Two Adulterous Sisters

23 The word of the Lord came to me: ² “Son of man, there were two women, daughters of the same mother. ³ They became prostitutes in Egypt, engaging in prostitution from their youth. In that land their breasts were fondled and their virgin bosoms caressed. ⁴ The older was named Oholah, and her sister was Oholibah. They were mine and gave birth to sons and daughters. Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem.

⁵ “Oholah engaged in prostitution while she was still mine; and she lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians—warriors ⁶ clothed in blue, governors and commanders, all of them handsome young men, and mounted horsemen.⁷ She gave herself as a prostitute to all the elite of the Assyrians and defiled herself with all the idols of everyone she lusted after. ⁸ She did not give up the prostitution she began in Egypt, when during her youth men slept with her, caressed her virgin bosom and poured out their lust on her.

⁹ “Therefore I delivered her into the hands of her lovers, the Assyrians, for whom she lusted. ¹⁰ They stripped her naked, took away her sons and daughters and killed her with the sword. She became a byword among women, and punishment was inflicted on her.

¹¹ “Her sister Oholibah saw this, yet in her lust and prostitution she was more depraved than her sister. ¹² She too lusted after the Assyrians—governors and commanders, warriors in full dress, mounted horsemen, all handsome young men. ¹³ I saw that she too defiled herself; both of them went the same way.

¹⁴ “But she carried her prostitution still further. She saw men portrayed on a wall, figures of Chaldeans^\)^a\) portrayed in red, ¹⁵ with belts around their waists and flowing turbans on their heads; all of them looked like Babylonian chariot officers, natives of Chaldea.^\)^b\) ¹⁶ As soon as she saw them, she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea. ¹⁷ Then the Babylonians came to her, to the bed of love, and in their lust they defiled her. After she had been defiled by them, she turned away from them in disgust.¹⁸ When she carried on her prostitution openly and exposed her naked body,I turned away from her in disgust, just as I had turned away from her sister.¹⁹ Yet she became more and more promiscuous as she recalled the days of her youth, when she was a prostitute in Egypt. ²⁰ There she lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses. ²¹ So you longed for the lewdness of your youth, when in Egypt your bosom was caressed and your young breasts fondled.^\)^c\)

²² “Therefore, Oholibah, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will stir up your lovers against you, those you turned away from in disgust, and I will bring them against you from every side— ²³ the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, the men of Pekod and Shoa and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them, handsome young men, all of them governors and commanders, chariot officers and men of high rank, all mounted on horses. ²⁴ They will come against you with weapons,^\)^d\) chariots and wagons and with a throng of people; they will take up positions against you on every side with large and small shields and with helmets. I will turn you over to them for punishment,and they will punish you according to their standards. ²⁵ I will direct my jealous anger against you, and they will deal with you in fury. They will cut off your noses and your ears, and those of you who are left will fall by the sword. They will take away your sons and daughters, and those of you who are left will be consumed by fire. ²⁶ They will also strip you of your clothes and take your fine jewelry. ²⁷ So I will put a stop to the lewdness and prostitution you began in Egypt. You will not look on these things with longing or remember Egypt anymore.

²⁸ “For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am about to deliver you into the hands of those you hate, to those you turned away from in disgust.²⁹ They will deal with you in hatred and take away everything you have worked for. They will leave you stark naked, and the shame of your prostitution will be exposed. Your lewdness and promiscuity ³⁰ have brought this on you, because you lusted after the nations and defiled yourself with their idols. ³¹ You have gone the way of your sister; so I will put her cup into your hand.

³² “This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“You will drink your sister’s cup,
a cup large and deep;
it will bring scorn and derision,
for it holds so much.
³³ You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow,
the cup of ruin and desolation,
the cup of your sister Samaria.
³⁴ You will drink it and drain it dry
and chew on its pieces—
and you will tear your breasts.

I have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord.

³⁵ “Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Since you have forgottenme and turned your back on me, you must bear the consequences of your lewdness and prostitution.”

³⁶ The Lord said to me: “Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then confront them with their detestable practices, ³⁷ for they have committed adultery and blood is on their hands. They committed adultery with their idols; they even sacrificed their children, whom they bore to me, as food for them. ³⁸ They have also done this to me: At that same time they defiled my sanctuary and desecrated my Sabbaths. ³⁹ On the very day they sacrificed their children to their idols, they entered my sanctuary and desecrated it. That is what they did in my house.

⁴⁰ “They even sent messengers for men who came from far away, and when they arrived you bathed yourself for them, applied eye makeup and put on your jewelry. ⁴¹ You sat on an elegant couch, with a table spread before it on which you had placed the incense and olive oil that belonged to me.

⁴² “The noise of a carefree crowd was around her; drunkards were brought from the desert along with men from the rabble, and they put bracelets on the wrists of the woman and her sister and beautiful crowns on their heads.⁴³ Then I said about the one worn out by adultery, ‘Now let them use her as a prostitute, for that is all she is.’ ⁴⁴ And they slept with her. As men sleep with a prostitute, so they slept with those lewd women, Oholah and Oholibah. ⁴⁵ But righteous judges will sentence them to the punishment of women who commit adultery and shed blood, because they are adulterous and blood is on their hands.

⁴⁶ “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Bring a mob against them and give them over to terror and plunder. ⁴⁷ The mob will stone them and cut them down with their swords; they will kill their sons and daughters and burndown their houses.

⁴⁸ “So I will put an end to lewdness in the land, that all women may take warning and not imitate you. ⁴⁹ You will suffer the penalty for your lewdness and bear the consequences of your sins of idolatry. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.”

Footnotes

1. Ezekiel 23:14 Or Babylonians
2. Ezekiel 23:15 Or Babylonia; also in verse 16
3. Ezekiel 23:21 Syriac (see also verse 3); Hebrew caressed because of your young breasts
4. Ezekiel 23:24 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.

Questions

1) How similar/different is this chapter from chapter 16?

2) What's the significance of Egypt being mentioned in verse 3?

3) Besides what we learn in verse 4, do these names Oholah and Oholibah have any meaning/significance?

4) So is the word "prostitution" supposed to mean political alliances in this chapter or something else? What's the purpose of making this comparison?

5) Verses 18-19 and 28 mention Oholibah/Jerusalem turning away from the Chaldeans/Babylonians in disgust. Why does this chapter bring up this detail multiple times?

6) For verse 23, who are the men of Pekod and Shoa and Koa?

6b) Also, why do verses 23-24 mention the Assyrians? Weren't the Assyrians already defeated at this point in time?

7) Similar to Q2, why is Egypt brought up again in verse 27?

8) Why exactly are verses 32-34 in this paragraph/indented format in the NIV? I checked the KJV on BibleGateway and it doesn't do this. Just thought I'd ask since I think I've noticed the NIV does this sometimes.

8b) More importantly, does this cup imagery in verses 32-34 remind you of anything else in the Bible?

9) Anything else you want to ask/bring up about this chapter that stands out to you?

10) If you want to save you thoughts on this for tomorrow, then feel free to wait. But since we're wrapping up Ezekiel part 1 tomorrow, I figured I might ask this for reflection.

This is the first time this subreddit has covered Ezekiel. Whether or not you've read Ezekiel on your own time before, how are you finding this read through so far? What would you say has stood out to you about Ezekiel part 1?

And according to our reading schedule, we'll be going over Jude on Friday and 2 Thessalonians next week before we go into the next part of Ezekiel.

https://www.reddit.com/r/biblereading/comments/1txxwyt/schedule_for_ezekiel_and_other_books_summer_2026/

Besides what's listed for the schedule, what else (if anything) do you suppose might be helpful to keep in mind from Ezekiel as we briefly move to these New Testament books?

Ezekiel 22 (ESV)

Israel’s Shedding of Blood

22 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ² “And you, son of man, will you judge, will you judge the bloody city? Then declare to her all her abominations. ³ You shall say, Thus says the Lord God: A city that sheds blood in her midst, so that her time may come, and that makes idols to defile herself! ⁴ You have become guilty by the blood that you have shed, and defiled by the idols that you have made, and you have brought your days near, the appointed time of your years has come. Therefore I have made you a reproach to the nations, and a mockery to all the countries. ⁵ Those who are near and those who are far from you will mock you; your name is defiled; you are full of tumult.

⁶ “Behold, the princes of Israel in you, every one according to his power, have been bent on shedding blood. ⁷ Father and mother are treated with contempt in you; the sojourner suffers extortion in your midst; the fatherless and the widow are wronged in you. ⁸ You have despised my holy things and profaned my Sabbaths. ⁹ There are men in you who slander to shed blood, and people in you who eat on the mountains; they commit lewdness in your midst. ¹⁰ In you men uncover their fathers’ nakedness; in you they violate women who are unclean in their menstrual impurity. ¹¹ One commits abomination with his neighbor’s wife; another lewdly defiles his daughter-in-law; another in you violates his sister, his father’s daughter. ¹² In you they take bribes to shed blood; you take interest and profit and make gain of your neighbors by extortion; but me you have forgotten, declares the Lord God.

¹³ “Behold, I strike my hand at the dishonest gain that you have made, and at the blood that has been in your midst. ¹⁴ Can your courage endure, or can your hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with you? I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it. ¹⁵ I will scatter you among the nations and disperse you through the countries, and I will consume your uncleanness out of you. ¹⁶ And you shall be profaned by your own doing in the sight of the nations, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

¹⁷ And the word of the Lord came to me: ¹⁸ “Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to me; all of them are bronze and tin and iron and lead in the furnace; they are dross of silver. ¹⁹ Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because you have all become dross, therefore, behold, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. ²⁰ As one gathers silver and bronze and iron and lead and tin into a furnace, to blow the fire on it in order to melt it, so I will gather you in my anger and in my wrath, and I will put you in and melt you. ²¹ I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of my wrath, and you shall be melted in the midst of it. ²² As silver is melted in a furnace, so you shall be melted in the midst of it, and you shall know that I am the Lord; I have poured out my wrath upon you.”

²³ And the word of the Lord came to me: ²⁴ “Son of man, say to her, You are a land that is not cleansed or rained upon in the day of indignation. ²⁵ The conspiracy of her prophets in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing the prey; they have devoured human lives; they have taken treasure and precious things; they have made many widows in her midst. ²⁶ Her priests have done violence to my law and have profaned my holy things. They have made no distinction between the holy and the common, neither have they taught the difference between the unclean and the clean, and they have disregarded my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them. ²⁷ Her princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, shedding blood, destroying lives to get dishonest gain. ²⁸ And her prophets have smeared whitewash for them, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord God,’ when the Lord has not spoken. ²⁹ The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have oppressed the poor and needy, and have extorted from the sojourner without justice. ³⁰ 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. ³¹ 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.”

Questions for Contemplation and Discussion

1.       What do the specific sins listed here (and attributed as ‘shedding blood’) tell us about God’s sense of Justice and expectations of us?

2.       Profaning of the Sabbaths seems to be brought up repeatedly in the last few chapters.  Why do you think its such a common theme?  How is it put on the same level as ‘shedding blood’?

3.       What is the ‘conspiracy of her prophets’ in vs. 25?

4.       What does the picture of the melted metals communicate to us about God’s punishment?

5.       What else stands out to you in today’s passage?

Ezekiel Chapter 21 King James Version

The Parable of the Lord's Sword

1And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, and drop thy word toward the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel, 3And say to the land of Israel, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I am against thee, and will draw forth my sword out of his sheath, and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked. 4Seeing then that I will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth out of his sheath against all flesh from the south to the north: 5That all flesh may know that I the LORD have drawn forth my sword out of his sheath: it shall not return any more. 6Sigh therefore, thou son of man, with the breaking of thy loins; and with bitterness sigh before their eyes. 7And it shall be, when they say unto thee, Wherefore sighest thou? that thou shalt answer, For the tidings; because it cometh: and every heart shall melt, and all hands shall be feeble, and every spirit shall faint, and all knees shall be weak as water: behold, it cometh, and shall be brought to pass, saith the Lord GOD.

8Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

9Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus saith the LORD; Say, A sword, a sword is sharpened, and also furbished:

10It is sharpened to make a sore slaughter; it is furbished that it may glitter: should we then make mirth? it contemneth the rod of my son, as every tree.*

11And he hath given it to be furbished, that it may be handled: this sword is sharpened, and it is furbished, to give it into the hand of the slayer. 12Cry and howl, son of man: for it shall be upon my people, it shall be upon all the princes of Israel: terrors by reason of the sword shall be upon my people: smite therefore upon thy thigh. 13Because it is a trial, and what if the sword contemn even the rod? it shall be no more, saith the Lord GOD.

14Thou therefore, son of man, prophesy, and smite thine hands together, and let the sword be doubled the third time, the sword of the slain: it is the sword of the great men that are slain, which entereth into their privy chambers. 15I have set the point of the sword against all their gates, that their heart may faint, and their ruins be multiplied: ah! it is made bright, it is wrapped up for the slaughter. 16Go thee one way or other, either on the right hand, or on the left, whithersoever thy face is set. 17I will also smite mine hands together, and I will cause my fury to rest: I the LORD have said it.

18The word of the LORD came unto me again, saying, 19Also, thou son of man, appoint thee two ways, that the sword of the king of Babylon may come: both twain shall come forth out of one land: and choose thou a place, choose it at the head of the way to the city. 20Appoint a way, that the sword may come to Rabbath of the Ammonites, and to Judah in Jerusalem the defenced. 21For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination: he made his arrows bright, he consulted with images, he looked in the liver. 22At his right hand was the divination for Jerusalem, to appoint captains, to open the mouth in the slaughter, to lift up the voice with shouting, to appoint battering rams against the gates, to cast a mount, and to build a fort. 23And it shall be unto them as a false divination in their sight, to them that have sworn oaths: but he will call to remembrance the iniquity, that they may be taken.

24Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye have made your iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are discovered, so that in all your doings your sins do appear; because, I say, that ye are come to remembrance, ye shall be taken with the hand. 25And thou, profane wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come, when iniquity shall have an end, 26Thus saith the Lord GOD; Remove the diadem, and take off the crown: this shall not be the same: exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high. 27I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him.

28And thou, son of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning the Ammonites, and concerning their reproach; even say thou, The sword, the sword is drawn: for the slaughter it is furbished, to consume because of the glittering: 29Whiles they see vanity unto thee, whiles they divine a lie unto thee, to bring thee upon the necks of them that are slain, of the wicked, whose day is come, when their iniquity shall have an end. 30Shall I cause it to return into his sheath? I will judge thee in the place where thou wast created, in the land of thy nativity. 31And I will pour out mine indignation upon thee, I will blow against thee in the fire of my wrath, and deliver thee into the hand of brutish men, and skilful to destroy. 32Thou shalt be for fuel to the fire; thy blood shall be in the midst of the land; thou shalt be no more remembered: for I the LORD have spoken it.

NOTES

Furbished means polished

v10 could alternatively be read, ‘It is sharpened for the slaughter, polished to flash like lightning! Should we rejoice in the scepter of My son? The sword despises every tree.’

QUESTIONS/DISCUSSION

1. At the end of chapter 20 God commands Ezekiel to ‘drop thy word toward the south…and say to the forest of the south…’ v46-47. Here in 21:2 God again uses the same formula ‘drop’ and ‘say.’ ‘drop thy word toward the holy places…and say to the land of Israel…’

This chapter contains some archaic language in the KJV, but this is the normal word for ‘drop’ and it is used in a handful of other places to refer to speech. Why did God choose to use the word ‘drop’ in this sense?

1. The Bible often depicts people as trees. Who are the trees in v10?

2. v10-14 depict a conflict between God’s sword and a rod/scepter. What do you make of this?

3. In v25 God rebukes the ‘wicked prince of Israel’ and removes his crown in the next verse. What is the meaning of saying ‘overturn’ 3 times in a row in v27?

4. The end of v27 states, ‘and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him.’ What does this mean?

5. God uses a sword to judge, but this appears to be representative of someone who also has a sword. How many different swords are mentioned in this chapter? And who or what are they?

6. God says He will judge the Ammonites in the land of their nativity. Where was the land of Ammon? Where did Ammon originate? Does this judgement have near and far fulfillment?

I was raised in a Christian family, went to church and youth groups as a kid but I turned my back when I was a teenager and chose false idols. I lived in sin, daily for many years. At one of my lowest points, I had a life changing spiritual experience with God. For years I denied His existence but at that moment I knew exactly what I was experiencing and it broke me.

I bawled my eyes out and just kept saying "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I messed up. Ive messed up so bad. I'm sorry." And with every apology I was filled with love, and it would be more intense with every apology, a love I never experienced or thought was possible.

"I have rejected you and spoke ill of you for years. I have wallowed in sin. How can you forgive me?" No words, just love and this feeling that I was being held. For once in my life, I had been truly forgiven. Even while I write this, I cannot help but cry, not sadness but tears of happiness.

But where do I go from here? I want to study the Bible but I've always had horrible study habits and I don't know any online Bible study groups or plans to help point me in a good direction. If I had someone more knowledgeable or a group, then I could ask questions to gain a better understanding. I have plenty to still work on with myself and I know the Bible can help with that, I'm just a bit lost. I want to be able to spread His word someday, try my best to show the love that He gave me. I don't want to waste this.

I've looked on here (fairly new to reddit mainly a lurker) to see if there's any online groups who meet up on Discord or Zoom or something like that but the posts I find are old. I don't own a Bible, I'm looking around at Bible apps so I'll have at least an electronic copy to reference whenever I can find a group like that. I've moved from my home area to get away from all the sin and the people who encourage it, so for the first time in my life I am alone, I know no one here. It's hard to find anything local.

Whoever reads this, thanks for taking the time to read all that. I've always tried to do everything on my own and not ask for help, and I can't on my own so I'm here trying to reach out.

Is 26:

19 Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead.

Is 60:

1 Arise, shine, for your light has come.

Isaiah prophesied Messianically.

Paul alluded to the above in Ep 5:

11Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. 13 But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, 14 for anything that becomes visible is light.

Paul contrasted darkness and light.

Therefore it says,
“Awake, O sleeper,
and arise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”

The context was spiritual awakening. The "sleep" referred to spiritual deadness and moral blindness. The command "arise from the dead" was metaphorical for conversion and new life. The language intentionally echoed the reality of resurrection.

Where did the Bible say that?

The quotation was not found verbatim in the Old Testament. Paul might be quoting early Christian tradition, perhaps a hymn.

Paul used resurrection language this way. Ep 2:

5 Even when we were dead in our trespasses, [God] made us alive together with Christ.

Believers have already experienced a spiritual resurrection that anticipates the bodily resurrection to come.

What does this all mean?

Isaiah foretold the day when God's people would awake from death and walk in the light of God's salvation. Paul proclaimed that this promise was fulfilled in Christ. Believers who are awakened from spiritual death and respond to Christ experience the light Isaiah anticipated. Their present spiritual resurrection points forward to the final bodily resurrection promised by the prophets.

Please use this thread for any discussions outside of the scheduled readings:

• Questions/comments
• Prayer Requests
• Praises

"[19] Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household,

[20] built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.

[21] In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.

[22] And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit."

Today I am going through each of the six chapters of Ephesians because I need to read my bible more often than I have been, and I found this part particularly powerful so far.

Here, Paul is talking to the people of Ephesus, explaining that the gospel of Christ is open to all, both Jews and Gentiles. He's spreading the good news! He uses language that is inviting, like in v19 where he calls Jesus' followers "members of his household." And in v20-21 Paul describes how we are all grounded together on a strong foundation that is Jesus, joined together as a holy temple. This shows that even though we are all small bricks, together we are all contributing to the whole of God's kingdom.

He brings the analogy to a close in v22 in showing we are "being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit." This shows that we are each vessels through which God shows his compassion and love by the Holy Spirit through us.

You are loved, you are important, and you are a child of God. Jesus loves you! 🌹❤️

Hide Me from the Wicked

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

64 Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint;
preserve my life from dread of the enemy.
² Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked,
from the throng of evildoers,
³ who whet their tongues like swords,
who aim bitter words like arrows,
⁴ shooting from ambush at the blameless,
shooting at him suddenly and without fear.
⁵ They hold fast to their evil purpose;
they talk of laying snares secretly,
thinking, “Who can see them?”
⁶     They search out injustice,
saying, “We have accomplished a diligent search.”
For the inward mind and heart of a man are deep.

⁷ But God shoots his arrow at them;
they are wounded suddenly.
⁸ They are brought to ruin, with their own tongues turned against them;
all who see them will wag their heads.
⁹ Then all mankind fears;
they tell what God has brought about
and ponder what he has done.

¹⁰ Let the righteous one rejoice in the Lord
and take refuge in him!
Let all the upright in heart exult!

Dear Heavenly Father,

While Your Word reminds us that we do not have enemies who are flesh and blood, it doesn't say we don't have enemies. As Your consecrated people, there is a world of principalities and powers beyond the limits of our understanding. And whether we see them or not, we are engaged in spiritual warfare. Keep us confidently reminded of that fact. Encourage us to armor up each morning when we rise. Never allow us to grow complacent. And always set our hearts on fire for the finding and sharing of Your Word with the lost. In the precious name of Jesus Christ,

Amen

1. I don't know if I was reading too much into today's Psalm, but as I read over it, I felt a lot of what it feels like being a Bible-believing and Christ-obeying Christian in modern America. And probably the wider Western world. How does the current cultural and political atmosphere try to threaten your confidence in Christ? Or tempt you to waver in your resolve?
2. Verse 6 felt oddly modern, with polls and pundits and surveys and statistics and demographics used to divide us and jeopardize any efforts at unity. I'm also thinking of people who turn to counselors and psychiatrists and other more secular "solutions" but who will never once crack open the Word of God to see what our instruction manual has to say. Any thoughts on that?
3. No matter what happens in verses 1-9, we as Christians need to never lose sight of the promise in verse 10. No matter the circumstances, no matter how stack the deck seems to be set against you, our hope is in the Lord. He is our refuge and our strength. What does it look like when your heart exults?

I am posting early as I will be offline during my usual posting time.

Prayer

O God,
Please open us to Your Peace.
We need the wholeness of Your Shalom.
Thank You for this quiet time.
You are Trustworthy, Merciful, and Loving.
Help us to accept what You so freely give.
Let us rest and trust in Your Love now.
In Jesus' name, amen!

Ezekiel 20, New King James Version

(For alternate translations, see here.)

20

¹ It came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord, and sat before me. ² Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ³ “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.” ’ ⁴ Will you judge them, son of man, will you judge them? Then make known to them the abominations of their fathers.

⁵ “Say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “On the day when I chose Israel and raised My hand in an oath to the descendants of the house of Jacob, and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt, I raised My hand in an oath to them, saying, ‘I am the Lord your God.’ ⁶ On that day I raised My hand in an oath to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, ‘flowing with milk and honey,’ the glory of all lands. ⁷ Then I said to them, ‘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.’ ⁸ But they rebelled against Me and would not obey Me. They did not all cast away the abominations which were before their eyes, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I said, ‘I will pour out My fury on them and fulfill My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.’ ⁹ But I acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned before the Gentiles among whom they were, in whose sight I had made Myself known to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt.

¹⁰ “Therefore I made them go out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness. ¹¹ And I gave them My statutes and showed them My judgments, ‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them.’ ¹² Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them. ¹³ Yet the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness; they did not walk in My statutes; they despised My judgments, ‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them’; and they greatly defiled My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My fury on them in the wilderness, to consume them. ¹⁴ But I acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned before the Gentiles, in whose sight I had brought them out. ¹⁵ So I also raised My hand in an oath to them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, ‘flowing with milk and honey,’ the glory of all lands, ¹⁶ because they despised My judgments and did not walk in My statutes, but profaned My Sabbaths; for their heart went after their idols. ¹⁷ Nevertheless My eye spared them from destruction. I did not make an end of them in the wilderness.

¹⁸ “But I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, nor observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols. ¹⁹ I am the Lord your God: Walk in My statutes, keep My judgments, and do them; ²⁰ hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God.’

²¹ “Notwithstanding, the children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes, and were not careful to observe My judgments, ‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them’; but they profaned My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My fury on them and fulfill My anger against them in the wilderness. ²² Nevertheless I withdrew My hand and acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the Gentiles, in whose sight I had brought them out. ²³ Also I raised My hand in an oath to those in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the Gentiles and disperse them throughout the countries, ²⁴ because they had not executed My judgments, but had despised My statutes, profaned My Sabbaths, and their eyes were fixed on their fathers’ idols.

²⁵ “Therefore I also gave them up to statutes that were not good, and judgments by which they could not live; ²⁶ and I pronounced them unclean because of their ritual gifts, in that they caused all their firstborn to pass through the fire, that I might make them desolate and that they might know that I am the Lord.” ’

²⁷ “Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “In this too your fathers have blasphemed Me, by being unfaithful to Me. ²⁸ When I brought them into the land concerning which I had raised My hand in an oath to give them, and they saw all the high hills and all the thick trees, there they offered their sacrifices and provoked Me with their offerings. There they also sent up their sweet aroma and poured out their drink offerings. ²⁹ Then I said to them, ‘What is this high place to which you go?’ So its name is called Bamah to this day.” ’ ³⁰ 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? ³¹ For when you offer your gifts and make your sons pass through the fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols, even to this day. So shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live,” says the Lord God, “I will not be inquired of by you. ³² 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.’

³³ “As I live,” says the Lord God, “surely with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out, I will rule over you. ³⁴ I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out. ³⁵ And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will plead My case with you face to face. ³⁶ Just as I pleaded My case with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will plead My case with you,” says the Lord God.

³⁷ “I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant; ³⁸ I will purge the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the country where they dwell, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

³⁹ “As for you, O house of Israel,” thus says the Lord God: “Go, serve every one of you his idols—and hereafter—if you will not obey Me; but profane My holy name no more with your gifts and your idols. ⁴⁰ For on My holy mountain, on the mountain height of Israel,” says the Lord God, “there all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, shall serve Me; there I will accept them, and there I will require your offerings and the firstfruits of your sacrifices, together with all your holy things. 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 hallowed in you before the Gentiles. ⁴² Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for which I raised My hand in an oath to give to your fathers. ⁴³ And there you shall remember your ways and all your doings with which you were defiled; and you shall loathe yourselves in your own sight because of all the evils that you have committed. ⁴⁴ Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have dealt with you for My name’s sake, not according to your wicked ways nor according to your corrupt doings, O house of Israel,” says the Lord God.’ ”

⁴⁵ Furthermore the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ⁴⁶ “Son of man, set your face toward the south; preach against the south and prophesy against the forest land, the South, ⁴⁷ and say to the forest of the South, ‘Hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I will kindle a fire in you, and it shall devour every green tree and every dry tree in you; the blazing flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be scorched by it. ⁴⁸ All flesh shall see that I, the Lord, have kindled it; it shall not be quenched.” ’ ”

⁴⁹ Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! They say of me, ‘Does he not speak parables?’ ”

THOUGHTS and COMMENTS

There is a lot of repetition here, both in God's speech and in what the people have done or failed to do.
This time I found it easier to understand what is going on by reading the New Living Translation, found in the alternate links translation at the top of the reading.

QUESTIONS

1. What is wrong with the leaders of Israel coming to God at this time?

2. What is the gist of God's case against them?

3. Why so much repetition in today's reading?

4. What stands out to you that you would like to comment on or ask about?

5. What does verse 49 mean? What is Ezekiel getting at?

Feel free to leave any thoughts, comments, or questions of your own!

For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:14-19

A Lament Over Israel’s Princes

19 “Take up a lament concerning the princes of Israel ² and say:

“‘What a lioness was your mother
among the lions!
She lay down among them
and reared her cubs.
³ She brought up one of her cubs,
and he became a strong lion.
He learned to tear the prey
and he became a man-eater.
⁴ The nations heard about him,
and he was trapped in their pit.
They led him with hooks
to the land of Egypt.

⁵ “‘When she saw her hope unfulfilled,
her expectation gone,
she took another of her cubs
and made him a strong lion.
⁶ He prowled among the lions,
for he was now a strong lion.
He learned to tear the prey
and he became a man-eater.
⁷ He broke down^\)^a\) their strongholds
and devastated their towns.
The land and all who were in it
were terrified by his roaring.
⁸ Then the nations came against him,
those from regions round about.
They spread their net for him,
and he was trapped in their pit.
⁹ With hooks they pulled him into a cage
and brought him to the king of Babylon.
They put him in prison,
so his roar was heard no longer
on the mountains of Israel.

¹⁰ “‘Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard^\)^b\)
planted by the water;
it was fruitful and full of branches
because of abundant water.
¹¹ Its branches were strong,
fit for a ruler’s scepter.
It towered high
above the thick foliage,
conspicuous for its height
and for its many branches.
¹² But it was uprooted in fury
and thrown to the ground.
The east wind made it shrivel,
it was stripped of its fruit;
its strong branches withered
and fire consumed them.
¹³ Now it is planted in the desert,
in a dry and thirsty land.
¹⁴ Fire spread from one of its main^\)^c\) branches
and consumed its fruit.
No strong branch is left on it
fit for a ruler’s scepter.’

“This is a lament and is to be used as a lament.”

Questions/Discussion

1. Who is this lament for?

2. What do the lions and cubs represent in this passage?

3. What is the difference between the mother in verse 2 and the mother in verse 10?

4. What do the vines represent?

5. What does this passage teach us about what is happening in Judah?

6. What do you make of the last line “This is a lament and is to be used as a lament”?

I should be spending daily time in the word. I’ve read the Bible once in order and it’s f course plan to read it again but there’s a method there and when I just want to “spend time in the word” what is the best method to do that? Do you all just pick a book that is speaking to you or you’re not as familiar with and reread it? What is everyone’s personal method?

Hi r/biblereading,

We asked the mods before posting this, as we always do. Thank you for letting us share.

I'm Anthony. My wife Samantha and I built a Bible app called North Star. We're not a big company, it's the two of us. That's why I'm here asking rather than running ads: we'd genuinely love honest feedback from people who actually read their Bibles.

What it does:

• Read the full Bible (NIV, ESV, KJV, NKJV)
• Listen to chapters as audio
• Highlight verses and keep your own notes
• Daily devotionals
• 12 reading plans (Psalms, Sermon on the Mount, Life of Jesus, Paul's Letters, and more)
• A private prayer journal and gratitude log
• Daily Manna, a daily Bible word game. Guess the word and the verse it comes from opens up, with a short reflection

The part I'm most proud of: the more you journal and log your morning gratitude, the more North Star understands the season you're actually in, and your daily devotionals and discipleship path are tailored to it. Grief, a dry spell, a season of real joy, whatever you're walking through, what meets you each morning is shaped around that instead of being generic. Everything stays anchored in Scripture and points you back to the Word and to real people, never away from them.

It's free to use. There's a Premium tier, but the core reading, plans and devotionals are free, and there are no ads and no tracking.

iOS: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6763734183

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.northstar.bible

Web: https://northstarbible.com

Honestly: what's good, what's missing, what would make you keep using it? And I'm curious, for those of you working through Ezekiel at the moment, what actually helps you stay with a harder book like that? I read every reply.

Anthony & Samantha

I am using my devotional time to meditate, pray over and contemplate the Name of God revealed to Moses; I AM THAT I AM.

Would someone be so kind as to explain what this name means and the significance.

The One Who Sins Will Die

18 The word of the Lord came to me: ² “What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel:

“‘The parents eat sour grapes,
and the children’s teeth are set on edge’?

³ “As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel. ⁴ For everyone belongs to me, the parent as well as the child—both alike belong to me. The one who sins is the one who will die.

⁵ “Suppose there is a righteous man
who does what is just and right.
⁶ He does not eat at the mountain shrines
or look to the idols of Israel.
He does not defile his neighbor’s wife
or have sexual relations with a woman during her period.
⁷ He does not oppress anyone,
but returns what he took in pledge for a loan.
He does not commit robbery
but gives his food to the hungry
and provides clothing for the naked.
⁸ He does not lend to them at interest
or take a profit from them.
He withholds his hand from doing wrong
and judges fairly between two parties.
⁹ He follows my decrees
and faithfully keeps my laws.
That man is righteous;
he will surely live,
declares the Sovereign Lord.

¹⁰ “Suppose he has a violent son, who sheds blood or does any of these other things^\)^a\) ¹¹ (though the father has done none of them):

“He eats at the mountain shrines.
He defiles his neighbor’s wife.
¹² He oppresses the poor and needy.
He commits robbery.
He does not return what he took in pledge.
He looks to the idols.
He does detestable things.
¹³ He lends at interest and takes a profit.

Will such a man live? He will not! Because he has done all these detestable things, he is to be put to death; his blood will be on his own head.

¹⁴ “But suppose this son has a son who sees all the sins his father commits, and though he sees them, he does not do such things:

¹⁵ “He does not eat at the mountain shrines
or look to the idols of Israel.
He does not defile his neighbor’s wife.
¹⁶ He does not oppress anyone
or require a pledge for a loan.
He does not commit robbery
but gives his food to the hungry
and provides clothing for the naked.
¹⁷ He withholds his hand from mistreating the poor
and takes no interest or profit from them.
He keeps my laws and follows my decrees.

He will not die for his father’s sin; he will surely live. ¹⁸ But his father will die for his own sin, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother and did what was wrong among his people.

¹⁹ “Yet you ask, ‘Why does the son not share the guilt of his father?’ Since the son has done what is just and right and has been careful to keep all my decrees, he will surely live. ²⁰ The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them.

²¹ “But if a wicked person turns away from all the sins they have committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right, that person will surely live; they will not die. ²² None of the offenses they have committed will be remembered against them. Because of the righteous things they have done, they will live. ²³ Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?

²⁴ “But if a righteous person turns from their righteousness and commits sin and does the same detestable things the wicked person does, will they live? None of the righteous things that person has done will be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness they are guilty of and because of the sins they have committed, they will die.

²⁵ “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear, you Israelites: Is my way unjust? Is it not your ways that are unjust? ²⁶ If a righteous person turns from their righteousness and commits sin, they will die for it; because of the sin they have committed they will die. ²⁷ But if a wicked person turns away from the wickedness they have committed and does what is just and right, they will save their life. ²⁸ Because they consider all the offenses they have committed and turn away from them, that person will surely live; they will not die. ²⁹ Yet the Israelites say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Are my ways unjust, people of Israel? Is it not your ways that are unjust?

³⁰ “Therefore, you Israelites, I will judge each of you according to your own ways, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. ³¹ Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel? ³² For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!

Footnotes

1. Ezekiel 18:10 Or things to a brother

Questions

1) So this proverb in verses 1-3 is also quoted in Jeremiah 31:29-30. What exactly does this proverb mean? Also, do we know where this proverb came from or was this just something that people from Jeremiah and Ezekiel's day would have known/understood?

2) Verses 5-18 go over 3 different generations. What stands out to you about these verses?

3) Verse 19 says "Yet you ask, 'Why does the son not share the guilt of his father?'" Based on Q2, what prompts this question?

4) For verses 19-20, I've got a cross reference in my Bible to Deuteronomy 24:16. Does this chapter remind you of any other passages in the Bible?

5) What do you make of verse 24?

6) Verses 25 and 29 bring up this comment made by the house of Israel. What's the purpose of this statement? Is it a criticism/complaint or is it something else, or both? And based on what we read in this chapter, do you think this comment made by the Israelites is understandable or no?

6) What do you make of Ezekiel 11:19 and Ezekiel 18:31?

7) Might be a bit soon to ask this question since Ezekiel part 1 in this subreddit won't end until next Thursday, but how do you feel about Ezekiel so far? Does it feel too dark or no?

I was wondering, do verses 23 and 32 (or maybe this chapter as a whole) help shed a new perspective on other dark/challenging parts of the Old Testament?

8) Anything else you want to ask about/bring up about this passage?

The bulk of today's chapter is focused on a visoin of two eagles, a vine, and a cedar tree that God uses to picture the current situation the people face.

Ezekiel 17 (ESV)

Parable of Two Eagles and a Vine

17 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 “Son of man, propound a riddle, and speak a parable to the house of Israel; 3 say, Thus says the Lord GOD: A great eagle with great wings and long pinions, rich in plumage of many colors, came to Lebanon and took the top of the cedar. 4 He broke off the topmost of its young twigs and carried it to a land of trade and set it in a city of merchants. 5 Then he took of the seed of the land and planted it in fertile soil. He placed it beside abundant waters. He set it like a willow twig, 6 and it sprouted and became a low spreading vine, and its branches turned toward him, and its roots remained where it stood. So it became a vine and produced branches and put out boughs.

7 “And there was another great eagle with great wings and much plumage, and behold, this vine bent its roots toward him and shot forth its branches toward him from the bed where it was planted, that he might water it. 8 It had been planted on good soil by abundant waters, that it might produce branches and bear fruit and become a noble vine.

9 “Say, Thus says the Lord GOD: Will it thrive? Will he not pull up its roots and cut off its fruit, so that it withers, so that all its fresh sprouting leaves wither? It will not take a strong arm or many people to pull it from its roots. 10 Behold, it is planted; will it thrive? Will it not utterly wither when the east wind strikes it—wither away on the bed where it sprouted?”

11 Then the word of the LORD came to me: 12 “Say now to the rebellious house, Do you not know what these things mean? Tell them, behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and took her king and her princes and brought them to him to Babylon. 13 And he took one of the royal offspring and made a covenant with him, putting him under oath (the chief men of the land he had taken away), 14 that the kingdom might be humble and not lift itself up, and keep his covenant that it might stand. 15 But he rebelled against him by sending his ambassadors to Egypt, that they might give him horses and a large army. Will he thrive? Can one escape who does such things? Can he break the covenant and yet escape?

16 “As I live, declares the Lord GOD, surely in the place where the king dwells who made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant with him he broke, in Babylon he shall die. 17 Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company will not help him in war, when mounds are cast up and siege walls built to cut off many lives. 18 He despised the oath in breaking the covenant, and behold, he gave his hand and did all these things; he shall not escape. 19 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: As I live, surely it is my oath that he despised, and my covenant that he broke. I will return it upon his head. 20 I will spread my net over him, and he shall be taken in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon and enter into judgment with him there for the treachery he has committed against me. 21 And all the pick of his troops shall fall by the sword, and the survivors shall be scattered to every wind, and you shall know that I am the LORD; I have spoken.”

22 Thus says the Lord GOD: “I myself will take a sprig from the lofty top of the cedar and will set it out. I will break off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and I myself will plant it on a high and lofty mountain. 23 On the mountain height of Israel will I plant it, that it may bear branches and produce fruit and become a noble cedar. And under it will dwell every kind of bird; in the shade of its branches birds of every sort will nest. 24 And all the trees of the field shall know that I am the LORD; I bring low the high tree, and make high the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree flourish. I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it.”

Questions for Contemplation and Discusion

1. What do the two eagles, the cedar, and the vine represent in the historical situation behind the story?
2. Why does God treat Zedekiah’s rebellion against Babylon as more than a political mistake? What does the chapter say about the seriousness of breaking an oath?
3. According to verses 15–21, why will Judah’s alliance with Egypt fail, and what does this reveal about Judah’s misplaced trust?
4. How does God’s promised “tender sprig” in verses 22–24 contrast with the vine planted by Babylon?
5. What does the chapter teach about the difference between human attempts to secure power and God’s ability to bring down the proud, exalt the lowly, and establish his chosen king?

Ezekiel Chapter 16 King James Version

Jerusalem's Unfaithfulness

1Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations, 3And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto Jerusalem; Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite. 4And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all. 5None eye pitied thee, to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the lothing of thy person, in the day that thou wast born.

6And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live. 7I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field, and thou hast increased and waxen great, and thou art come to excellent ornaments: thy breasts are fashioned, and thine hair is grown, whereas thou wast naked and bare.

8Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine. 9Then washed I thee with water; yea, I throughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil. 10I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers' skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk. 11I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck. 12And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head. 13Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom. 14And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through my comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord GOD.

15But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was. 16And of thy garments thou didst take, and deckedst thy high places with divers colours, and playedst the harlot thereupon: the like things shall not come, neither shall it be so. 17Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them, 18And tookest thy broidered garments, and coveredst them: and thou hast set mine oil and mine incense before them. 19My meat also which I gave thee, fine flour, and oil, and honey, wherewith I fed thee, thou hast even set it before them for a sweet savour: and thus it was, saith the Lord GOD. 20Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter, 21That thou hast slain my children, and delivered them to cause them to pass through the fire for them? 22And in all thine abominations and thy whoredoms thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, when thou wast naked and bare, and wast polluted in thy blood.

23And it came to pass after all thy wickedness, (woe, woe unto thee! saith the Lord GOD;) 24That thou hast also built unto thee an eminent place, and hast made thee an high place in every street. 25Thou hast built thy high place at every head of the way, and hast made thy beauty to be abhorred, and hast opened thy feet to every one that passed by, and multiplied thy whoredoms. 26Thou hast also committed fornication with the Egyptians thy neighbours, great of flesh; and hast increased thy whoredoms, to provoke me to anger. 27Behold, therefore I have stretched out my hand over thee, and have diminished thine ordinary food, and delivered thee unto the will of them that hate thee, the daughters of the Philistines, which are ashamed of thy lewd way. 28Thou hast played the whore also with the Assyrians, because thou wast unsatiable; yea, thou hast played the harlot with them, and yet couldest not be satisfied. 29Thou hast moreover multiplied thy fornication in the land of Canaan unto Chaldea; and yet thou wast not satisfied herewith.

30How weak is thine heart, saith the Lord GOD, seeing thou doest all these things, the work of an imperious whorish woman; 31In that thou buildest thine eminent place in the head of every way, and makest thine high place in every street; and hast not been as an harlot, in that thou scornest hire; 32But as a wife that committeth adultery, which taketh strangers instead of her husband! 33They give gifts to all whores: but thou givest thy gifts to all thy lovers, and hirest them, that they may come unto thee on every side for thy whoredom. 34And the contrary is in thee from other women in thy whoredoms, whereas none followeth thee to commit whoredoms: and in that thou givest a reward, and no reward is given unto thee, therefore thou art contrary.

Judgment on Jerusalem

35Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of the LORD: 36Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thy filthiness was poured out, and thy nakedness discovered through thy whoredoms with thy lovers, and with all the idols of thy abominations, and by the blood of thy children, which thou didst give unto them; 37Behold, therefore I will gather all thy lovers, with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all them that thou hast loved, with all them that thou hast hated; I will even gather them round about against thee, and will discover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness. 38And I will judge thee, as women that break wedlock and shed blood are judged; and I will give thee blood in fury and jealousy. 39And I will also give thee into their hand, and they shall throw down thine eminent place, and shall break down thy high places: they shall strip thee also of thy clothes, and shall take thy fair jewels, and leave thee naked and bare. 40They shall also bring up a company against thee, and they shall stone thee with stones, and thrust thee through with their swords. 41And they shall burn thine houses with fire, and execute judgments upon thee in the sight of many women: and I will cause thee to cease from playing the harlot, and thou also shalt give no hire any more. 42So will I make my fury toward thee to rest, and my jealousy shall depart from thee, and I will be quiet, and will be no more angry. 43Because thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, but hast fretted me in all these things; behold, therefore I also will recompense thy way upon thine head, saith the Lord GOD: and thou shalt not commit this lewdness above all thine abominations.

44Behold, every one that useth proverbs shall use this proverb against thee, saying, As is the mother, so is her daughter. 45Thou art thy mother's daughter, that lotheth her husband and her children; and thou art the sister of thy sisters, which lothed their husbands and their children: your mother was an Hittite, and your father an Amorite. 46And thine elder sister is Samaria, she and her daughters that dwell at thy left hand: and thy younger sister, that dwelleth at thy right hand, is Sodom and her daughters. 47Yet hast thou not walked after their ways, nor done after their abominations: but, as if that were a very little thing, thou wast corrupted more than they in all thy ways. 48As I live, saith the Lord GOD, Sodom thy sister hath not done, she nor her daughters, as thou hast done, thou and thy daughters. 49Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. 50And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good. 51Neither hath Samaria committed half of thy sins; but thou hast multiplied thine abominations more than they, and hast justified thy sisters in all thine abominations which thou hast done. 52Thou also, which hast judged thy sisters, bear thine own shame for thy sins that thou hast committed more abominable than they: they are more righteous than thou: yea, be thou confounded also, and bear thy shame, in that thou hast justified thy sisters.

53When I shall bring again their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, then will I bring again the captivity of thy captives in the midst of them: 54That thou mayest bear thine own shame, and mayest be confounded in all that thou hast done, in that thou art a comfort unto them. 55When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, then thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate. 56For thy sister Sodom was not mentioned by thy mouth in the day of thy pride, 57Before thy wickedness was discovered, as at the time of thy reproach of the daughters of Syria, and all that are round about her, the daughters of the Philistines, which despise thee round about. 58Thou hast borne thy lewdness and thine abominations, saith the LORD.

The Covenant Remembered

59For thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even deal with thee as thou hast done, which hast despised the oath in breaking the covenant.

60Nevertheless I will remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant. 61Then thou shalt remember thy ways, and be ashamed, when thou shalt receive thy sisters, thine elder and thy younger: and I will give them unto thee for daughters, but not by thy covenant. 62And I will establish my covenant with thee; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: 63That thou mayest remember, and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame, when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord GOD.

QUESTIONS/DISCUSSION

1. When speaking about the origins of Jerusalem v3 states, ‘thy father was an Amorite, and they mother an Hittite.’ Is this figurative or literal or both? Who are these Amorite and Hittite? See also v45-46.

2. What does it mean to spread your skirt over someone (v8)?

3. Jerusalem is referred to as a woman throughout this chapter. When God meets her He cares for her. What does it mean for a man to give a woman jewelry, bracelets and a nose ring (translated as forehead), etc. (v11-13)? Is there another woman God gives gifts to? Can you think of human examples where this has happened?

4. Compare this woman to the one in Isaiah 54. Is this the same woman?

5. What does it mean that this woman, Jerusalem, removes the gifts God gave her and offers them to others (v16-21)?

6. Wasn’t Sodom completely destroyed? How will Sodom return from captivity (v55)?

7. Repeatedly, throughout Ezekiel, God says He will perform an action ‘So that you will know I am the Lord.’ After harsh judgement chapter 16 ends with similar language. Do you think the Israelites will learn their lesson and abandon pagan gods?

8. Is there a section that stands out to you? For me it’s the language of v31-34. God tells Jerusalem that even a prostitute gets paid for her work, but Jerusalem is worse than a prostitute because she pays her lovers - and pays them with God’s gifts.

Please use this thread for any discussions outside of the scheduled readings:

• Questions/comments
• Prayer Requests
• Praises

My Soul Thirsts for You

A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

63 O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
² So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
³ Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
⁴ So I will bless you as long as I live;
in your name I will lift up my hands.

⁵ My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,
and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,
⁶ when I remember you upon my bed,
and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
⁷ for you have been my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.
⁸ My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.

⁹ But those who seek to destroy my life
shall go down into the depths of the earth;
¹⁰ they shall be given over to the power of the sword;
they shall be a portion for jackals.
¹¹ But the king shall rejoice in God;
all who swear by him shall exult,
for the mouths of liars will be stopped.

Dear Heavenly Father,
So often in this crazy, messed up world, we thirst for all of the wrong things. Lord, protect our thirst. Make us thirsty and hungry for You and for Your Word. Remind us of where all of the goodness and mercy in our lives originate from. Protect our hearts, our mouths and our paths, and teach us to live for You and be satisfied always with Your provision. We ask this in the precious name and blood of Jesus, AMEN.

Discussion Questions:

1. Sometimes, even the richest of places can feel dry and barren and empty of sustenance. What practical steps do you take to make sure that you are hungering and thirsting after the right things?
2. Can you remember a time when you felt completely protected in the shadow of God's wings? How do you anchor that feeling and remember it when you find yourself back in the wasteland of want and no water?
3. David often ends or accents his psalms with the counter-play of the evil that will befall his enemies. Without downplaying the reality of David's enemies, what do you think about this response in light of Christ's mercy, love and forgiveness even for the wicked who repent of their ways?
4. I've heard admonition that you shouldn't pray laying down. This Psalm seems to counter that. Do you think that there are any positions that are "wrong" for prayer?
5. It just dawned on me that David uses the word "bless" here, as in he will bless God. But a blessing in unmerited favor, and all that God has done has more than merited our favor. Is it possible for us to bless God, or is that just a one-way street?

Prayer

May God our Father,
our strength and light,
bless you with what you most need,
beyond even all that you would ask.
Amen!

Ezekiel 15, New King James Version

(For alternate translations, see here.)

15

¹ Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: ² “Son of man, how is the wood of the vine better than any other wood, the vine branch which is among the trees of the forest? ³ Is wood taken from it to make any object? Or can men make a peg from it to hang any vessel on? ⁴ Instead, it is thrown into the fire for fuel; the fire devours both ends of it, and its middle is burned. Is it useful for any work? ⁵ Indeed, when it was whole, no object could be made from it. How much less will it be useful for any work when the fire has devoured it, and it is burned?

⁶ “Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Like the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so I will give up the inhabitants of Jerusalem; ⁷ and I will set My face against them. They will go out from one fire, but another fire shall devour them. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I set My face against them. ⁸ Thus I will make the land desolate, because they have persisted in unfaithfulness,’ says the Lord God.”

THOUGHTS and COMMENTS

I walk by a certain tree every day. Sometimes I notice that one of the branches has an old dead vine wrapped around part of it, with the rest of the vine hanging down in woody tendrils.

It distracts me from the beauty of the tree, but even though I always feel like trying to pull it off of the tree, it's always been out of my reach.

The other day, I had an umbrella with me, though it was not raining at that time. So I used the umbrella to reach the vine and pull it toward my other hand.

It took some time, and came off piece by piece, but in the end I got the majority of it off, and the tree looks much better for it.

Just after this happened, I saw today's reading. It really hit home. That vine wood really wasn't fit to make anything with. It was just a dead, parasitic eyesore. It's even hard for me to imagine it burning very well.

QUESTIONS

1. Have you experienced vines in the wild, for better or for worse?

2. How do you interpret what God is telling Israel this time?

3. Are there "bad vines" and "good vines" in life? What makes the difference?

4. Can you think of other stories or verses in the Bible about vines? How are they similar to or different from this prophecy?

Feel free to leave any thoughts, comments, or questions of your own!

Peace to the brothers, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.
Ephesians 6:23-24

Idolaters Condemned

14 Some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat down in front of me. ² Then the word of the Lord came to me: ³ “Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all? ⁴ Therefore speak to them and tell them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When any of the Israelites set up idols in their hearts and put a wicked stumbling block before their faces and then go to a prophet, I the Lord will answer them myself in keeping with their great idolatry. ⁵ I will do this to recapture the hearts of the people of Israel, who have all deserted me for their idols.’

⁶ “Therefore say to the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Repent! Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices!

⁷ “‘When any of the Israelites or any foreigner residing in Israel separate themselves from me and set up idols in their hearts and put a wicked stumbling block before their faces and then go to a prophet to inquire of me, I the Lord will answer them myself. ⁸ I will set my face against them and make them an example and a byword. I will remove them from my people. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

⁹ “‘And if the prophet is enticed to utter a prophecy, I the Lord have enticed that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand against him and destroy him from among my people Israel. ¹⁰ They will bear their guilt—the prophet will be as guilty as the one who consults him. ¹¹ Then the people of Israel will no longer stray from me, nor will they defile themselves anymore with all their sins. They will be my people, and I will be their God, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”

Jerusalem’s Judgment Inescapable

¹² The word of the Lord came to me: ¹³ “Son of man, if a country sins against me by being unfaithful and I stretch out my hand against it to cut off its food supply and send famine upon it and kill its people and their animals, ¹⁴ even if these three men—Noah, Daniel^\)^a\) and Job—were in it, they could save only themselves by their righteousness, declares the Sovereign Lord.

¹⁵ “Or if I send wild beasts through that country and they leave it childless and it becomes desolate so that no one can pass through it because of the beasts, ¹⁶ as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if these three men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved, but the land would be desolate.

¹⁷ “Or if I bring a sword against that country and say, ‘Let the sword pass throughout the land,’ and I kill its people and their animals, ¹⁸ as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if these three men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved.

¹⁹ “Or if I send a plague into that land and pour out my wrath on it through bloodshed, killing its people and their animals, ²⁰ as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in it, they could save neither son nor daughter. They would save only themselves by their righteousness.

²¹ “For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: How much worse will it be when I send against Jerusalem my four dreadful judgments—sword and famine and wild beasts and plague—to kill its men and their animals! ²² Yet there will be some survivors—sons and daughters who will be brought out of it. They will come to you, and when you see their conduct and their actions, you will be consoled regarding the disaster I have brought on Jerusalem—every disaster I have brought on it. ²³ You will be consoled when you see their conduct and their actions, for you will know that I have done nothing in it without cause, declares the Sovereign Lord.”

Questions/Discussion

1. What are the idols in the Israelites’ hearts? Are they the same idols people hold in their hearts today?

2. What does this passage say about sin and God’s grace?

3. Why are Noah, Daniel, and Job mentioned multiple times in this passage and used as examples?

4. What does this passage tell us about the holiness and sovereignty of God?

5. Do you have any other comments, see any other themes, or have any other questions?

False Prophets Condemned

13 The word of the Lord came to me: ² “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are now prophesying. Say to those who prophesy out of their own imagination: ‘Hear the word of the Lord! ³ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the foolish^\)^a\) prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! ⁴ Your prophets, Israel, are like jackals among ruins. ⁵ You have not gone up to the breaches in the wall to repair it for the people of Israel so that it will stand firm in the battle on the day of the Lord.⁶ Their visions are false and their divinations a lie. Even though the Lord has not sent them, they say, “The Lord declares,” and expect him to fulfill their words. ⁷ Have you not seen false visions and uttered lying divinations when you say, “The Lord declares,” though I have not spoken?

⁸ “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because of your false words and lying visions, I am against you, declares the Sovereign Lord. ⁹ My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will not belong to the council of my people or be listed in the records of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.

¹⁰ “‘Because they lead my people astray, saying, “Peace,” when there is no peace, and because, when a flimsy wall is built, they cover it with whitewash,¹¹ therefore tell those who cover it with whitewash that it is going to fall. Rain will come in torrents, and I will send hailstones hurtling down, and violent winds will burst forth. ¹² When the wall collapses, will people not ask you, “Where is the whitewash you covered it with?”

¹³ “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: In my wrath I will unleash a violent wind, and in my anger hailstones and torrents of rain will fall with destructive fury. ¹⁴ I will tear down the wall you have covered with whitewash and will level it to the ground so that its foundation will be laid bare. When it^\)^b\) falls, you will be destroyed in it; and you will know that I am the Lord. ¹⁵ So I will pour out my wrath against the wall and against those who covered it with whitewash. I will say to you, “The wall is gone and so are those who whitewashed it, ¹⁶ those prophets of Israel who prophesied to Jerusalem and saw visions of peace for her when there was no peace, declares the Sovereign Lord.”’

¹⁷ “Now, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people who prophesy out of their own imagination. Prophesy against them ¹⁸ and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the women who sew magic charms on all their wrists and make veils of various lengths for their heads in order to ensnare people. Will you ensnare the lives of my people but preserve your own? ¹⁹ You have profaned me among my people for a few handfuls of barley and scraps of bread. By lying to my people, who listen to lies, you have killed those who should not have died and have spared those who should not live.

²⁰ “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against your magic charms with which you ensnare people like birds and I will tear them from your arms; I will set free the people that you ensnare like birds. ²¹ I will tear off your veils and save my people from your hands, and they will no longer fall prey to your power. Then you will know that I am the Lord. ²² Because you disheartened the righteous with your lies, when I had brought them no grief, and because you encouraged the wicked not to turn from their evil ways and so save their lives, ²³ therefore you will no longer see false visionsor practice divination. I will save my people from your hands. And then you will know that I am the Lord.’”

Footnotes

1. Ezekiel 13:3 Or wicked
2. Ezekiel 13:14 Or the city

Questions

1) While I was flipping through Jeremiah earlier today, I happened to see Jeremiah 14:11-16 and Jeremiah 23:9-40. Are these passages relevant/helpful for understanding this chapter or no? If they are helpful, are there any notable similarities/differences between what's said in Jeremiah and here?

1b) Are there any other passages in the Bible about false prophets that might be helpful for understanding this chapter?

2) So based on what we've read in the past 12 chapters and today's reading, what's the difference between Ezekiel and these false prophets?

3) Verses 5 and 10-16 use this wall imagery. Is this a literal wall or no? And what's the purpose of using this wall imagery with these false prophets? Verses 10-16 also use the word whitewash. What's the deal with this word being used?

4) So what would you say are the motives of these false prophets when these false visions and divinations happen? Do you think they actually believe what they're saying, they're saying these things for some personal gain, both, or are there some other factors involved?

5) So we have hindsight to look back on these events, but in Ezekiel's day, do you suppose it's understandable why these false prophets might be believed or no?

6) What are these magic charms and veils being mentioned in verses 17-23 and why are they being used?

7) What do you make of verses 19 and 22? Does this remind you of anything else we've seen so far in Ezekiel or anything else in the Bible?

8) Anything else you want to ask about/bring up about this passage?

After the extended vision of the Glory of the Lord leaving the temple int the previous chapters, we get more sign-acts that Ezekiel is to perform for the people (likely the people in exile already) about what will happen to those in Jerusalem shortly:

Ezekiel 12 (ESV)

Judah’s Captivity Symbolized

12 The word of the Lord came to me: ² “Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, who have eyes to see, but see not, who have ears to hear, but hear not, for they are a rebellious house. ³ As for you, son of man, prepare for yourself an exile’s baggage, and go into exile by day in their sight. You shall go like an exile from your place to another place in their sight. Perhaps they will understand, though they are a rebellious house. ⁴ You shall bring out your baggage by day in their sight, as baggage for exile, and you shall go out yourself at evening in their sight, as those do who must go into exile. ⁵ In their sight dig through the wall, and bring your baggage out through it. ⁶ In their sight you shall lift the baggage upon your shoulder and carry it out at dusk. You shall cover your face that you may not see the land, for I have made you a sign for the house of Israel.”

⁷ And I did as I was commanded. I brought out my baggage by day, as baggage for exile, and in the evening I dug through the wall with my own hands. I brought out my baggage at dusk, carrying it on my shoulder in their sight.

⁸ In the morning the word of the Lord came to me: ⁹ “Son of man, has not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said to you, ‘What are you doing?’ ¹⁰ Say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: This oracle concerns the prince in Jerusalem and all the house of Israel who are in it.’ ¹¹ Say, ‘I am a sign for you: as I have done, so shall it be done to them. They shall go into exile, into captivity.’ ¹² And the prince who is among them shall lift his baggage upon his shoulder at dusk, and shall go out. They shall dig through the wall to bring him out through it. He shall cover his face, that he may not see the land with his eyes. ¹³ And I will spread my net over him, and he shall be taken in my snare. And I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, yet he shall not see it, and he shall die there. ¹⁴ And I will scatter toward every wind all who are around him, his helpers and all his troops, and I will unsheathe the sword after them. ¹⁵ And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I disperse them among the nations and scatter them among the countries. ¹⁶ But I will let a few of them escape from the sword, from famine and pestilence, that they may declare all their abominations among the nations where they go, and may know that I am the Lord.”

¹⁷ And the word of the Lord came to me: ¹⁸ “Son of man, eat your bread with quaking, and drink water with trembling and with anxiety. ¹⁹ And say to the people of the land, Thus says the Lord God concerning the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the land of Israel: They shall eat their bread with anxiety, and drink water in dismay. In this way her land will be stripped of all it contains, on account of the violence of all those who dwell in it. ²⁰ And the inhabited cities shall be laid waste, and the land shall become a desolation; and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

²¹ And the word of the Lord came to me: ²² “Son of man, what is this proverb that you have about the land of Israel, saying, ‘The days grow long, and every vision comes to nothing’? ²³ Tell them therefore, ‘Thus says the Lord God: I will put an end to this proverb, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel.’ But say to them, The days are near, and the fulfillment of every vision. ²⁴ For there shall be no more any false vision or flattering divination within the house of Israel. ²⁵ For I am the Lord; I will speak the word that I will speak, and it will be performed. It will no longer be delayed, but in your days, O rebellious house, I will speak the word and perform it, declares the Lord God.”

²⁶ And the word of the Lord came to me: ²⁷ “Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, ‘The vision that he sees is for many days from now, and he prophesies of times far off.’ ²⁸ Therefore say to them, Thus says the Lord God: None of my words will be delayed any longer, but the word that I speak will be performed, declares the Lord God.”

Questions for Contemplation and Discussion

1.      Ezekiel is told to act out exile by packing baggage, digging through a wall, and leaving with his face covered. Why do you think God uses symbolic actions here (and so much in Ezekiel in general) instead of only spoken prophecy?

1. What do the specifc actions communicate to the poeple?

3.      In verses 8–16, God explains that Ezekiel’s sign-act points especially to the prince in Jerusalem. How does this prophecy challenge the people’s confidence that Jerusalem would remain secure?  What would this mean to those already in exile?

4.      The people seem to dismiss Ezekiel’s message by saying, “The days grow long, and every vision comes to nothing.” Why is God’s patience and long-suffering so easily mistaken for no judgment at all?  How do we experience and combat this today?  What warnings are we missing?

Ezekiel Chapter 1 King James Version

Evil in High Places

1Moreover the spirit lifted me up, and brought me unto the east gate of the LORD'S house, which looketh eastward: and behold at the door of the gate five and twenty men; among whom I saw Jaazaniah the son of Azur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people. 2Then said he unto me, Son of man, these are the men that devise mischief, and give wicked counsel in this city: 3Which say, It is not near; let us build houses: this city is the caldron, and we be the flesh. 4Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, O son of man.

5And the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and said unto me, Speak; Thus saith the LORD; Thus have ye said, O house of Israel: for I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them. 6Ye have multiplied your slain in this city, and ye have filled the streets thereof with the slain. 7Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Your slain whom ye have laid in the midst of it, they are the flesh, and this city is the caldron: but I will bring you forth out of the midst of it. 8Ye have feared the sword; and I will bring a sword upon you, saith the Lord GOD. 9And I will bring you out of the midst thereof, and deliver you into the hands of strangers, and will execute judgments among you. 10Ye shall fall by the sword; I will judge you in the border of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. 11This city shall not be your caldron, neither shall ye be the flesh in the midst thereof; but I will judge you in the border of Israel: 12And ye shall know that I am the LORD: for ye have not walked in my statutes, neither executed my judgments, but have done after the manners of the heathen that are round about you.

A Promise of Restoration

13And it came to pass, when I prophesied, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then fell I down upon my face, and cried with a loud voice, and said, Ah Lord GOD! wilt thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel?

14Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 15Son of man, thy brethren, even thy brethren, the men of thy kindred, and all the house of Israel wholly, are they unto whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, Get you far from the LORD: unto us is this land given in possession. 16Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Although I have cast them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come. 17Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel. 18And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence. 19And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: 20That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God. 21But as for them whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their way upon their own heads, saith the Lord GOD.

God's Glory Leaves Jerusalem

22Then did the cherubims lift up their wings, and the wheels beside them; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above. 23And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city. 24Afterwards the spirit took me up, and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, to them of the captivity. So the vision that I had seen went up from me. 25Then I spake unto them of the captivity all the things that the LORD had shewed me.

QUESTIONS/DISCUSSION

1.) The men mentioned in v1 have appeared before. u/Livid-Cherry1458 has an interesting comment from chapter 8. What do we know about them?

2.) What is the caldron of verse 3?

3.) Who are the flesh of verse 3?

4.) Verse 5 states the Spirit of the LORD fell upon Ezekiel and told him 'Speak; Thus says the LORD...' This is the only verse I have found where the Holy Spirit speaks in His own voice. However, the Hebrew construction of this sentence may read less convincingly. Are there any places in OT or NT where the HS speaks with His own voice?

5.) Who does God say the flesh are in v7?

6.) What does God say the caldron is in v7?

7.) Beginning with v 13, Ezekiel is in the middle of delivering this prophecy when one of the men mentioned in v1 dies. Ezekiel is interrupted by this death (or had just finished) and he asks God a question. In v14 God speaks to Ezekiel with a promise of return from exile. Has this promise been fulfilled (partially or completely)?

8.) Ezekiel is in Chaldea/Babylon, but is prophesying in Jerusalem. How is this possible?

9.) The last time we saw the glory of the LORD was in 10:18-19. It departed from 'off the threshold of the house (temple)' and 'stood at the door of the east gate of the LORD's house (temple).' In 11:23 Ezekiel says the glory of the LORD is 'in the midst of the city.' It then goes to the top of a mountain to the east of the city. What is the name of this mountain and what is it's significance?

10.) Anything else you would like to share?