Ezekiel 21:1-32

Ezekiel: ‘They shall know that I am God’

The *Sin of Judah and the Judgement of God

Ezekiel Chapter s 1 to 24

Ian Mackervoy

Chapter 21

• This chapter describes how the king of Babylon and his army would attack Judah and Ammon. It refers often to the ‘sword of the *Lord.’ That sword means the *Babylonian army. That army would carry out the *Lord’s punishment against Judah and Ammon.

The sword of the *Lord – Ezekiel 21:1-17

v1 The *LORD spoke to me. v2 ‘*Son of man, look toward Jerusalem. Speak against the holy place. *Prophesy against the country called *Israel. v3 Say to the country of *Israel, “The *LORD says this. I am against you. I will pull my sword out of its holder. And I will kill both good people and wicked people. v4 I shall certainly kill both good people and wicked people. Therefore, my sword will come out from its holder. It will attack all the people from the south to the north. v5 Then all people will know that I, the *LORD, have pulled my sword out of its holder. My sword will not go back in again.”

v6 *Son of man, cry as with despair and no hope. Weep and be sad in front of the people. v7 They will ask, “Why do you weep?” You will answer them, “I have heard what will happen. That is why I weep. Fear will overcome every heart and all hands will become weak. All people will be afraid and all their knees will seem as weak as water. Look, it is coming. It will happen, says the *LORD your King.” ’

v8 The *LORD spoke to me again. v9 ‘*Son of man, *prophesy. Say, “The *LORD says this. A sword, a sword! I have made it sharp and I have polished it. v10 The sharp sword is to kill people. The sword that I have polished is to flash like lightning. We cannot be happy about this.

My son (Judah) you refuse the rule of God.”

v11 I have polished the sword so that a hand can grasp it. I have made the sword sharp and I have polished it. It is ready for the one who kills. I will give the sword into his hand. v12 Cry out and weep, *son of man. The sword comes against my people and all the rulers of *Israel. The sword will kill the rulers and my people. Therefore, show how sad you are.

v13 This test will happen. My people have refused my rule. So, it will happen, says the *LORD your King.

v14 So, *son of man, *prophesy and clap your hands. Let the sword strike two or three times. The sword is to kill people. The sword is to kill many people. This sword surrounds the people to kill them. v15 It makes my people lose courage and fall down. The sword will be at all the gates in order to kill many people. Like lightning, the sword will flash. The one who holds it is ready to kill. v16 “Sharp sword, cut on the right side, then cut on the left side! Cut wherever you turn!” v17 Also, I will clap my hands. And then I will rest after my anger. I, the *LORD, have spoken.’

Verses 1-5 This chapter explains the meaning of the story of the forest fire (Ezekiel 20:45-49). The *Lord told Ezekiel to look in the direction of Jerusalem. The ‘south’ means Jerusalem, the *temple and the country of *Israel. The country that Ezekiel calls *Israel was in fact the southern *kingdom, usually called Judah. But instead of a fire, this chapter refers to a sword.

The *Lord was against Jerusalem, the holy place and the country of Judah. Like a soldier, he would take his sword from its holder. That sword means the army of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. Many people would die in the battles. The army would kill both good and bad people. They would attack all the people from the south to the north.

This will happen. Then all people will know that the *Lord brought about these events.

Verses 6-7 God told Ezekiel to show the *exiles the emotions of the people in Jerusalem. People will cry out in despair because there will be no escape. They will have no hope of rescue. Therefore, Ezekiel cried and he was sad. This was not just an act. Ezekiel could see what would soon happen. These events really did upset him. So, he was actually sad. His own people would suffer and die. Many people whom he had known would die in Jerusalem.

Ezekiel would tell the *exiles why he wept. God had told him what would happen. He felt the pain that his people would suffer. They would be so afraid. Fear would make them weak. Their strength would disappear and there would be no hope for them. They would not be able to fight or to defeat the enemy.

God said that it would happen. And it did happen.

Verses 8-10 The *Lord tells Ezekiel to sing a song. This section (verses 9-17) is in the form of a poem. It speaks about the sword of the *Lord. The sword is ready for use and it will kill people. It is clean and it is sharp. It will move like lightning to do what the *Lord orders.

‘My son (Judah) you refuse the rule of God.’ The translation of this line is not certain. The promise of God was that there would be a ruler from the *tribe called Judah (Genesis 49:9-10). Therefore, the people thought that they were safe. God would keep Jerusalem safe from all enemies. But they were wrong. The promise would be for the future. God will send his king to rule them. He will be the *Messiah.

Verses 11-13 The person who uses the sword would be the king of Babylon. He would come very soon and he would attack Judah and Jerusalem. The *Lord would send him to destroy Judah. The king of Babylon and his army would kill the rulers in Jerusalem. And they would kill many of the people there.

Such a message would have made Ezekiel very sad. So, God told him to cry aloud to show it. The nation called Judah had failed the test. They had *turned away from their God. So, God would punish them. The *Lord said it. It would happen.

Verses 14-17 The *Lord is angry with his own people. Ezekiel shows that anger as he strikes his hands together. God must punish them because of the evil things that they do.

The poetry here shows that the sword is moving quickly. It is one sword but it seems like many swords. It is all round the people. It cuts them from all sides. It is there to kill them. Wherever it turns, the people die. It kills at the gates so that none can escape. It moves like lightning. The sharp sword completes the task.

The *Lord will clap his hands. He will satisfy his anger and then he will rest.

The king of Babylon comes – Ezekiel 21:18-27

v18 The *LORD spoke to me again. v19 ‘*Son of man, mark two roads that the king of Babylon and his sword can follow. Both of these roads will start from the same country. Where the two roads separate, make a sign. Point the way to the city. v20 Make a sign to show the road for the sword to enter Rabbah in the country of the *Ammonites. Make another sign to show the way to Judah and Jerusalem. Jerusalem is a city with strong walls for protection. v21 The king of Babylon will stop where the two roads part. He will use magic to decide which way to go. He shakes arrows and he inquires of his false gods. He looks at the inner parts of an animal that he has killed. v22 At his right hand will be the choice for Jerusalem. He will cut down trees and he will use them to break down the gates. He will shout the battle cry and he will give the order to kill. The army will build roads with earth that lead up to the top of the walls. So, they will attack the city. v23 The people in Jerusalem have made agreements with other nations to help them. So, they think that this *prophecy is wrong. But this is proof of their *sin. The king of Babylon will defeat them.

v24 So, this is what the *LORD your King says. “Your *sins are plain for all to see. You have not obeyed the *Lord. Everyone can see your *sins because of the things that you do. Because of this, the enemy will seize you and defeat you.

v25 And you, the wicked prince of *Israel, your day has come. The time for your punishment has come at last. v26 This is what the *LORD your King says to you. Take off the head cover of the priest. Remove the crown from your head. Life will not be the same as it has been. Those who had no power will now be important. Those who were important will have no power.”

v27 *Ruined, *ruined, *ruined. I will ruin the city. Nobody will build it again until the right man comes as king. I will give the city to him.’

Verses 18-21 Ezekiel drew a map. On it, he showed a road from Babylon. On the map, Ezekiel divided the road into two. The road from Babylon came to a town called Riblah. From there, one road led south-east to Rabbath. This was the chief city in Ammon. The other road led south-west to Jerusalem, the chief city in Judah.

The king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, would come to the place where the road divides. Judah and Ammon had together *turned against the rule of Babylon. This happened in the years 593 to 589 *BC. That is why Nebuchadnezzar would come with his army. Then he had to decide which city to attack first.

To help him decide, Nebuchadnezzar used three kinds of magic. He shook arrows. Each arrow would have the name of one of these cities on it. Someone would shake the holder that contained the arrows. The first arrow to fall out of the holder would give the answer. Next, he asked his false gods. The priests of the gods had to give him an answer. The third method was to look at the inner parts of a dead animal. The colour and the pattern on these parts gave the answer.

God does not approve of any of these means. But he made them all agree with his decision. God would bring Nebuchadnezzar to fight against Jerusalem. Nebuchadnezzar would act as the sword of God.

Verses 22-24 The choice of God was Jerusalem. So, King Nebuchadnezzar would attack Jerusalem.

The people in Jerusalem did not believe that this would happen. They had an agreement with God. So, they thought that he would not do this to them. But that agreement ordered them to obey God. If they did not obey God, then this would be the result. And they were not obeying God. Instead, they were actually opposing God.

They also had an agreement with the king of Babylon. But they had not been loyal to him. Then they asked other nations to help them. But these nations did not do so.

The people had not believed the word of their God. Their *sins were so great. Everyone could see how bad Judah was. Now God would punish them by means of Nebuchadnezzar. He would defeat them and many of them would die.

Verses 25-27 The wicked prince of *Israel was Zedekiah. The enemy would end his rule in the year 586 *BC. ‘Remove the head cover of the priest and the crown of the prince.’ The chief priest would not serve God or the people. There would not be a king in Judah. Until the *Messiah comes, no man will have the right to wear the head cover or the crown. The *Messiah will be the priest and king of *Israel.

The anger of the *Lord against Ammon – Ezekiel 21:28-32

v28 ‘And you, *son of man, *prophesy. Say: “This is what the *LORD your King says about the *Ammonites and their insults. A sword, a sword has come out of its holder. The sword that I have polished comes to kill and to destroy. The sword will flash like lightning. v29 *Prophets see false *visions for you. And they *prophesy lies to you. The sword will come upon the necks of these wicked people. The time for their punishment has come at last. v30 Put the sword back in its holder. Where I created you, in the country of your origin, I shall be your judge. v31 I will *pour out my anger against you. I shall blow on you with my anger, which is like fire. I will hand you over to cruel people who are able to *destroy you. v32 You will be like fuel for the fire. You will die in your country. Nobody will remember you because I, the *LORD, have spoken.’’ ’

Verses 28-32 God had sent Nebuchadnezzar to attack Jerusalem first. The *Ammonites thought that Nebuchadnezzar had decided not to attack them. So, they helped in the defeat of Judah. They laughed at the people from Judah. And the *Ammonites insulted the people from Judah. The *Ammonites were happy at the defeat of Jerusalem. Their own *prophets had false *visions of hope for them. But in time, God would destroy Ammon. And their nation would end completely.

sin ~ Sin means the wrong things that we do. To sin is to do wrong, bad or evil deeds and not to obey God. People are called sinners because of their sins.
Lord ~ a title for God, to show that he is over all people and things.
LORD ~ ‘LORD’ is the special name that God gave to himself. It probably means ‘always God’. This name has a relationship with the special promises that God gave to his people.
Babylonian ~ a person from the nation called Babylon or anything that has a relationship with Babylon.
Lord ~ a title for God, to show that he is over all people and things.
LORD ~ ‘LORD’ is the special name that God gave to himself. It probably means ‘always God’. This name has a relationship with the special promises that God gave to his people.

'son of man ~ Ezekiel. ‘Son of man’ was the title that God used for Ezekiel. It emphasised that Ezekiel was a mere man. Ezekiel would have to depend on God’s Spirit to make him strong. Only then could Ezekiel do what God told him to do.
prophesy ~ to speak a prophecy.
prophecy ~ a message from God; a gift of the Holy Spirit.
Israel ~ Israel is the nation whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The country in which they live is called Israel. Israel became the name of the northern nation when it separated from Judah. However, Ezekiel sometimes uses the word ‘Israel’ to refer to Judah.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
prophesy ~ to speak a prophecy.
prophecy ~ a message from God; a gift of the Holy Spirit.'son of man ~ Ezekiel. ‘Son of man’ was the title that God used for Ezekiel. It emphasised that Ezekiel was a mere man. Ezekiel would have to depend on God’s Spirit to make him strong. Only then could Ezekiel do what God told him to do.
temple ~ a special building for the worship of God or other gods. The Jews had one in Jerusalem for the worship of the real God.
worship ~ an act to give honour to God (or to a false god). When people praise and thank God.
Jews ~ another name for the Israelites.
Israelites ~ the people whose ancestors are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
kingdom ~ the place or territory where a king rules.
exile ~ When people have to live in a foreign country they are in exile. Such a person is called an exile.
tribe ~ The Israelites were divided into the 12 families of the sons of Jacob. These families are the 12 tribes of Israel.
Israelites ~ the people whose ancestors are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Israel ~ Israel is the nation whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The country in which they live is called Israel. Israel became the name of the northern nation when it separated from Judah. However, Ezekiel sometimes uses the word ‘Israel’ to refer to Judah.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
Messiah ~ The Jews expect a king to come who will save them. That king, called the Messiah, will rule both them and all people.
Jews ~ another name for the Israelites.
Israelites ~ the people whose ancestors are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
turn ~ to change your behaviour, your friends, or your God; or, to carry out actions in order to oppose someone.
Ammonites ~ a person from the nation called Ammon or anything that has a relationship with Ammon.
prophecy ~ a message from God; a gift of the Holy Spirit.
sin ~ Sin means the wrong things that we do. To sin is to do wrong, bad or evil deeds and not to obey God. People are called sinners because of their sins.
ruined ~ the state of buildings and whole cities when armies destroy everything completely.
ruined ~ the state of buildings and whole cities when armies destroy everything completely.
BC ~ years before Christ was born.
vision ~ something that God shows to a person but not with the physical sight. Visions are often in the form of dreams.
destroy ~ to carry out the most severe punishment possible; to cause someone to suffer; to kill everyone in a nation.
prophet ~ person who speaks for God. He can sometimes say what will happen in the future. However, false prophets are people who merely pretend to speak God’s words.