Ezekiel 6:1-14
Q.1. Why did God bring judgment on the people of Israel? What theme recurred throughout this message of doom? – (Ezk.6:1-7; 11-14
On the surface, God’s judgment was coming to destroy their idolatry. He had sent numerous prophets whom they had resisted and even killed. Judgement had to come because God had promised that this would be His chastisement for all their unfaithfulness. Four times He declared – and you will know that I am the Lord (Ezk.6:7, 10, 13, 14). However, God was not going to abandon them, but rather underscore this fundamental truth – I AM THE LORD.
Q.2. What message of hope did God deliver to His people? How did this explain all of God’s chastisement? – (Ezk.6:8-10)
To further support this contention, Ezekiel declared a similar prophecy regarding the future of the nation – 8 However, I will leave a remnant, for you will have those who escaped the sword among the nations when you are scattered among the countries. 9 Then those of you who escape will remember Me among the nations to which they will be carried captive, how I have been hurt by their adulterous hearts which turned away from Me, and by their eyes which played the harlot after their idols; and they will loathe themselves in their own sight for the evils which they have committed, for all their abominations. 10 Then they will know that I am the Lord; I have not said in vain that I would inflict this disaster on them (Ezk.6:8-10). God will speak to a remnant of Israel and lead them to deep sorrow and repentance – 23 And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree? 25 For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery – so that you will not be wise in your own estimation–that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; 26 and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.” 27 “This is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins (Rom.11:23-27 c.f. Zech.12:10-13:1, 8-9). What a wonderful day it will be when this promise reaches its fulfilment.