1 It came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, thatacertain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord, and sat before me.
3 “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Have you come to inquire of Me? As I live,” says the Lord God, a“I will not be inquired of by you.” ’
4 Will you judge them, son of man, will you judge them? Then amake known to them the abominations of their fathers.
5 “Say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “On the day when aI chose Israel and raised My hand in an oath to the descendants of the house of Jacob, and made Myself bknown to them in the land of Egypt, I raised My hand in an oath to them, saying, c‘I am the Lord your God.’
6 On that day I raised My hand in an oath to them, ato bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, b‘flowing with milk and honey,’ cthe glory of all lands.
7 Then I said to them, ‘Each of you, athrow away bthe abominations which are before his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with cthe idols of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’
8 But they rebelled against Me and would not1 obey Me. They did not all cast away the abominations which were before their eyes, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I said, ‘I will apour out My fury on them and fulfill My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.’
9aBut I acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned before the Gentiles among whom they were, in whose sight I had made Myself bknown to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt.
10 “Therefore I amade them go out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness.
11aAnd I gave them My statutes and1 showed them My judgments, b‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them.’
12 Moreover I also gave them My aSabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them.
13 Yet the house of Israel arebelled against Me in the wilderness; they did not walk in My statutes; they bdespised My judgments, c‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them’; and they greatly ddefiled My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My fury on them in the ewilderness, to consume them.
14aBut I acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned before the Gentiles, in whose sight I had brought them out.
15 So aI also raised My hand in an oath to them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them,b‘flowing with milk and honey,’ cthe glory of all lands,
16abecause they despised My judgments and did not walk in My statutes, but profaned My Sabbaths; for btheir heart went after their idols.
17aNevertheless My eye spared them from destruction. I did not make an end of them in the wilderness.
18 “But I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, nor observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols.
19 I am the Lord your God: aWalk in My statutes, keep My judgments, and do them;
20ahallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God.’
21 “Notwithstanding, athe children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes, and were not careful to observe My judgments, b‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them’; but they profaned My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My fury on them and fulfill My anger against them in the wilderness.
22 Nevertheless I withdrew My hand and acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the Gentiles, in whose sight I had brought them out.
23 Also I raised My hand in an oath to those in the wilderness, that aI would scatter them among the Gentiles and disperse them throughout the countries,
24abecause they had not executed My judgments, but had despised My statutes, profaned My Sabbaths, and btheir eyes were fixed on their fathers’ idols.
25 “Therefore aI also gave them up to statutes thatwere not good, and judgments by which they could not live;
26 and I pronounced them unclean because of their ritual gifts, in that they caused all1 their firstborn to pass athrough thefire, that I might make them desolate and that they bmight know that I am the Lord.” ’
27 “Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “In this too your fathers have ablasphemed Me, by being unfaithful to Me.
28 When I brought them into the land concerning which I had raised My hand in an oath to give them, and athey saw all the high hills and all the thick trees, there they offered their sacrifices and provoked Me with their offerings. There they also sent up their bsweet aroma and poured out their drink offerings.
29 Then I said to them, ‘What is this1 high place to which you go?’ So its name is called2 Bamah to this day.” ’
30 Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Are you defiling yourselves in the manner of your afathers, and committing harlotry according to their babominations?
31 For when you offer ayour gifts and make your sons pass through the fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols, even to this day. So shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live,” says the Lord God, “I will bnot be inquired of by you.
32aWhat you have in your mind shall never be, when you say, ‘We will be like the Gentiles, like the families in other countries, serving wood and stone.’
God Will Restore Israel
33 “As I live,” says the Lord God, “surely with a mighty hand, awith an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out, I will rule over you.
Ezekiel 20:1 reveals that while the Jews were in their captivity, the elders came to seek answers from God. What were their questions? They can be ascertained only by God's reply. Overall, the questions seem to have been something similar to, "Why are we having all this trouble?" "What is the problem?" "When can we expect to return to Jerusalem?"
God's answer begins to take shape in verse 7, "Each of you, throw away the abominations which are before his eyes." The last phrase literally means "the delight of the eyes." "His eyes" must refer to the typical Israelite's eyes. Recall that the Israelites did what seemed right or pleasurable to them but not necessarily what was delightful to God. Since God commanded them to throw away what was a delight to them, we must understand, then, that "the delight of their eyes" was to God idolatry and rebellion.
That brief phrase contains two contrasting perspectives. It identifies what God had against them: their idolatry. The delight of their eyes was the idol that they looked at and gave their devotion to.
Perhaps no other chapter in the Bible shows as clearly as Ezekiel 20 the critical importance for the people of God to keep the Sabbath. Ezekiel does not record the question or questions the elders asked of God, but we can ascertain them from God's reply. They seem to have been something like, "Why are we having all this trouble? Why are we in captivity? When can we expect to return to Jerusalem?" God specifically names part of the problem when He says that He commanded them to get rid of "the abominations which were before their eyes." These things, obviously abominations to God, were a delight to the Israelites because they did not cast them away.
God clearly shows that part of the answer is that they were committing idolatry. In Ezekiel 20:12-13, He involves the Sabbath in their problems. Six times in this one chapter, God links idolatry and breaking the Sabbath as causes of their captivity. It is accurate to understand Sabbath breaking as just another form of idolatry. God gave the Sabbath to Israel and to us that we might know the true God, be sanctified, fulfill our purpose in witnessing of Him before the world, and be changed and inherit His Kingdom. Israel failed utterly. God cut them off, and they went back into slavery and captivity.
These verses introduce a panoramic view of Israel's relationship with God from God's perspective. Ezekiel's charge from God is to judge (to pronounce judgments on Israel on God's behalf), to tell them plainly why they went into captivity.
