The Gospel According to Ezekiel, Chapter 22

The Bloody City and Its Abominations

As we continue through the book of Ezekiel, chapter 22 gains momentum in proclaiming the gospel. We've seen God's grace in sparing his remnant amid judgment on Jerusalem and Judah. Now, explicit declarations emerge as God preaches the gospel through Ezekiel.

Chapter 22 emphasizes God's judgment and intolerance of sin. God has had enough of his people's sin, bringing judgment while painting pictures that encourage focus on the gospel. These horrors of sin are not distant—they resurface throughout history, even today.

Against this backdrop of judgment, the gospel shines irresistibly beautiful, soul-satisfying, and desirable. For those without it, God presses you toward it in loving shepherd-like care. For those who have it, love and affection for God surge as he provides escape from sin's ruin and God's wrath.

The specific presentation here reveals why the right man standing in the gap is essential. A gap exists between God and his people, requiring the right person to stand in it to avoid sin's misery and God's judgment.

Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, “Son of man, will you judge, will you judge the bloody city? Then cause her to know all her abominations. You shall say, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “A city shedding blood in her midst so that her time will come, and that makes idols contrary to her interest, for defilement.”’” (Ezekiel 22:1-4a)

God commands Ezekiel to judge this city, revealing its abominations. Idolatry here involves imagining defiling thoughts, reducing all sins to sinful imaginations defiling the people. Ezekiel prophesies judgment on these abominations.

Behold, the rulers of Israel, each according to his power, have been in you for the purpose of shedding blood. They have treated father and mother lightly in you; the alien they have oppressed in your midst; the fatherless and the widow they have wronged in you. You have despised My holy things and profaned My Sabbaths. Slanderous men have been in you for the purpose of shedding blood, and in you they have eaten at the mountain shrines. In your midst they have committed acts of lewdness. In you they have uncovered their fathers’ nakedness; in you they have humbled her who was unclean in her menstrual impurity. One has committed abomination with his neighbor’s wife and another has lewdly defiled his daughter-in-law; and another in you has humbled his sister, his father’s daughter. In you they have taken bribes to shed blood; you have taken interest and profits, and you have injured your neighbors for gain by oppression, and you have forgotten Me,” declares the Lord God. (Ezekiel 22:6-12)

The Sins of Extortion and Idolatry

The city is treated as a unit guilty of abominations. Sins boil down to extortion: rulers and slanderers taking advantage of others. It starts with imagination—idolatry in the mind, setting up self as god. This reduces people to objects for sinful pleasure, stripping their inherent value.

Leaders shed blood, possibly through child sacrifice or murder for pleasure. Slanderers ruin reputations to exalt themselves. This is the worst society: the opposite of God's love, which gives. Sinful "love" takes.

Imagine marriages where spouses take rather than give—eternal battle and extortion. No true friendship survives constant taking. Nobody invites thieves who steal silverware, toys, purity, lives, or reputations.

Idolatry isn't peaceful or contained; inward desires manifest outwardly, often by taking from others. This connects to safeguards in God's people: remove extortioners and revilers (slanderers) from the community. The New Testament commands this, not just for sexual sin but all such harms—bitterness defiles many.

These sins originate in thoughts, seemingly harmless but overtaking lives. Think fornication long enough, and you'll act on it with those closest. Jesus equates hateful thoughts with murder; they emerge as harmful words or deeds. Slander defames brothers to discredit them.

God judges private sin, moving to justice.

Israel as Dross: Worthless Lives

“Then I said, ‘They are defiled; they are all bronze and tin, iron and lead in the furnace—they are the dross of silver.’ Therefore, thus says the Lord God, ‘Because all of you have become dross, therefore, behold, I am going to gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. As they gather silver and bronze and iron and lead and tin into the furnace to blow fire on it in order to melt it, so I will gather you in My anger and in My wrath and I will lay you there and melt you. I will gather you and blow on you in the fire of My wrath. Thus you will be melted in the midst of it; as silver is melted in the furnace, so you will be melted in the midst of it; and you will know that I, the Lord, have poured out My wrath on you.’” (Ezekiel 22:18-22)

Refining removes dross—impurities floating to the top. Here, God intensifies the fire to consume everything. Israel, except the remnant, has become worthless dross—not just their sin, but the people themselves.

This offends: persistent sinners become worthless people (echoing Romans 3). Sin ruins now and leads to judgment. Pursuing sin creates worthless lives—vain, subpar existence.

Modern debates like LGBT "equality" seek worthless versions of marriage or relationships. Jesus offers abundant, transcendent life (John 10:10; Ephesians 3:20). Christianity provides the true civil rights: better marriages, relationships, and experiencing God as defender, shepherd, savior.

Worthless living now leads to worthlessness in judgment—like tares burned while wheat is gathered (Matthew 13). Redeemed lives yield transcendent horizontal relationships, but most importantly, vertical peace with God.

Lives without God are inevitably worthless.