Rebels Under Judgment

Rebels Under Judgment

No one wanted to hear from God.

TWICE, King Nebuchadnezzar had deported Jews to Babylon. Ezekiel, a priest, had been part of the second deportation in 597 B.C. In Babylon he had prophesied that God would send Nebuchadnezzar one more time to destroy Jerusalem completely because of the sins and apostasy of the Jewish people. God even informed them of the day the siege began (Ezekiel 24:1-14).

Then on January 8, 585 B.C., a man who had escaped from Jerusalem came to Ezekiel in Babylon and told him, “The city is fallen.” This news meant that more exiles were on the way.

Ezekiel then received a message from the Lord. The first part dealt with the Jews who had not been taken captive to Babylon and were living in the ruined cities of Judah. These people reasoned among themselves that if Abraham, a single person, had gained possession of the entire land of Israel, then they who were many people certainly deserved the whole land as their possession. God’s message to them was this:

You eat meat with blood in it, you worship idols, and you murder the innocent. Do you really think the land should be yours? Murderers! Idolaters! Adulterers! Should the land belong to you? . . .

As surely as I live, those living in the ruins will die by the sword. Those living in the open fields will be eaten by wild animals. Those hiding in the forts and caves will die of disease. I will destroy the land and demolish her pride. Her arrogant power will come to an end. The mountains of Israel will be so ruined that no one will even travel through them. When I have ruined the land because of their disgusting sins, then they will know that I am the Lord. (Ezekiel 33:25-29)

The second part of the message dealt with the people in captivity in Babylon with Ezekiel. Regarding them, God said to Ezekiel:

Son of man, your people are whispering behind your back. They talk about you in their houses and whisper about you at the doors, saying, “Come on, let’s have some fun! Let’s go hear the prophet tell us what the Lord is saying!” So they come pretending to be sincere and sit before you listening. But they have no intention of doing what I tell them. They express love with their mouths, but their hearts seek only after money. You are very entertaining to them, like someone who sings love songs with a beautiful voice or plays fine music on an instrument. They hear what you say, but they don’t do it! But when all these terrible things happen to them—as they certainly will—then they will know a prophet has been among them. (Ezekiel 33:30-33)

When God had originally called Ezekiel, he had warned him that the Jewish people of his day were rebellious, hard-hearted, and stubborn, but that Ezekiel should give God’s message to them whether they listened or not (Ezekiel 2:3-5). Ezekiel was now experiencing the reality of what God had warned him about, for no one was listening!

Reflection

Why do you think the Jews of Ezekiel’s day were so blatant in their disobedience to God’s commandments? Why do you think the exiles in Babylon did not take seriously God’s messages through the prophet Ezekiel? Can you think of situations in our world today that parallel those of Ezekiel’s day? What lessons can we learn for ourselves?

The Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation that will produce the proper fruit.

Matthew 21:43