Ezekiel 20 recounts the Lord's refusal to be enquired of by the elders of Israel, due to their long history of rebellion and idolatry from Egypt through the wilderness and into the promised land. Despite their repeated disobedience and pollution of His statutes and Sabbaths, God consistently withheld His full wrath for the sake of His holy name. He declares a future judgment where He will gather them, purge the rebels, and bring a remnant into the land, where they will finally recognize Him and loathe their past evils.
"Human being, speak to Isra'el's leaders; tell them that Adonai ELOHIM asks, 'Have you come to consult me? As I live,' says Adonai ELOHIM, 'I swear that I will not let you consult me.'
Tell them that Adonai ELOHIM says this: 'Back on the day when I chose Isra'el, I raised my hand to the descendants of the house of Ya'akov. I revealed myself to them in the land of Egypt when I raised my hand to them and said, "I am ADONAI your God."
On the day I raised my hand to them, pledging to bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land I had reconnoitered for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands,
I told them, "Each of you is to throw away the detestable things that draw your eyes. Do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am ADONAI your God."
"'But they rebelled against me and wouldn't listen to me; they did not, each of them, throw away the detestable things that drew their eyes; and they did not abandon the idols of Egypt. Then I said I would pour out my fury on them and spend my anger on them there in the land of Egypt.
But concern for my own reputation kept me from letting it be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they were living, in the sight of whom I had made myself known to them, in order to bring them out of the land of Egypt.
"'But the house of Isra'el rebelled against me in the desert. They did not live by my laws; and they rejected my rulings, which, if a person does, he will have life through them; moreover, they greatly profaned my shabbats. Then I said I would pour out my fury on them in the desert, in order to destroy them.
Yet I also raised my hand and swore to them in the desert that I would not bring them into the land I was giving them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands;
"'But the children too rebelled against me. They did not live by my laws or observe my rulings, to obey them, which, if a person does, he will have life by them; and they profaned my shabbats. Then I said I would pour out my fury on them and spend my anger on them in the desert.
Nevertheless, I withdrew my hand and allowed concern for my own reputation to keep me from letting it be profaned in the sight of the nations who had seen when I brought them out.
and I let them become defiled by their own gifts, in that they offered up their firstborn sons, so that I could fill them with revulsion, so that they would [finally] realize that I am ADONAI.'
"Therefore, human being, speak to the house of Isra'el; tell them that Adonai ELOHIM says, 'Moreover, your ancestors blasphemed me by breaking faith with me in still another way:
for after I had brought them into the land, which I had raised my hand in pledge to give them, they noted all its high hills and leafy trees and offered there their sacrifices; there they made offerings that provoked my anger, there they set out their sweet aromas, and there they poured out their drink offerings.
"So tell the house of Isra'el that Adonai ELOHIM says, 'You are defiling yourselves in the same way as your ancestors, following their abominations and fornicating with them;
and when offering your gifts, you make your children pass through the fire and defile yourselves with all your idols - to this day. So, am I supposed to allow you to consult me, house of Isra'el? As I live,' says Adonai ELOHIM, 'I swear that I won't have you consult me,
and that what you have in mind when you say, "We will be like the Goyim, like the families of the other countries, serving wood and stone," will certainly not happen.
As I live,' says Adonai ELOHIM, 'I swear that surely with a mighty hand, with a stretched-out arm and with poured-out fury I myself will be king over you.
I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you were scattered, with a mighty hand, with a stretched-out arm and with poured-out fury;
I will rid you of the rebels who are in revolt against me - I will bring them out from the land where they are living, but they will not enter the land of Isra'el; then you will know that I am ADONAI.'
"As for you, house of Isra'el, here is what Adonai ELOHIM says: 'Go on serving your idols, every one of you! But afterwards, [I swear that] you will listen to me, and you will no longer profane my holy name with your gifts and with your idols.
For on my holy mountain, the high mountain of Isra'el,' says Adonai ELOHIM, 'the whole house of Isra'el, all of them, will serve me in the land. I will accept them there, and there I will require your contributions, your best gifts and all your consecrated things.
I will accept you with your sweet aroma when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you were scattered; and through you I will manifest my holiness in the sight of the nations.
"'You will know that I am ADONAI when I bring you into the land of Isra'el, into the country which I pledged, by raising my hand, to give to your ancestors.
There you will remember your behavior and all the things you did by which you defiled yourselves, and you will loathe yourselves for all the evils you committed.
You will know that I am ADONAI when I have dealt with you in a manner that preserves my reputation, and not according to your evil ways and corrupt actions, house of Isra'el' says Adonai ELOHIM." The Hebrew word bamah means "high place"; the etymology suggested here relates it to Hebrew ba ("go") and mah ("what").
say to the Negev forest: 'Hear the word of ADONAI. Adonai ELOHIM says, "I will light a fire in you; it will devour every tree in you, green and dry alike; a blazing, unquenchable flame that will scorch every face from the Negev to the north.
I said, "Oh, Adonai ELOHIM! They complain that I speak only in parables."
Study Notes for Ezekiel 20
Verse 1
This date (August 14, 591 B.C.) places this oracle about one year after the visions of chapters 8–11. The elders, representing the exiled community, sought guidance, perhaps hoping for news of a quick return.
Verse 3
God refuses to be consulted. The elders’ hearts were impure, and they were still practicing idolatry while seeking divine counsel, demonstrating spiritual hypocrisy (cf. Ezek 14:3).
Verse 4
God commands Ezekiel to 'judge them' (a prophetic declaration of judgment) by exposing the sins of the current generation through the history of their fathers.
Verse 5
To 'lift up mine hand' signifies swearing an oath, emphasizing the solemnity of God’s covenant promise. The election of Israel began in Egypt, before the Law was given.
Verse 7
Israel’s first covenant failure occurred immediately: they refused to abandon the idols of Egypt even as God delivered them. Idolatry was a deep-seated problem from the beginning.
Verse 9
This is a key theological theme in Ezekiel. God restrains His wrath and saves Israel not because they deserve it, but 'for my name’s sake,' to preserve His reputation and holiness among the surrounding nations.
Verse 11
Echoing Lev 18:5, the statutes and judgments were designed to be a path to life (blessing and flourishing), but disobedience brought death (curse and destruction).
Verse 12
The Sabbath is highlighted as the primary sign of the covenant in Ezekiel (cf. Exod 31:13). Observing the Sabbath demonstrated recognition of God as the one who sets Israel apart (sanctifies them).
Verse 13
The first generation in the wilderness repeated the rebellion of their parents, leading to God’s decision to prevent them from entering the Promised Land (Num 14:29).
Verse 18
God gave the new generation a clear warning to break the cycle of ancestral sin, emphasizing personal responsibility to obey the covenant.
Verse 21
The second generation proved equally rebellious, demonstrating that sin was not merely an environmental problem but a deep spiritual condition carried across time.
Verse 25
This difficult phrase likely refers to God allowing Israel to suffer the consequences of their own choices. He gave them over to follow destructive practices (like child sacrifice, v. 26) which they wrongly believed were divine statutes.
Verse 26
The ultimate defilement was offering their firstborn children to pagan gods (Moloch worship). By allowing this horrific practice, God 'polluted' them, bringing judgment to make them desolate.
Verse 27
The historical survey now moves to the period after the conquest, detailing the persistent idolatry that led to the final judgment of exile.
Verse 28
The 'high hill' and 'thick trees' refer to the *bamot* (high places), local shrines where the Israelites mixed pagan Canaanite fertility rites with the worship of Yahweh.
Verse 31
Ezekiel connects the sins of the fathers (v. 26) directly to the present generation of exiles, confirming that their hypocrisy (seeking an oracle while practicing idolatry) warrants God’s refusal (cf. v. 3).
Verse 32
The exiles were considering assimilation, believing they could abandon their identity and become 'like the heathen.' God vehemently rejects this plan, stating He will rule over them regardless.
Verse 33
God promises a forceful intervention. His rule will be established through powerful judgment ('fury poured out'), showing that He will not allow Israel to escape His sovereignty.
Verse 35
The 'wilderness of the people' refers to the place of exile and dispersion among the nations. God promises a new judgment phase, mirroring the original wilderness experience, where He will 'plead' (judge) them directly.
Verse 37
To 'pass under the rod' is a shepherd’s practice of counting and inspecting his flock (Lev 27:32). This symbolizes God’s careful scrutiny, selecting a purified remnant to enter the 'bond of the covenant.'
Verse 38
The purpose of the new wilderness judgment is separation. The rebels will be purged from the community and denied entrance into the restored land of Israel.
Verse 39
This is a command given in bitter irony: if they insist on serving idols, they should do so completely, but they must cease polluting the temple and the name of Yahweh with their hypocritical worship.
Verse 40
A vision of ultimate restoration. True, pure worship will be centralized and accepted in the future, restored Jerusalem ('mine holy mountain'), signifying a complete spiritual renewal.
Verse 44
The final affirmation of grace: the future restoration will be accomplished solely 'for my name’s sake,' not because of Israel’s righteousness, but because of God’s faithfulness to Himself.
Verse 45
This brief, cryptic oracle serves as a summary judgment. The 'south' (Negev) often refers symbolically to Judah and Jerusalem, situated south of Babylon where Ezekiel was exiled.
Verse 47
The 'forest of the south' represents the population of Judah/Jerusalem. The fire symbolizes the impending Babylonian siege and destruction, which will consume both the 'green tree' (the righteous/prosperous) and the 'dry tree' (the wicked/unfruitful).
Verse 49
Ezekiel laments the people’s unwillingness to take his warnings seriously. They dismiss his prophecies as mere riddles or parables, reflecting their spiritual dullness and resistance to repentance.
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The Calling of Disciples
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