The Gospel According to Ezekiel, Chapter 5-7:9

Recap: Ezekiel's Commission and the Model Siege

In chapters 2 through 4, we saw Ezekiel's commissioning on the foundation of God's glory from chapter 1. Ezekiel is not just giving prophecies; he is demonstrating them by acting them out so the Israelites can visually see the coming siege of Jerusalem. God commissioned him to make a model of Jerusalem and siege it himself, illustrating principles of its destruction.

The purpose of Jerusalem's destruction is God's judgment against Israel and Judah for sinning for 430 years—from David's establishment of Jerusalem as the capital until Babylon's conquest. Israel whored after the gods of other nations, including Assyria and the Canaanites. They did not abandon Yahweh worship but embraced other religions alongside it, establishing sanctuaries for idolatry throughout the kingdom. God uses Ezekiel in exile to demonstrate that Jerusalem and the temple—the primary center of both Yahweh worship and idolatry—will be taken away, with severe judgment coming, including famine recorded even in Babylonian literature.

The Emptiness of Sin and Fullness of God

Chapters 5 through 7 use severe language to teach two natures: the emptiness sin creates and the satisfying fullness of God. These express gospel principles: sin leaves you empty; it does not satisfy or fulfill like God can.

The gospel is a message about sin, God, the Lord Jesus Christ, and repentance and faith. You don't grasp the good news until you understand the bad news of sin. Ezekiel's graphic language shows how horrible sin is, making Christ's good news shine brighter. The destruction of Jerusalem reveals God's wrath as a dead-end road to ruin, misery, and death. Sin is that bad—it incurs God's wrath, displaying his justice and power, instilling fear in the elect of how intolerant he is of sin.

Ezekiel Chapter 5: Symbolic Judgment

Ezekiel 5:1-4 — "As for you, son of man, take a sharp sword, take and use it as a barber's razor on your head and beard, then take scales for weighing and divide the hair. One third you shall burn in the fire at the center of the city when the days of the siege are completed. Then you shall take one third and strike it with the sword all around the city, and one third you shall scatter to the wind; and I will unsheathe a sword behind them. Take also a few in number from them and bind them in the edges of your robes. Take again some of them and throw them into the fire and burn them in the fire; from it a fire will spread to all the house of Israel."

God commands Ezekiel to shave his head and beard with a sharp sword—a symbol of punishment and judgment. After 430 days sieging his model city (matching years of Israel's sin), he divides the hair: one third burned (famine/plague), one third struck by sword, one third scattered to the wind (with sword pursuing).

Ezekiel 5:5-7 — "Thus says the Lord God, 'This is Jerusalem; I have set her at the center of the nations, with lands around her. But she has rebelled against My ordinances more wickedly than the nations and against My statutes more than the lands which surrounded her; for they have rejected My ordinances and have not walked in My statutes.' Therefore, thus says the Lord God, 'Because you have more turmoil than the nations which surround you and have not walked in My statutes, nor observed My ordinances, nor even have observed the ordinances of the nations which surround you.'"

Jerusalem rebelled worse than surrounding nations—sinning knowingly as recipients of special revelation. They had God's law distinguishing them, pointing to salvation, yet rebelled into idolatry. Other nations lacked this revelation; sacrifices were for worshippers drawing near to God.

Romans 3:1-2 — "What advantage has the Jew, or what is the benefit of circumcision? Great in every respect. First of all, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God."

2 Peter 2:21-22 — "For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them. It has happened to them according to the true proverb, 'A dog returns to its own vomit,' and, 'A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.'"

They went from bad to worse, rejecting known truth—like fools repeating folly (Proverbs 26:11). Even surrounding nations had some righteousness Israel ignored.

Three groups in Ezekiel: those with some righteousness (not saving), the legitimately wicked, and the remnant (elect). Israel acted lawlessly despite revelation.

Hebrews 10:26 — "For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins."

Willful, high-handed sin after truth is apostasy, expecting judgment. Contrast self-willed sinning (knowing truth, rejecting for deliberate sin) with sin-willed sinning (Romans 7:15-17—hating one's sin, agreeing with the law). True sanctification grows hatred of sin, mortifying it, crying for deliverance (Romans 7-8:1). Paul called himself chief of sinners at life's end, repulsed by sin's vileness.

Ezekiel 5:9-10 — "Because of all your abominations I will do among you what I have not done, and the like of which I will never do again. Therefore, fathers will eat their sons among you, and sons will eat their fathers; for I will execute judgments on you and scatter your remnant to every wind."

God introduces the remnant—those spared, like "the rest of mankind" (Acts 15:17 quoting Amos 9:12), Old Testament elect. Yet cannibalism comes (Lamentations 4:10). Sin's rejection of God warrants this; he lifts restraint, letting sin devour (Romans 1). It should repulse us.

One third die by plague/famine, one third by sword, one third scattered (symbolized by hair). God's wrath must be satisfied—unlike capricious gods; his justice demands it, leading to "you will know that I the Lord have spoken."

Understanding wrath magnifies grace: Christ bore it for believers, satisfying God's justice so we escape eternal wrath. Grace is unmerited favor—we deserve this, yet God chose some through Christ's blood.

Ezekiel Chapter 6: Judgment on Idolatry

Ezekiel 6:3-7 — "Son of man, set your face toward the mountains of Israel and prophesy against them, and say, 'Mountains of Israel, listen to the word of the Lord God! Thus says the Lord God to the mountains, the hills, the ravines and the valleys: "Behold, I Myself am going to bring a sword on you, and I will destroy your high places. So your altars will become desolate and your incense altars will be smashed; and I will make your slain fall in front of your idols. I will also lay the dead bodies of the sons of Israel in front of their idols; and I will scatter your bones around your altars."'"

High places—local sanctuaries purged by Josiah but resumed post-reform—will be destroyed, idols smashed, bones scattered (echoing Josiah). Idols prove powerless.

Idolatry isn't just statues. In Septuagint Greek, "idol" means phenomenon—something pleasing senses/mind. Idolatry worships earthly pleasures.

Colossians 3:2,5 — "Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth... Put to death... immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry."

Greed (lust for more) is idolatry—pursuing sensual/mental pleasures. Gifts like marriage/work can idolize. Litmus test: What would you rather die than lose, besides Christ?

1 Corinthians 10:13-14 — "No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful... Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry."

Temptations are idolatrous; flee by God's faithfulness. Idol works blot out; only Christ's remain.

God leaves a remnant who escape, remember him in exile, loathe their sin. Judgment creates self-loathing. "You will know that I am the Lord" repeats—central purpose: know God as he reveals himself, sovereign, holy. This is embracing a Christian worldview: God-centered reality defining purpose, duty, obedience.

The phrase appears 63 times in Ezekiel—reason for existence. Valuing anything over God is idolatry.

Ezekiel Chapter 7: The End Has Come

Ezekiel 7:1-4 — "Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me saying, 'And you, son of man, thus says the Lord God to the land of Israel, "An end! The end is coming on the four corners of the land. Now the end is upon you, and I will send My anger against you; I will judge you according to your ways and bring all your abominations upon you. For My eye will have no pity on you, nor will I spare you, but I will bring your ways upon you, and your abominations will be among you. Then you will know that I am the Lord."'"

Chapter 7 is an apocalyptic poem in three stanzas. God's self-restraint ends after 430 years. Today is salvation's day (Hebrews 3-4); patience ends (2 Peter 3:9-10). Hasten Christ's return by holy living, repentance. For unbelievers, urgency: God's tolerance ends—embrace gospel now.

Ezekiel 7:5-9 — "Thus says the Lord God, 'Disaster, a unique disaster, behold it is coming! An end is coming; the end has come! It has awakened against you; behold, it has come! Your doom has come to you, O inhabitant of the land; the time has come, the day is near—panic rather than joyful shouting upon the mountains. Now I will shortly pour out My wrath on you and spend My anger against you, judge you according to your ways and bring on you all your abominations. My eye will show no pity nor will I spare. I will repay you according to your ways, while your abominations are in your midst; then you will know that I the Lord do the smiting.'"

God strikes—not natural disaster or Babylon alone, but divine judgment. Only Christ deals with sin bringing wrath; faith in him preserves the soul amid sin's empty "high life" turning to misery. True satisfaction is in Christ alone. ```