Ezekiel 14 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Ezekiel 14

Idolatrous Elders Condemned

14:1 Then certain of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me. 2 And the word of the LORD came to me: 3 “Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts, and set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces. Should I indeed let myself be consulted by them? 4 Therefore speak to them and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Any one of the house of Israel who takes his idols into his heart and sets the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and yet comes to the prophet, I the LORD will answer him as he comes with the multitude of his idols, 5 that I may lay hold of the hearts of the house of Israel, who are all estranged from me through their idols.

6 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: Repent and turn away from your idols, and turn away your faces from all your abominations. 7 For any one of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn in Israel, who separates himself from me, taking his idols into his heart and putting the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and yet comes to a prophet to consult me through him, I the LORD will answer him myself. 8 And I will set my face against that man; I will make him a sign and a byword and cut him off from the midst of my people, and you shall know that I am the LORD. 9 And if the prophet is deceived and speaks a word, I, the LORD, have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand against him and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel. 10 And they shall bear their punishment¹—the punishment of the prophet and the punishment of the inquirer shall be alike—11 that the house of Israel may no more go astray from me, nor defile themselves anymore with all their transgressions, but that they may be my people and I may be their God, declares the Lord GOD.”

Jerusalem Will Not Be Spared

12 And the word of the LORD came to me: 13 “Son of man, when a land sins against me by acting faithlessly, and I stretch out my hand against it and break its supply² of bread and send famine upon it, and cut off from it man and beast, 14 even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness, declares the Lord GOD.

15 “If I cause wild beasts to pass through the land, and they ravage it, and it be made desolate, so that no one may pass through because of the beasts, 16 even if these three men were in it, as I live, declares the Lord GOD, they would deliver neither sons nor daughters. They alone would be delivered, but the land would be desolate.

17 “Or if I bring a sword upon that land and say, Let a sword pass through the land, and I cut off from it man and beast, 18 though these three men were in it, as I live, declares the Lord GOD, they would deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they alone would be delivered.

19 “Or if I send a pestilence into that land and pour out my wrath upon it with blood, to cut off from it man and beast, 20 even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live, declares the Lord GOD, they would deliver neither son nor daughter. They would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness.

21 “For thus says the Lord GOD: How much more when I send upon Jerusalem my four disastrous acts of judgment, sword, famine, wild beasts, and pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast! 22 But behold, some survivors will be left in it, sons and daughters who will be brought out; behold, when they come out to you, and you see their ways and their deeds, you will be consoled for the disaster that I have brought upon Jerusalem, for all that I have brought upon it. 23 They will console you, when you see their ways and their deeds, and you shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, declares the Lord GOD.”

Footnotes

[1] 14:10 Or iniquity; three times in this verse
[2] 14:13 Hebrew staff

Commentary

v1: Why did the elders of Israel come to Ezekiel? Did they come to criticise him, to challenge his authority, or to question his message? King Zedekiah had earlier asked Jeremiah what the word from God was, Jer 21.1-2; 37.3; 38.14.

v2-3: Whatever their stated motives, God sees their hearts. The message is first to do with their hearts, that they set up "idols in their hearts." Thus, they stumble into iniquity; for what we worship affects how we live. In particular, idolatry cannot promote righteous living.

v4-5: Where any Israelite has set up idols in his heart, any prayer to the true God must be a pretence, or a last resort. The Lord will answer him directly, not through the prophet. He will deal with him in accordance with his idolatry; see Ps 18.25-26.

At the same time, and through such judgment, the Lord will recapture the hearts of His people.

v6: The only route is repentance, otherwise the threatened judgment would fall.

v7-8: "I the Lord will answer him," no mediator, but just judgment.

v9-11: The false prophet is destroyed with the idolater, the one who inquired, ie: the elders of Israel who came to Ezekiel. God would speak directly, and in judgment, to the false prophet.

There is no mediator for these people; their rebellion included an arrogant disrespect for God; How would they feel to deal directly with Him?

Yet, God also promised restoration; many would miss out, through unbelief.

v12-23: Compare Gen 18.22-23; God's justice and righteousness declared.

v13: Persistent unfaithfulness, as in 15.8; a serious indictment of the people of God. This section addresses a nation, rather than specific individuals.

v14: The Lord knows those who are His, and is able to deliver the righteous, Nah 1.7; 2 Tim 2.19; 2 Pet 2.9.

Three men named;

Noah, who found grace in the eyes of the Lord, Gen 6.8;
Job; there was none like him on the earth, Job 1.8;
Daniel, a man greatly loved, Dan 10.11.

Noah and Job were known as historical figures, and Daniel was a contemporary of Ezekiel, and of those to whom he spoke. All three were faithful in a godless environment, and maintained faith in God through their experiences.

v15-20: Famine, wild beasts, sword, and plague, the judgments God could send among His people. But each one would die for his own sins.

v21: Four severe judgments; God sent all four upon Jerusalem.

v22-23: The remnant, 12.16; they would realise that the various disasters were from God's hand, and their testimony would be a warning and a lesson to others.