Ezekiel # 12

C. Paul Willis

Ezekiel # 12

Weeping over Jerusalem

Ezekiel 19:1 - 2 ¹“Moreover take up a lamentation for the princes of Israel, ²and say: ‘What is your mother? A lioness: She lay down among the lions; Among the young lions she nourished her cubs.

The word “lamentation” means to grieve. While Ezekiel is told to grieve for the princes of Israel it is God who is grieving. This is the same one who as Emanuel will grieve and weep over Jerusalem.

Matthew 23:37 - 39 ³⁷“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! ³⁸See! Your house is left to you desolate; ³⁹for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’

The Lioness is the tribe of Judah. She took her place with majesty and security among the nations of the world. The symbol of Great Britain is the lion because as a nation it is claimed that the kings or queens of England are crowned seated upon the scone of Jacob, the stone that Jacob rested his head upon when he had a vision of a ladder reaching to heaven and angels ascending and descending upon it. If Great Britain is the lion then her cubs would be the United States, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. More than likely the whelps are the decedents of the house of David who were corrupted by the surrounding heathen kings.

Genesis 49:9 - 10 ⁹ Judah is a lion’s whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him? ¹⁰ The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.

Numbers 23:22 - 24 ²² God brings them out of Egypt; He has strength like a wild ox. ²³ “For there is no sorcery against Jacob, Nor any divination against Israel. It now must be said of Jacob And of Israel, ‘Oh, what God has done!’ ²⁴ Look, a people rises like a lioness, And lifts itself up like a lion; It shall not lie down until it devours the prey, And drinks the blood of the slain.”

The first lion whelp from Ezekiel’s viewpoint would have been king Jehoahaz. He was made king after the death of his father, good king Josiah.

2 Kings 23:28 - 30 ²⁸Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? ²⁹In his days Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt went to the aid of the king of Assyria, to the River Euphrates; and King Josiah went against him. And Pharaoh Necho killed him at Megiddo when he confronted him. ³⁰Then his servants moved his body in a chariot from Megiddo, brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own tomb. And the people of the land took Jehoahaz (Shallum) the son of Josiah, anointed him, and made him king in his father’s place. Jehoahaz was taken captive into Egypt and Jehoikim took his place.

Ezekiel 19:3 - 4 ³ She brought up one of her cubs, And he became a young lion; He learned to catch prey, And he devoured men. ⁴ The nations also heard of him; He was trapped in their pit, And they brought him with chains to the land of Egypt.

The people hoped Jehoahaz would be brought back from Egypt but they waited in vain.

Jeremiah 22:10 - 12 ¹⁰ Weep not for the dead, nor bemoan him; Weep bitterly for him who goes away, For he shall return no more, Nor see his native country. ¹¹For thus says the Lord concerning Shallum^£ the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who reigned instead of Josiah his father, who went from this place: “He shall not return here anymore, ¹²but he shall die in the place where they have led him captive, and shall see this land no more.

Jehoahaz was replaced by Jehoiakim but his judgment was not dynamic. Jehoiachim succeeded Jehoiakim but used the same manner of evil rule as Jehoahaz and was taken captive to Babylon.

2 Kings 24:8 - 12 ⁸Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother’s name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. ⁹And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father had done. ¹⁰At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. ¹¹And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, as his servants were besieging it. ¹²Then Jehoiachin king of Judah, his mother, his servants, his princes, and his officers went out to the king of Babylon; and the king of Babylon, in the eighth year of his reign, took him prisoner.

Ezekiel 19:5 - 9 ⁵ ‘When she saw that she waited, that her hope was lost, She took another of her cubs and made him a young lion. ⁶ He roved among the lions, And became a young lion; He learned to catch prey; He devoured men. ^{7 £}He knew their desolate places, And laid waste their cities; The land with its fullness was desolated By the noise of his roaring. ⁸ Then the nations set against him from the provinces on every side, And spread their net over him; He was trapped in their pit. ⁹ They put him in a cage with chains, And brought him to the king of Babylon; They brought him in nets, That his voice should no longer be heard on the mountains of Israel.

The Babylonians were especially cruel in their treatment of the Jews. A hook was placed in the nose of Jehoiachin and he was placed in a cage (Isa 37:29) and kept in prison for thirty-seven years.

Jeremiah 52:31 - 34 ³¹Now it came to pass in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth day of the month, that ^£Evil-Merodach king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison. ³²And he spoke kindly to him and gave him a more prominent seat than those of the kings who were with him in Babylon. ³³So Jehoiachin changed from his prison garments, and he ate bread regularly before the king all the days of his life. ³⁴And as for his provisions, there was a regular ration given him by the king of Babylon, a portion for each day until the day of his death, all the days of his life.

Ezekiel 19:10 - 14 ¹⁰ ‘Your mother was like a vine in your ^£bloodline, Planted by the waters, Fruitful and full of branches Because of many waters. ¹¹ She had strong branches for scepters of rulers. She towered in stature above the thick branches, And was seen in her height amid the dense foliage. ¹² But she was plucked up in fury, She was cast down to the ground, And the east wind dried her fruit. Her strong branches were broken and withered; The fire consumed them. ¹³ And now she is planted in the wilderness, In a dry and thirsty land. ¹⁴ Fire has come out from a rod of her branches And devoured her fruit, So that she has no strong branch—a scepter for ruling.’” This is a lamentation, and has become a lamentation.

Judah had been like a fruitful vine and the Davidic line or rulers had been strong which made her blessed by God but she had brought forth unrighteous rulers and was judged by God. Nebuchadnezzar, the east wind, had come and consumed the evil rulers and moved the people of Judah to Babylon. Now she would have no king (scepter for ruling) and would not have one until the kingdom of God. To Ezekiel and to God this was a time of weeping until the scepter would return.

Review of Israel’s History of Sins; future judgment and restoration:

Ezekiel 20:1 - 4 ¹It came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord, and sat before me. ²Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ³“Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Have you come to inquire of Me? As I live,” says the Lord GOD, “I will not be inquired of by you.”’ ⁴Will you judge them, son of man, will you judge them? Then make known to them the abominations of their fathers.

The leaders of Israel in exile are beginning to turn to Ezekiel. They are beginning to understand that the others are false prophets but they see that Ezekiel’ prophecies are beginning to be fulfilled. It is about 590BC. And the fall of Jerusalem is close. Ezekiel declares that he does not have to give them his word for he has the Word of God. God asks the prophet if he will declare the word of Judgment that they might understand what is and is going to happen to Jerusalem. The word of God is going to remind them of their history with Him from the very beginning.

Ezekiel 20:5 - 9 ⁵“Say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “On the day when I chose Israel and raised My hand in an oath to the descendants of the house of Jacob, and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt, I raised My hand in an oath to them, saying, ‘I am the Lord your God.’ ⁶On that day I raised My hand in an oath to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, ‘flowing with milk and honey,’ the glory of all lands. ⁷Then I said to them, ‘Each of you, throw away the abominations which are before his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’ ⁸But they rebelled against Me and would not obey Me. They did not all cast away the abominations which were before their eyes, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I said, ‘I will pour out My fury on them and fulfill My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.’ ⁹But I acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned before the Gentiles among whom they were, in whose sight I had made Myself known to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt.

God reminds them how he brought them out of the land of Egypt and delivered them out of slavery. But, because of their idolatry He could not take them into the land of promise but into a wilderness. He reminds them of the judgments on Egypt through the plagues. The Exodus was the defining moment with the nation of Israel and God reminds them of His deliverance. The defining moment for the Christian is the cross. When we remember what He bore for us can we willfully continue in sin? As, the Apostle Paul expressed it, “God Forbid” but Israel, even after the Exodus continued in Idolatry.

Ezekiel 20:10 - 17 ¹⁰“Therefore I made them go out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness. ¹¹And I gave them My statutes and showed them My judgments, ‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them.’^{£ 12}Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them. ¹³Yet the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness; they did not walk in My statutes; they despised My judgments, ‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them’;^£ and they greatly defiled My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My fury on them in the wilderness, to consume them. ¹⁴But I acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned before the Gentiles, in whose sight I had brought them out. ¹⁵So I also raised My hand in an oath to them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, ‘flowing with milk and honey,’^£ the glory of all lands, ¹⁶because they despised My judgments and did not walk in My statutes, but profaned My Sabbaths; for their heart went after their idols. ¹⁷Nevertheless My eye spared them from destruction. I did not make an end of them in the wilderness.

God gave them the Ten Commandments; He gave them the covenant of the Sabbaths and they as a nation agreed to walk by His laws but then they went against their word and Him. He pledged to Himself that he world not bring them out but let them die in the wilderness but He did not make and end of the nation and allowed their children to pass over Jordan.

Ezekiel 20:18 - 26 ¹⁸“But I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, nor observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols. ¹⁹I am the Lord your God: Walk in My statutes, keep My judgments, and do them; ²⁰hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God.’ ²¹“Notwithstanding, the children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes, and were not careful to observe My judgments, ‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them’;^£ but they profaned My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My fury on them and fulfill My anger against them in the wilderness. ²²Nevertheless I withdrew My hand and acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the Gentiles, in whose sight I had brought them out. ²³Also I raised My hand in an oath to those in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the Gentiles and disperse them throughout the countries, ²⁴because they had not executed My judgments, but had despised My statutes, profaned My Sabbaths, and their eyes were fixed on their fathers’ idols. ²⁵“Therefore I also gave them up to statutes that were not good, and judgments by which they could not live; ²⁶and I pronounced them unclean because of their ritual gifts, in that they caused all their firstborn to pass through the fire, that I might make them desolate and that they might know that I am the Lord.”’

Israel continued to sin by idolatry even after God had brought them into the promise so He gave them up to their own sin and let them judge themselves. They killed their own firstborn in Idol worship and accepted the practices of the heathen so they were scattered among the heathen. This parallels the Apostle Paul:

2 Corinthians 2:15 - 17 ¹⁵For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. ¹⁶To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things? ¹⁷For we are not, as ^£so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.

When God gave Israel His word and they rejected it He gave them over to their own way for their self destruction. It is true today for those who hear the Gospel and reject it. It become the smell of eternal death because they can never go before God and say “I never heard.” Considering this condemnation one would think God was through – fed up!

Ezekiel 20:33 - 38 ³³“As I live,” says the Lord GOD, “surely with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out, I will rule over you. ³⁴I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out. ³⁵And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will plead My case with you face to face. ³⁶Just as I pleaded My case with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will plead My case with you,” says the Lord GOD. ³⁷“I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant; ³⁸I will purge the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the country where they dwell, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

God is not through with Israel. He will bring Israel back into the land, He will rebuild Jerusalem, the Jews will return from where they have been scattered. I happened in 1948 and is continuing. There will be a spiritual renewal because God will not only bring the back but He will bring them into covenant. He will hold back those Jews who will not worship Him and purge the nation.

Ezekiel 20:45 - 49 ⁴⁵Furthermore the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ⁴⁶“Son of man, set your face toward the south; preach against the south and prophesy against the forest land, the ^£South, ⁴⁷and say to the forest of the South, ‘Hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I will kindle a fire in you, and it shall devour every green tree and every dry tree in you; the blazing flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be scorched by it. ⁴⁸All flesh shall see that I, the Lord, have kindled it; it shall not be quenched.”’” ⁴⁹Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! They say of me, ‘Does he not speak parables?’”

They will say that the prophet is speaking in parables because they will not understand what he has just said about prophesying against the South. Some Bible commentators say Ezekiel is speaking about Nebuchadnezzar coming from the south to destroy Jerusalem. Others say the prophet is speaking about the desert area south of Israel that has become barren. No wonder the prophet says, “They will say of me does he not speak parables?” Since the “bringing back” of Israel was not in the prophet’s day but did not start till 1948, is it not possible that he is also here projecting something from the future? Might the prophet be speaking about far south of Israel – say Babylon? A war of such magnitude that it will go from Babylon to Israel” I see the blazing oil wells and tremendous explosions of the war in Kuwait or the war for Baghdad, or an even grater war and fire that will scorch the middle east!