Ezekiel 22:17-31
Ezekiel lived and prophesied at the same time as Jeremiah and Daniel. Ezekiel was among the ten thousand Jews who were brought to Babylon from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar in 597 B.C. (see II Kings 24:10-16). God first spoke to Ezekiel five years after he was removed to Babylon (Ezek. 1:1-3). The words which the Lord would give him were for the ears of the house of Israel (Ezek. 3:4-7). Ezekiel was to speak to an audience which would not hear his words — an audience which refused to see themselves as God saw them.
A repeating theme throughout the book of Ezekiel is the unwillingness of the house of Israel to accept God’s judgments. The house of Israel refused to see themselves as in need of or deserving of the Lord’s chastening hand.
“And the word of the Lord came to me, saying” (v. 17). The word of the Lord came to Ezekiel frequently (close to fifty times) during his ministry, a ministry which extended from 592 B.C. to 569 B.C. Scholars are in agreement that order of events and prophecies recorded in Ezekiel are sequential. While no date is assigned to the Lord’s speaking to Ezekiel in the text before us, this message would have been given to the prophet several years prior to the razing of Jerusalem and the temple in 586 B.C. (see Ezek. 33:21).
“Son of man . . .” (v. 18). In New Testament scripture, Jesus referred to himself as the Son of man eighty-some times. God uses the phrase “son of man” more than ninety times in addressing Ezekiel. The Lord endued Ezekiel with the same power to speak to the house of Israel as the Father bestowed upon the Son during His ministry on earth.
Through Ezekiel, God wants all men (and Israel) to know that He looks upon the house of Israel as dross. Dross is the worthless waste which floats to the surface when metals are melted. The Lord, in looking upon the house of Israel, sees dross from every source — from the melting of silver, brass, iron, lead, and tin. The value of metals differ. The value of brass, iron, lead, and tin is determined by tools and utensils that are fashioned from them. Silver is a precious metal with an intrinsic value far greater than a vessel fashioned for use. God looked upon Israel and saw only waste. The Lord saw nothing of useful or intrinsic value.
“. . . so will I gather you in my anger and in my fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you” (v. 20). Metals are melted in a furnace. The furnace in which God would melt the house of Israel is the city of Jerusalem (v. 19). In verses 21 and 22, God reveals that He will melt Israel with “the fire of my wrath.”
In verses 24-29, the Lord reveals that which He saw when looking upon Israel. The Lord saw a land that was not cleansed nor rained upon (v. 24). This is the same which God saw in the days of Noah before the flood. In that day, the Lord unleashed the flood sparing only Noah, his sons and their wives.
In verse 25, the Lord viewed a conspiracy of the prophets of Israel. The Hebrew word which is translated as “conspiracy” is also translated as “treason.” The prophets were false prophets whose actions God likens to a roaring lion ripping its prey into pieces and devouring it. The words of Israel’s prophets caused many to perish (many women became widows). The proclamations of the prophets were not from God. God reveals that their proclamations were self-serving, resulting in monetary gain. The prophets supplied untempered mortar (whitewash) to Israel’s princes (v. 28) with intent of self-promotion. They saw vanity (nothing) and delivered lies.
In verse 26, God looked upon the priests and saw violation of “my” law. The violations were not accidental failures. Priestly violations consisted of willful failures to execute their duties as priests in the manner prescribed by God’s law. The law, in its entirety, can be summed with “. . . thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might” (Deut. 6:5) and “. . . thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Lev. 19:18). God was profaned by the priests because He found neither love for Him or for neighbor among them. One cannot blend the holy with the profane or the unclean with the clean and keep the law. God is offended when men call right, wrong and wrong, right.
“Her princes . . .” (v. 27). The princes were like wolves ravening prey, shedding blood, destroying souls, in pursuit of dishonest gain. The princes have names. Their names are found in II Kings 23:37, 24:9, and 24:19. Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin and Zedekiah, all did evil in the sight of the Lord during Ezekiel’s day.
The Lord saw more than the corruption of the prophets, the priests, and the princes. He looked upon the people of the land and saw robbery and oppression — oppression of the poor and needy and of the stranger (v. 29). God looked for a man who could serve as a hedge and stand in the gap but found none (v. 30). The picture before us is reminiscent of that of Genesis 18:22-33, where God promised to spare Sodom and Gomorrah if ten righteous persons were found there. God could not find ten righteous in Sodom and Gomorrah, and His judgment was not delayed. In the text before us, God could find no man to serve as a hedge and stand in the gap. The time had arrived for the fire of God’s wrath to fall (v. 31).
Ezekiel would see the fire of God’s wrath fall upon Jerusalem. Ezekiel would see the city and the temple destroyed (Ezek. 33:21). With God, a promise made is a promise kept. New Testament believers can know that the Lord’s return is as certain as was the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple that occurred in Ezekiel’s day. We also know of the tribulation which shall fall upon the earth prior to the day we see Him sit upon the throne of David in Jerusalem (Rev. 20:4). Until that day, let us love one another and declare the gospel to all people in all places.
