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.
¶ And it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, the tenth day of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel came to enquire of the LORD, and sat before me.
Son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Are ye come to enquire of me? As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will not be enquired of by you.
¶ And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up mine hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up mine hand unto them, saying, I am the LORD your God;
In the day that I lifted up mine hand unto them, to bring them forth of the land of Egypt into a land that I had espied for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands:
Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
But they rebelled against me, and would not hearken unto me: they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt: then I said, I will pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.
But I wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, among whom they were, in whose sight I made myself known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt.
But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: they walked not in my statutes, and they despised my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; and my sabbaths they greatly polluted: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness, to consume them.
Yet also I lifted up my hand unto them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands;
But I said unto their children in the wilderness, Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols:
Notwithstanding the children rebelled against me: they walked not in my statutes, neither kept my judgments to do them, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; they polluted my sabbaths: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the wilderness.
Nevertheless I withdrew mine hand, and wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be polluted in the sight of the heathen, in whose sight I brought them forth.
Because they had not executed my judgments, but had despised my statutes, and had polluted my sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers' idols.
And I polluted them in their own gifts, in that they caused to pass through the fire all that openeth the womb, that I might make them desolate, to the end that they might know that I am the LORD.
¶ Therefore, son of man, speak unto the house of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Yet in this your fathers have blasphemed me, in that they have committed a trespass against me.
For when I had brought them into the land, for the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to them, then they saw every high hill, and all the thick trees, and they offered there their sacrifices, and there they presented the provocation of their offering: there also they made their sweet savour, and poured out there their drink offerings.
Wherefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Are ye polluted after the manner of your fathers? and commit ye whoredom after their abominations?
For when ye offer your gifts, when ye make your sons to pass through the fire, ye pollute yourselves with all your idols, even unto this day: and shall I be enquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will not be enquired of by you.
And that which cometh into your mind shall not be at all, that ye say, We will be as the heathen, as the families of the countries, to serve wood and stone.
And I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out.
And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord GOD; Go ye, serve ye every one his idols, and hereafter also, if ye will not hearken unto me: but pollute ye my holy name no more with your gifts, and with your idols.
For in mine holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, there shall all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, serve me: there will I accept them, and there will I require your offerings, and the firstfruits of your oblations, with all your holy things.
I will accept you with your sweet savour, when I bring you out from the people, and gather you out of the countries wherein ye have been scattered; and I will be sanctified in you before the heathen.
And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to your fathers.
And there shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have been defiled; and ye shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that ye have committed.
And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have wrought with you for my name's sake, not according to your wicked ways, nor according to your corrupt doings, O ye house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.
And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.
Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! they say of me, Doth he not speak 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
19And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
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