happen. It's not what God had in store and it's not what God was declaring. And so God is using Ezekiel to bring correction to those false prophets and to bring the truth to those who were in Babylon. Ezekiel began prophesying around 593 BC. It's about five years after he was taken to Babylon. Now, Jerusalem was conquered three times by Babylon. The first time was in 605. At that time, Daniel the prophet was taken to Babylon along with a bunch of other captives. In 597, it was conquered again by Babylon because they rebelled again. And so it was during that time that Ezekiel was taken to Babylon along with a bunch of other captives. Now, the third conquering is in 586. And that's the... The final straw. Babylon said, that's it. You've rebelled too many times. We're not going to let you exist anymore. So they completely destroy the city of Jerusalem, break down the walls, tear down the temple. And so there's nothing left at that point. And so Ezekiel is prophesying about that final destruction of Jerusalem that will take place by Babylon. Well, we pick it up this evening in chapter 19. And verse 1 is the key verse. It says, Moreover, take up a lamentation for the princes of Israel. In verses 1 and 2, God instructs Ezekiel to take up a lamentation for the princes or the leaders of Israel. Now, a lamentation is a funeral song. And so he's having Ezekiel write this funeral song, this song of sorrow. And so Ezekiel is there in Babylon writing this song of sorrow about Jerusalem. He's prophesying again to the captives that are in Babylon about what's going to happen in Jerusalem. Because again the false prophets were feeding them lies and telling them that everything was going to be okay and they were going to be allowed to return home. And so in this lamentation God has Ezekiel describe Jerusalem as a lioness. And as a lioness, she has a couple of cubs. In verses 3 through 9, we see that her cubs were trapped and taken captive. So in verse 3, we deal with the first cub. He became a young lion and This is not a prophecy. This is recording what has already happened. It's referring to a man by the name of Jehoahaz who was the king of Judah for a very short time, for three months. And then he was conquered by Egypt and taken captive in Egypt and he died there. And so verse 4 talking about him says, the nations heard of him. He was trapped in their pit and they brought him with chains to the land of Egypt. And so this is a reference to Jehoahaz who is the son of Josiah, the king of Judah. And he reigned for just a few months and then he was taken captive to Egypt. But then there was another cub. And that cub was raised up. In verse 5, it says, this cub was made a young lion. And this is referring to, it could be one of two people. And so scholars differ on what, you know, who they think it is. It could be Jehoiachin, who was also a king of Judah, who was taken captive to Babylon. And so if it's Jehoiachin, like the previous, it's not a prophecy. It's just recording history. It's already happened as Ezekiel is writing these things. It also though could be referring to Zedekiah. And he's the final king of Judah who's about to be conquered by Babylon. And so it hasn't happened yet that he's been taken captive and brought to Babylon. So it could be either one of those because the same thing happened to both of them. They were conquered by Babylon and taken captive back to the nation. Well then in verses 10 through 14... He goes on to say, And it's, you know, even interpreting as it goes there in the verses. In verse 11, it talks about the strong branches being rulers in the nation. And so it's talking about the nation of Judah and the great potential that it had being the people of God with the word of God, with the rulers from God. They had great potential and yet they've come so far from that. And so in verse 14, he says, now there's no scepter for ruling. And so they at one time had an abundance of great leaders. But now there's no one to rule. There's no scepter for ruling. Now God's promise to David was that he would always have a son. On the throne of the nation of Judah. But when he gave that promise. It was a conditional promise. You can see in 1 Kings chapter 2 verse 4. When God tells him that. He says if your sons walk with me. You will always have one of your sons on the throne. Of Judah or Jerusalem. And so here we find that they were not faithful. They did not walk with God. And so disobedience has resulted in judgment. Right? Disobedience has resulted in their weakening, so there's no more scepter for ruling, and so they're missing out now on God's promises and blessings. And as we seek to learn lessons from the nation of Judah, this is an important lesson to learn, that disobedience results in judgment. And disobedience will cause us to miss out. on many of God's promises and many of God's blessings. And so we need to take care to not be disobedient to the Lord. Well, here's a quick look at the timeline once again, just to refer back to these two cubs that are mentioned here. So in 609, Jehoahaz is captured by Egypt. He's taken captive to Egypt. And so that's already happened. It's not a prophecy. Ezekiel is reviewing history at that point as he's giving this lamentation for Judah. And then in 597 is when Jerusalem is conquered the second time and Jehoiachin is captured by Babylon and taken to Babylon. And so if the second cup is Jehoiachin, then again, it's already happened. It's already taken place. And Ezekiel is reviewing this history. This lamentation for Judah is reflecting on how greatly they have fallen, how weakened they've become. And if you would have gone back, you know, a few years in their history, you would have thought this is unthinkable. It's tragic. And so that's why God writes it as a lamentation. It's a funeral song. Judah is dying. Judah is dead. And it's tragic to see God's people in such a condition. And it's tragic because we still see this same kind of thing happen today amongst those who have believed in Jesus Christ. And there's a warning here for us because Israel at one time was the prominent nation in all the world because of their, you know, obedience to the Lord and the way that God blessed them under King David and Solomon and But as they rebelled against God and disobeyed God, they were reduced and reduced and reduced. And they've fallen greatly. And so looking back, it's unthinkable really how far they've come. It's tragic to see God's people in this condition. Because they had potential for so much more. And they're missing out on so much. I really want to encourage you this evening. Don't miss out on what God has for you. Don't miss out on the blessings and the promises that God has for you. Don't waste the potential that you have in Christ. We talked about John chapter 10 verse 10 on Sunday. And Jesus promised us abundant life. Don't miss out on that abundant life by disobedience. By disregarding what God has said. I want to encourage you as we go through our chapters this evening to please acknowledge Him as Lord. To really let him rule in your life. To really enjoy that abundant life means that we are fully submitted and surrendered to him. I think about the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians chapter 4. He was talking about how difficult things are for him. And they're pushed on every side. They're crushed on every side. They're discouraged. There's all this going on. And yet he says, you know, outwardly we're wasting away. But inwardly we're being renewed day by day. The abundant life that is promised to us in Christ, it does not mean that there's no problems in life. It doesn't mean that it's not difficult. No, it means usually that it's going to be more difficult. But there's this renewal day by day. There's this inward renewal that God does spiritually, that God does within us. There's this freshness that God grants us each day as we walk with him. And so even though life is more difficult, it's an abundant life. But so many times, it's tragic to see God's people miss out on that abundant life by disobedience, by not allowing him to really be Lord. And as we go through these chapters, as Ezekiel kind of, you know, winds down this section dealing with the fall of Jerusalem, I want to encourage you to learn the lesson from the nation of Judah. Acknowledge him as Lord. Acknowledge him as Lord. Fully surrender to him. Well now going on to chapter 20 verse 3 is the key verse. God says, Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel and say to them, thus says the Lord God, have you come to inquire of me? As I live, says the Lord God, I will not be inquired of by you. Here the elders are sitting before Ezekiel. And in verses 1 through 3 God says, I will not be inquired of. By the elders. I will not allow them to seek my will, seek my decisions, seek my word. This is all happening in the seventh year of their captivity in the fifth month, which makes it about 591 BC. And God says, no, you cannot inquire of me. Now, why would God say that? Why would God say, no, you can't ask me. Don't pray to me. I'm not going to answer you. I'm not going to give you direction. I'm not going to give you my word. Why would God say that? That seems kind of surprising. But God goes on to explain why in the following verses. In verses 4 through 32, he says, you defile yourselves with your idols. And for these next few verses, God reviews their history going back to their captivity in Egypt. Remember when they were slaves in Egypt before the Lord used Moses to lead them out into the wilderness and then eventually into the promised land. And God kind of follows that path In these verses. And outlines for them. How throughout the whole time. They've been rebellious against God. Check out verse 7. He says. Then I said to them. This is while they're in Egypt. Each of you throw away the abominations. Which are before his eyes. And do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the Lord your God. So speaking to the Jewish people. Captives in Egypt. God says. You guys have idolatry from Egypt that you are practicing. Get that out of your life. Cast it away. But then it goes on to say in verse 8 that they rebelled and they did not cast away their abominations. But then the amazing grace of God in verse 9, God says, I brought them out anyways. So I told them to get rid of their idols in Egypt. They didn't get rid of their idols, but I was going to be faithful to my name. And so I brought them out even though they weren't fully obedient, even though they were already rebellious. And then he goes on in verses 10 through 13 to talk about their time in the wilderness. He says, I gave them the law. I gave them the Sabbath. I brought to them, you know, I met them at Sinai. But then in verse 13, they rebelled and did not walk in my statutes. All the things that I gave to them, they did not walk in those things. But then we see the grace of God again in verses 14 through 17. He says, I did not make an end of them in the wilderness. So even though they were rebellious then, God says, I didn't wipe them out. I didn't, you know, do away with the nation. I still preserved them in the wilderness. And I brought them into the promised land. Well, then in verse 18 through 20, God says, I told their children not to follow the parents' example. He's talking about how he brought the nation to the edge of the promised land. And then the people said, no, sorry, God, we're not going in. That's too scary. We want to go back to Egypt. And so God said, you guys, this generation is going to die in the wilderness. And the next generation, led by Joshua, is going to go into the promised land. And so God told that next generation, Joshua and the rest, To not follow the example of their parents. But then in verse 21 he says, the children rebelled against me. So over and over and over again, these people are rebelling against God. And so God says in verse 26, I pronounced them unclean. He says in verse 27, your fathers have blasphemed me by being unfaithful. And so verse 30 he says, therefore say to the house of Israel, thus says the Lord God, Are you defiling yourselves in the manner of your fathers and committing harlotry according to their abominations? Their harlotry, their abominations were great. He points out in verse 31, even sacrificing their children to these false gods. And so God says, I will not be inquired of by you. You're carrying on this tradition. You're carrying on this history of rebelling against me and disregarding my word. And so God says, I'm not speaking to you. I'm not going to let you inquire of me because you insist on continuing in rebellion even though you've seen the example of several generations before. And so he outlines their history to explain why they're not going to hear from him. It should prompt us to ask. It should prompt us to consider. Am I hearing from God? Think about that. Is God allowing you to inquire of him? Is God speaking to you? And if you're wrestling with the answer to that question, then you need to start asking yourself, am I defiling myself with idols in the same way that Judah was? That I continue on in disobedience. I continue on disregarding what God has said, but I still want God to speak to me about other things and lead me in other ways, even though I have these parts of my life that I'm just going to disregard what God said and do what I want to do. Are you hearing from God? Does God speak to you? You need to have that kind of relationship with God. And I wish I could spend a lot of time talking about that. But let's move on now. Verses 33 through 34 or 44. God says, Israel shall serve me. Check this out. Verse 32 is amazing. He says, what you have in your mind shall never be. When you say, we will be like the Gentiles, like the families in other countries, serving wood and stone. God says, what you're thinking, what you have in your mind, that's never going to happen. They had this fantasy going on in their minds. What's the fantasy? We're going to be like the other nations. We're going to be like the other countries. And we're going to worship gods like they worship gods. We're going to have the lives that they have. And God says, that's never going to happen. You're my children. You're my people. I'm not going to let that happen. I'm not going to let you be comfortable living like the world. I'm not going to let you be comfortable living like everybody else. He says, I'm going to do what it takes to be your God. Whatever it takes, I'm going to do it until I'm actually your God. Verse 33 says, As I live, says the Lord, surely with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out, I will rule over you. God says, whatever it takes, I'm going to rule over you. I'm going to be your God because you're my people. He says in verse 37, I will make you pass under the rod. Verse 38, I will purge the rebels from among you. And then verse 41, I will accept you as a sweet aroma when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered and I will be hollowed in you before the Gentiles. Throughout Jeremiah, the saying I kept repeating was, you can be broken or you will be broken. That's what God is describing here. I'm going to be your God, whether you like it or not. I'm not going to let you be comfortable like the world, like the rest of the nations. You're my child. You're my people. And I'm going to bring severe judgment upon you so that I can bring you back and you'll finally be submitted to me. And you'll let me be your God. In verse 44 he says, then you shall know that I am the Lord. Now that's the recurring theme throughout Ezekiel. Over 60 times we see the Lord announce this through Ezekiel. You shall know that I am the Lord. When I've brought this judgment and then when I've been merciful and brought you back, then you will know that I am the Lord. And it prompts me to ask you this evening, when will you know that he is the Lord? What's it going to take for you to know that he is God and to really be submitted to him? Will you follow the same path as Judah where you insist on being like the rest of the world, where you want to live the life that everybody else has? You want to do what you want to do, insisting on your way. When we do that, we force God to bring judgment. He'll show mercy afterwards if we repent, if we turn to him, if we finally cave in and submit and say, you are God. When will you know that he is the Lord? For Judah, it was going to take this whole process. They were going to experience this judgment of God and then afterwards he would bring them back. Well, in verses 45 through 49, he tells Ezekiel to prophesy against the south. Again, referring to Judah and Jerusalem. And he says in verse 47, I shall kindle a fire and it shall devour. The city is going to be destroyed. Chapter 21 now, verse 9 is the key verse. He says, Son of man, prophesy and say, thus says the Lord, say a sword, a sword is sharpened and also polished. Now Ezekiel is being used by the Lord to prophesy again. In verses 1 through 5, he says, I will cut off the righteous and the wicked from Jerusalem. God says, preach against the holy places. Because the people, the false prophets were saying, listen, God's not going to allow Jerusalem to be conquered because the temple is there. It's a holy place. God won't let Babylon destroy it. They were counting on God not allowing the destruction of the temple. And God through Ezekiel is saying, no, preach against the holy places. I'm going to destroy those temples through the nation of Babylon. It's an important lesson. God loves us more than anything else. And he'll destroy the temple in order to get our attention and to get us back into right relationship with him. God will destroy temples, jobs, homes, savings, whatever else. If we're refusing to hear him, refusing to know that he is God, he will do what he needs to do to get our attention, to cause us to remember that he is God. And so he says, I will cut off the righteous and the wicked from Judah. There's going to be no one left. The city of Jerusalem is going to be left desolate. In verse 6 and 7, he tells Ezekiel to sigh with bitterness before them. Verse 6, God often has Ezekiel do some visual demonstration so that the people could see. And so this time, well remember when God had Ezekiel lay on his side for like a year and then he had to lay on his other side for a few more days? Similar to that, this time he says, Ezekiel, sigh. So the idea is that just one time just go like, but to be kind of this dramatic expression so that everybody knows, sigh, sigh. I don't know how he would have done it. But something like that. So it gets everybody's attention. Everybody's like, what is this guy doing? And it worked. In verse 7 it says, they asked him why. And when they ask you why, Ezekiel, tell them it's because of the news of the destruction of Jerusalem. Why are you sighing like that, Ezekiel? Because of the news. Jerusalem is going to be destroyed. God is not joyful about judgment. Ezekiel is representing him well as God tells him to sigh with great bitterness, with sorrow, because God's weeping that it's come to this point that he has to bring this judgment upon the people. God is not joyful over judgment. In verses 8 through 17 he says that a sword is sharpened, a sword sharpened and polished. And so this sword is being brought against the nation of Judah. And so he says in verse 12, cry and wail, son of man, for it will be against my people, against all the princes of Israel. Terrors, including the sword, will be against my people. Therefore, strike your thigh. He's calling Ezekiel to cry, to wail, to have this outward manifestation of warning or of sorrow as a warning to the people. And so he says, prophesy in verse 14 and strike your hands together. Clap. Not like, woo, but clap. ah, can't believe what's happening. He's to be demonstrated this brokenness before the people. He says the third time in verse 14, let the sword do double damage. Remember, he's talking about the third time that Jerusalem will be conquered by Babylon. And this time the city is going to be absolutely destroyed. In verses 18 through 27, he says appoint two ways for the sword. Two ways for the sword. Now there's the road to Rabbah, which was in the nation of Ammon, and then the road to Jerusalem. And the picture that he's showing here is that the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, he's at the fork in the road. He's got to decide, all right, which nation am I going to conquer today? Am I going to take over the world in this direction or take over the world in this direction? What am I going to do? And so he's showing this picture and then directing Babylon to overthrow the nation of Jerusalem. He also says in verses 28 through 32, he will judge Ammon, but he's going to judge Jerusalem first and then Ammon. So here's what that looks like. So on the left side, you see the city of Jerusalem. That's where the nation of Judah was. It was now reduced to pretty much just the city of Jerusalem. And then the nation of Ammon was across the Jordan River. On the other side of the river, Rabbah or Rabbath was the capital city for them. And so he's at the crossroads in the north trying to decide, okay, which way am I going to go? You know, the king of Babylon is seeking his divination and trying to figure out, you know, cast the lots, throw the dice, figure out which nation I'm going to conquer. And so God is directing him to Jerusalem. to conquer Jerusalem first. And then later on, about four years afterwards, he goes back to Ammon and conquers that nation. So he's going to judge Ammon. In verse 31, he says, I'll pour out my indignation on you. I will blow against you with the fire of my wrath and deliver you into the hands of brutal men who are skillful to destroy. Now why is God going to bring this judgment upon a nation that isn't Israel, that isn't Judah? Well he's going to explain more in chapter 25. And so we'll come back to visit the nation of Ammon at that time. So Babylon chooses Jerusalem first and conquers them a little bit later on. Chapter 22 now verse 30. In verses 1 through 16, the Lord says, Now talking about Jerusalem, he now refers to it as the bloody city. He says, There in verse 2. Why was it a bloody city? What were the abominations? Well, he goes on in the following verses to list them. So in verse 6, he says that princes or the rulers used their power to shed blood. And so there was this injustice that was going on, this abuse of power that was resulting in people dying. In verse 7, he says... The other issues were, well, they were making light of father and mother. They were oppressing the stranger. They were mistreating fatherless animals. and widows. Verse 8, they despised the holy things of God. In verse 9, they were slandering and there was lewdness, that is unrestrained immorality going on. In verse 10, they were violating sexually fathers and mothers and women. In verse 11, he talks about adultery and incest that was going on. In verse 12, he talks about the bribes and the usury or the interest in taking advantage of the poor and And so there was all these things that were going on in the city of Jerusalem as a part of their rebellion against God. And so in verse 14, he says, Can your heart endure talking to the people of Jerusalem? Can your hands remain strong in the days that I shall deal with you? I, the Lord, have spoken and I will do it. And then he says in verse 16, Then you shall know that I am the Lord. It's going to take this judgment for them to know that he is the Lord. Because they are insisting on continuing on in all these things that have resulted in them being called the bloody city. They're in full rebellion against God. They're disobeying him. Now, as we'll see later on in another chapter, they're still continuing to go to the temple and offer sacrifices to God and try to go through their rituals of worship to God. But then they're involved in all these abominations. And so God says, I'm going to bring this judgment because... You're not listening. You don't know that I'm Lord because you just continue to do what you want to do. When will you know that he is the Lord? That's the question we need to consider as we go through the book of Ezekiel. Verse 17 through 22. He says, I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of my wrath. He describes Israel in verse 18 as dross. dross is the scum that's formed on melted metal or it's actually like the impurities that come to the top as the metal is melted and so he says in verse 22 as silver is melted in the midst of a furnace so shall you be melted in its midst then you shall know that I the Lord have poured out my fury on you You're going to know that this is my doing as you melt in the furnace. Then verse 23 through 31, he says, I sought for a man who would stand in the gap but found no one. In these verses, he goes through the list. He describes all kinds of people have turned against God. He talks about the prophets, how they've devoured, they've taken treasures, they've made widows. That is, they've put people to death. And so widows have been left behind by false prophets. The priests, he says, they violated the law. They've profaned the holy things. They've disregarded the clean and the unclean. The princes and rulers, they've shed blood. They destroy people. And they do so to get dishonest gain, to get extra goods and resources for themselves. The prophets, he says, also have false visions and speak lies. And then he talks about the rest of the people, the common people. Amongst them is oppression and robbery and mistreating one another and oppressing the stranger. And so every aspect, every category of person within the nation have turned against God. God says there's no one to stand in the gap. And so in verse 31 he says, I recompense their deeds upon their own heads. I'm bringing peace. what they deserve upon them. Because they've, from young to old, from low stature to high stature, whatever aspect you want to consider, they've turned against me. Chapter 23, now verse 11. It says, now although her sister, Aholibah, saw this, she became more corrupt in her lust than she, and in her harlotry more corrupt than her sister's harlotry. Here God is speaking about Jerusalem still, but now he uses a different illustration of two sisters who are involved in harlotry. He says in verses 1 through 4, two daughters committed harlotry. Now harlotry is used by the prophets as a picture of unfaithfulness to God. So although they were involved in actual sexual immorality, what God is speaking about is their idolatry and their turning away from God and disregarding God. And so he describes these two harlot sisters. Now these harlot sisters, he's referring to the northern kingdom and the southern kingdom. When the nation of Israel was split in two, The southern kingdom took the name Judah, kept the capital as Jerusalem. The northern kingdom had various capitals, but Samaria is the prominent one. And so Samaria becomes the capital of the northern kingdom. And so in verse 4, he names them. He says, Ahola, the first sister, she's Samaria. This is the capital of the northern kingdom. The name Ahola means her own tabernacle. Now from the get-go, when the kingdom was divided, the northern kingdom developed their own religion. Instead of, because they didn't want people going to Jerusalem, because that was, you know, the enemy was over there. So they made up their own religion, and so they made up their own tabernacle. They decided to worship God in their own way. Then Jerusalem is referred to as Aholibah, and this is the capital of Judah, and the name means, my tabernacle is in her. So that's where the tabernacle of God was or the temple of God. That's where he dwelt. But as we saw earlier in Ezekiel chapter 10, he left, remember? Because he's not going to dwell there anymore because they're insisting on rebelling against him. So that's who he's referring to with these two sisters, these two daughters. He's referring to the northern kingdom and the southern kingdom represented by their capital cities, Samaria and Jerusalem. So verses 5 through 10 he says, Ahola, that is Samaria, lusted for Assyria. So there was this desire for Assyria that was happening in the northern kingdom. In verse 7 it says that with all Assyria's idols, the northern kingdom defiled herself. They worshipped the gods of Assyria. Seeking to live the lifestyle of Assyria. Again trying to be like the other nations. And so God says in verse 9. Therefore I've delivered her into the hand of her lovers. Into the hand of the Assyrians for whom she lusted. So she was desiring to be like Assyria. And so she was worshiping the gods of Assyria. She was trying to live the lifestyle of Assyria. She was trying to be like Assyria. That's what she was pursuing. That's what the nation was pursuing. And so God says, you lusted after her. And so I'm going to deliver you into the hands of the Assyrians. Here's the reality that we need to deal with. You become the slave of whatever you worship. Whatever you worship, whatever your God is, you become the slave of that God. And we all worship something. Something's number one in our life. Something is most important. Something has our first passions. And whatever that is, we're slaves to that. God says you're slaves to Assyria because you lusted after her. You modeled your life after her. You tried to be like Assyria. That was what you were desiring. That's what you were pursuing. Now you will be enslaved to Assyria. Now then in verses 11 through 21, he talks about a holy bot. Now again, this is Jerusalem. And he says, Jerusalem became more corrupt. In verse 11, he says, Jerusalem, Judah saw what happened because the northern kingdom was conquered in 722, a couple hundred years before Jerusalem is conquered. So they saw what happened and But they didn't learn from it. They just continued on and even became more corrupt, he says in verse 11. They didn't learn the lesson. They became more corrupt. And this is why I keep coming back to asking the question, when will you know that he is God? Because, well, I want to make sure that we learn the lesson, but they had to learn the hard way. We don't have to learn the hard way. We don't have to come to the end of judgment in order to know that he is God. We don't have to hit rock bottom. We don't have to wait until that point. We can watch their example and learn the lesson. That's what God wanted Jerusalem to do, but they refused. And so in verse 12, he says of Jerusalem, the nation of Judah, you lusted for Assyria as well, just like the northern kingdom. But then also you made it worse. In verse 14, he says you increased your harlotry. In verse 16, you lusted for the Chaldeans, that is the Babylonians. As soon as you saw them, you're like, oh, that's the life I want. I want that kind of life. I'm going to be like Babylon. We're going to worship their gods. We're going to have their kind of captains, their kind of soldiers. We're going to have their kind of lives. It's going to be awesome as soon as we are like Babylon. And so in verse 19, he says that you multiplied your harlotry. And so he goes on in verse 22 through 35 and says, I will stir up your lovers against you. So you've pursued all of these false gods. You've pursued all of these different lifestyles and what I have for you. And so I'm going to stir up your lovers against you. Again, you become the slave of whatever you worship. Enslaved by that thing and then judged for it. That's what happens when we worship false gods. Now when we worship the true and living God, we still become enslaved to him. We're his. And we need to be fully obedient to him. That's where we belong. That's our rightful place. And so God says in verse 24, I delegate judgment to your lovers and I'm going to bring them against you and they're going to be the ones who destroy you. He says in verse 27, I will make you cease your lewdness, your unrestrained immorality. I'm going to make you stop. You won't stop from me telling you. So I'm going to have to make you stop. I'm going to bring this judgment upon you. He says, you've forgotten me and you'll bear your penalty in verse 35. In verse 36 through 39, he says, they shall repay you for your lewdness. Again, he tells Ezekiel, declare to them their abominations, their great adulteries and their sacrifice of their children, which they were literally doing. They were killing their children as they worship these false gods. He says in verse 38, moreover, they've done this to me. They have defiled my sanctuary on the same day And profaned my Sabbaths. God says, not only are they pursuing all these things, they're worshipping all these false gods, but then on the same day, they got done offering their child to this false god, then they go to the temple to try to worship God. And God says, they've killed their children and then come to my sanctuary on the same day. This is how bad they've gotten. This is how bad they've become. They've completely disregarded God. Does it make you kind of think back, what was I doing today? What were you doing today? Now listen. Hey, we all sin. We all fall short of the glory of God. And the point is, don't come to church if you've been involved in sin. No, the point is, come to church and repent of your sin. The problem with the nation was, they're like, hey, we're going to go to church and we're going to live in sin. We're going to go to church and live however we want. We're going to do both. And God will not put up with that. He will bring judgment upon that. Definitely. The issue is not, you know, don't come to church if you've been in sin. The issue is repent. Come to church, even if you're in sin. We're all sinners. So this is the place that the sinners gather. This isn't the place where the perfect people gather. This is the place where the sinners gather. Right, Russell? Amen. But we got to turn from our lifestyle of sin. We got to turn from the disobedience and not continue in it because that is an abomination to God. In verse 49, he says, they shall repay you for your lewdness and you shall pay for your idolatrous sins. Then you shall know that I am the Lord God. Then you'll know. Right now, you don't know because you just live how you want and then you come to church. You don't know that I'm God. But then you'll know when I deal with you according to your sinfulness. Chapter 24 now, verse 2. He says, Son of man, write down the name of the day, this very day, the king of Babylon started his siege against Jerusalem this very day. So here in verses 1 and 2, he tells them, this is the day, Ezekiel. Mark it on your calendar, write it down. This is the day that Nebuchadnezzar began the siege against Jerusalem. Now, this is pretty amazing. It's the ninth year of their captivity, the tenth month, the tenth day, it's probably 589 BC, maybe 588 BC, the siege begins on this particular day. Now this is amazing. We may not catch the amazingness of it. Because, you know, we live in a world where we can see what's happening around the world. But Ezekiel, he's like 500 miles away as the bird flies, but they didn't travel to Babylon, you know, from Babylon to Jerusalem as the bird flies. They would go up the north and then down the Euphrates. It was a great distance away. It would take weeks to get from one place to the other. But God tells Ezekiel, it's happening right now. Today's the day, Ezekiel. Write it down. And then later on, the people are going to find out as the news finally gets there when the siege started. And that'll be the confirmation that I'm speaking through you. Well, on this day, he gives them another illustration to give for the people. In verse 3 through 14, he says, Woe to the pot whose scum is in it. He says to Ezekiel, put on a pot. So get a pot, put some water in it, put some meat in it, and start cooking the meat in that pot. And then he begins to talk about Jerusalem as this pot. He says in verse 6, woe to the bloody city, the pot whose scum is in it. Because of all these abominations that they've been involved in that are taking place in Jerusalem, he says, woe to that city. So he tells Ezekiel, heap on the wood, kindle the fire, cook the meat well, mix in the spices, and let the cuts be burned up. And that's what's going to be happening in Jerusalem. They're going to be surrounded in this siege, and they're going to be symbolically cooked. He tells Ezekiel in verse 11 to cook the empty pot, kind of like a self-cleaning oven, right? Turn on the fire really high on this pot, and just let all the junk, all the gunk, all the scum in the pot just be burned away as it cooks. He says that's what's going to happen. In verse 14, they will judge you according to your deeds. Then in verses 15 through 23, God tells Ezekiel, make no mourning for your wife. Here's another sign that Ezekiel is to give for the people. This is the most difficult one. Much more difficult than laying on his side for a year. This time, He's not to mourn for his wife. In verse 17, God says, sigh in silence. Make no mourning for the dead. Bind your turban on your head and put your sandals on your feet. Do not cover your lips and do not eat man's bread of sorrow. So Ezekiel, no mourning. Get dressed like you always get dressed. Put your shoes on. Don't cover your face. Don't eat funeral food. And so it says in verse 18, so I spoke to the people in the morning and at evening my wife died. And the next morning I did as I was commanded. Verse 18. I mean, this is a powerful verse right here. Check this out. I spoke to the people in the morning. I told them about the pot. I told them this is the day. I told them all that stuff. Then in the evening my wife died. And the next morning I got up. I got dressed. I put on my shoes. I did as I was commanded. Wow. I mean, here is Ezekiel being faithful to God to an incredible degree. Wow. Now, think about this. You're there in Babylon. Ezekiel's prophesying. You hear about it. His wife dies. And then the next morning, he's like, nothing's wrong. He just walks outside, dressed like, hey guys, what's up? What would we think about Ezekiel? How would we judge Ezekiel? I think it's just a good check for our hearts to kind of consider. I mean, we'd be thinking things like, there'd be blog posts everywhere. Like, Ezekiel is a terrible man who can't believe he claims to be a prophet. He's unloving, cold-hearted. There's probably another woman in his life. That's why he doesn't even care that his wife died. I mean, there would be all this slander going on. Because we think that we're experts in what other people are supposed to do. Ezekiel did this under strict orders. He did as he was commanded. I would ask you to consider this evening. Would you obey God to this degree? Are you willing to obey God to this extent? So that if God says you, your spouse is going to die, don't mourn. Your child's going to die, don't mourn. Keep on doing exactly what I've asked you to do. Are you willing to be obedient to God to that extent? We look at this and we think, man, this is really radical. But let me just say, this is normal relationship with God. Not that he calls all of us to behave this way. But that he expects all of us to behave this way. To be obedient to him. No matter what he says. No matter how we feel about it. That is what is expected for those who walk with God. You need to be willing to do this if God tells you to do it. Remember what Jesus said. You got to be, if you're going to follow me, if you want to come after me, deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me. Die to yourself. So that means if I tell you, do something you don't want to do. Do something you don't like to do. Do something you're not excited about. Do something you hate to do. Do something you don't think you can do. I want to be able to say in those circumstances, I did as I was commanded. I don't know if I'm there yet. But that's what I'm seeking. As I walk with the Lord. As I seek the Lord. Lord, I want to be obedient to you to that degree. That's what you require. That's what I need. That's what's best for me. Again, the question is, when will I know that he is the Lord? When will you know that he is the Lord? So that we obey him no matter what. And so Ezekiel here is a sign again. And so the people say, tell us what these things signify. How come you're acting this way? This is so strange. And Ezekiel says, here's what God's saying. I'm going to profane my sanctuary. My temple is going to be destroyed. And you're going to behave like me. You're going to put on your shoes. You're just going to go about your business like as if nothing ever happened. In verse 24 through 27, God presents Ezekiel as a sign. He says, he's assigned to you according to all that he has done. That's what you're going to do. And then you will know that I am the Lord. Well, the final chapter for the evening, chapter 25, begins the next section of the book of Ezekiel. Chapters 25 through 32, Ezekiel is pronouncing judgment upon the nations. And so there's four nations he speaks against. The key verse is verse 3. He says, say to the Ammonites, hear the word of the Lord, the Lord God. Thus says the Lord God, because you said, 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. So here God declares, this nation is going to be destroyed. And then he tells them why it will be destroyed. He says in verses 1 through 7, I will cut off Ammon. And why? Well, because you said, aha, you celebrated when the temple was destroyed, when Judah was destroyed. And so God tells him in verse 7, I will destroy you and then you will know that I am the Lord. Notice what's happening here. He's been telling his people, then you shall know that I'm the Lord. Now he's speaking to other nations because every knee shall bow. It doesn't matter if you're a believer or not. You will know that he is the Lord. Our opportunity is to respond now. We don't have to resist and receive the judgment of God. We can respond now and know that he is Lord and fully submit to him and do as we are commanded. And that's true of those at church, those who aren't at church. So Ammon, he says, you're going to know that I'm the Lord when I bring this judgment upon you. Then in verses 8 through 11, he says, I will clear the territory of Moab. Why? Because in verse 8, they say Judah's like all the other nations. They're just like one of us. They don't have a true and living God. They're just like us. And so God says in verse 11, I will execute judgments on you and you shall know that I am the Lord. Then in verses 12 through 14, he says, I'm going to cut off man and beast from Edom. Why? He says in verse 12, because they took vengeance on Judah. They didn't just look on and celebrate like Ammon did. They participated in taking vengeance upon Judah. And so God says in verse 14, I'm going to lay my vengeance on you and you shall know that I am the Lord. Again, every knee will bow. Then in verses 15 through 17, he says, I will cut off the Philistines. He says in verse 15, because they took vengeance with a spiteful heart. And then they shall know that I am the Lord when I lay my vengeance on them. So God speaks to these nations surrounding Jerusalem. So there's Jerusalem in the middle. The Philistines are to the west. The Ammon is across the river as we talked about before. And so they're celebrating as Jerusalem is being destroyed. Moab is celebrating. They're conquered by Babylon later on. Edom, they're celebrating and they're conquered later on and then eventually disappear from history just as God declares. Now God says, as he speaks to all these nations, this is what I'm going to do. And then you shall know that I am the Lord. So those are our chapters for this evening. And as I finish up, as we close up, the question is still, when will you know? What's it going to take for you to be as obedient as Ezekiel? Starting out in chapter 19, remember we saw how tragic it was that they had such great potential, but they were reduced to nothing because of their disobedience. Don't let that happen to you. Don't let that be a lamentation for your life. It's tragic to see God's people in that condition. Sure, life is going to be hard. I'm not saying everything is going to be easy. No, it's going to be more difficult as you're faithful to God. But He's going to renew you within. There's going to be an abundance of life. Peace and grace and mercy and relationship with God. Are you hearing from God? Is He speaking to you? If not, you need to consider, am I involved in idolatry? It's because I'm involved in all these other things that I don't hear from God. I need to put God first in my life. He needs to be first. I need to make sure I hear from Him. I know Him. I walk with Him. He's got to be before all other desires, all other goals and dreams. He must be first. You need to be so willing to be obedient to God that even if he says your spouse is dying, do not mourn that you say, I did as I was commanded. If you will be obedient to God to that degree, you will experience the abundant life that Jesus promised. But if you try to live your way and half-heartedly obey, you're going to experience the same condition that the nation of Judah experienced. When will you know? What's it going to take? Let's commit now to be fully surrendered to God, to obey him at all costs, no matter what. Amen. Heavenly Father, we do pray that you would help us because what our spirit is willing and the flesh is weak. Lord, we desire to be faithful to you to that degree. And yet we find ourselves falling short. So help us, God. Strengthen us, fill us with your Holy Spirit. And Lord, those areas of our lives that we already know about, you've already been talking to us, you've already been speaking to us. Lord, I pray that we would repent of those things and not stay away from you. That's not what you're desiring. But for us to turn from those things that we might experience the fullness of what you have in store for us. So help us, God, to submit to you completely to know that you are God. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.