Ezekiel 20:21

The Bible says in Ezekiel 20:21-24, “Notwithstanding the children rebelled against me: they walked not in my statutes, neither kept my judgments to do them, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; they polluted my sabbaths: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the wilderness.[22] Nevertheless I withdrew mine hand, and wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be polluted in the sight of the heathen, in whose sight I brought them forth.[23] I lifted up mine hand unto them also in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the heathen, and disperse them through the countries;[24] Because they had not executed my judgments, but had despised my statutes, and had polluted my sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers' idols.” In the first part of verse 21 God says, “Notwithstanding the children rebelled against me.” He is referring back to the previous passage where God asked the children to turn to Him even though their parents had not. But, alas, the children threw away the invitation and the opportunity. Everyone in the world is given an opportunity to turn to Christ. It says about Jesus in John 1:9, “That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.”

What was the evidence that the children rebelled against the Lord? God said in verse 21, “they walked not in my statutes.” One of the reasons to stay in the Word of God is because it will show you where you are really at spiritually speaking. How does your life measure up to the Word? God has a standard of behavior that He presents in the Word of God. You know: thou shalt not lie, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not commit adultery. Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven.” Anyone who wants to do good and do the right thing will turn to the Lord Jesus. It is faith in Christ that saves, but the desire to do right is what motivates people to turn to the Lord. Unfortunately, there are many lies being told by the world and its system. The lies are attractive to the flesh. Do not go the wrong way…there may be many sins and many sorrows before you are given another chance to turn to Jesus.

God was going to punish the children with the hand of His judgment, but He did not. Once again He was merciful and patient. God said in verse 22, “Nevertheless I withdrew mine hand, and wrought for my name's sake.” As we know, even though God is exceedingly merciful and patient, God does eventually bring judgment. That is why He is reminding the people of Israel during the time of Ezekiel about their sinful past: the time for judgment has finally come.

The Bible says in Ezekiel 20:25-31, “Wherefore I gave them also statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby they should not live;[26] And I polluted them in their own gifts, in that they caused to pass through the fire all that openeth the womb, that I might make them desolate, to the end that they might know that I am the LORD.[27] Therefore, son of man, speak unto the house of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Yet in this your fathers have blasphemed me, in that they have committed a trespass against me.[28] For when I had brought them into the land, for the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to them, then they saw every high hill, and all the thick trees, and they offered there their sacrifices, and there they presented the provocation of their offering: there also they made their sweet savour, and poured out there their drink offerings.[29] Then I said unto them, What is the high place whereunto ye go? And the name thereof is called Bamah unto this day.[30] Wherefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Are ye polluted after the manner of your fathers? and commit ye whoredom after their abominations?[31] For when ye offer your gifts, when ye make your sons to pass through the fire, ye pollute yourselves with all your idols, even unto this day: and shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will not be inquired of by you.” Verse 25 is an interesting verse. We know that the children of Israel rejected the Word of God and accepted the false teachings of the false religions around them. But remember this: God is in control. God is in control of all things at all times. Nothing happens unless God allows it to happen, and we can even say that nothing happens unless God causes it to happen. It says in Romans 11:36, “For of him, and through him, and to him are all things: to whom be glory forever. Amen.”

In looking at these verses it seems that there are two main horrible sinful failures of the Israelites that are mentioned here. The first has to do with their involvement with false religion. God made it clear that He disapproves because the very first of the Ten Commandments God said, “That shalt have no other gods before me.” The Israelites had false religion all around them. And so it was going to be a challenge for them to stay away from false religion. How does false religion get to someone: by teachings. They teach. They have persuasive teachers. Sometimes they have friendly personalities. They have a lot of literature. How will you ever avoid being taken in by them? You must know the scriptures. You must know the truth that God has given to us in order to keep from falling into error. Many in the world today are held fast by the false teachings of false religions. It does not have to be that way. God gave us the truth in written form so that everyone can have access to the truth. Some of the false groups attempt to use the Bible. They take verses out of context. They do not have the Holy Spirit to be able to rightly interpret the verses. But if you know Jesus as your Savior, then you do have the Holy Spirit in you to enlighten you about the true teachings of God and Christ in the Bible.

But the children of Israel departed from the Lord and turned to false religion. When God said in verse 28, “then they saw every high hill, and all the thick trees, and they offered there their sacrifices,” he was talking about the sacrifices of their false religious observances. But they did not stop there. They sacrificed their children. Unthinkable are the things that people will do to themselves and to their own family members once they get involved in false religion. We see that with the extreme Islamists who torture and kill anyone who does not fall in line with them. It appears that freedom of religion is an important freedom after all. God gives that freedom. Hopefully, people will use their free choice and choose Jesus as their Savior before they go the way of destruction.

The Bible says in Ezekiel 20:32-38, “And that which cometh into your mind shall not be at all, that ye say, We will be as the heathen, as the families of the countries, to serve wood and stone.[33] As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you:[34] And I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out.[35] And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face.[36] Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord GOD.[37] And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant:[38] And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.” God gives a tremendous amount of freedom to human beings. But He is still God. God intervenes in the affairs of men whenever He wishes. God can overrule and override whatever men decide. That is one of the reasons why it is a good idea to pray. Prayer changes thigs because God answers prayer. In the case of the Israelites God changed things. God said to them in verse 32, “And that which cometh into your mind shall not be at all.” Of course, life was not meant to be lived separate from God. If you make plans and have hopes without seeking God’s help and God’s will, you are asking for a big letdown and worse. Christians are told in James 4:15, “If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.”

Notice in Ezekiel 20:32 how the Israelites responded to what God said to them. They said, “We will be as the heathen, as the families of the countries.” They used their free will and made their own decision: they rejected God and chose the way of the ungodly people around them. What a terrible mistake, and yet that error of judgment is made over and over in the lives of many people on this earth. Many young people are faced with this decision. The pull of the world around them can block them from choosing Jesus. You must be willing to be a leader instead of a follower. When you go with Jesus, you go away from the world.

It is interesting and important to notice that God does not give up on them even though they made such a terrible decision. The reason that God did not give up on Israel because God always keeps His promises, just like the promise of forgiveness and salvation for everyone who trusts in Jesus. God promised Abraham that God would make a great nation from the seed of Abraham, and that promise will be fulfilled no matter how much man fails. That promise will be fulfilled in the spiritual kingdom of Christ and in the national kingdom of Israel. The Israelites failed in every way, but God never fails, and so God said in Ezekiel 20:33, “I will rule over you.” And in verse 34, “And I will bring you out from the people.” In verse 35 God said to them, “I plead with you face to face.” In verse 37 God said, “I will bring you into the bond of the covenant.” In verse 38 God said, “I will purge out from among you the rebels.” And so we get the idea: Israel failed, and then God takes over. That is how grace through Christ works also. We failed by sinning, and so God does everything for us so that we can be saved by Jesus.

The Bible says in Ezekiel 20:39-44, “As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord GOD; Go ye, serve ye every one his idols, and hereafter also, if ye will not hearken unto me: but pollute ye my holy name no more with your gifts, and with your idols.[40] For in mine holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, there shall all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, serve me: there will I accept them, and there will I require your offerings, and the firstfruits of your oblations, with all your holy things.[41] I will accept you with your sweet savour, when I bring you out from the people, and gather you out of the countries wherein ye have been scattered; and I will be sanctified in you before the heathen.[42] And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to your fathers.[43] And there shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have been defiled; and ye shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that ye have committed.[44] And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have wrought with you for my name's sake, not according to your wicked ways, nor according to your corrupt doings, O ye house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.” Once again we see that God allowed the Children of Israel to make their own choice, even when they chose evil. God said to them in verse 39, “Go ye, serve ye every one his idols.” But God does not change His standards or His requirements. If they change their mind, they will have to leave their idols and come back to God. That is why God said in verse 40, “For in mine holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, there shall all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, serve me: there will I accept them.”

Looking to the future God said to the children of Israel in verse 41, “I bring you out from the people, and gather you out of the countries wherein ye have been scattered.” That event still has not happened fully. God will regather the Jewish people into the land that God has given them. And they will go through the Great Tribulation, and those who survive will all believe in Jesus at His Second Coming. As it says in Romans 11:26, “And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:” If you do not know Jesus as Savior, God is giving you a chance to be saved right now. Think about your own sins and how you need to be forgiven, and call upon the name of the Lord Jesus.

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