#1153 Ezekiel 20 Part 1 I Will Not Be Inquired Of By You

 

In the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord, and sat before me. 2 And the word of the Lord came to me: 3 “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God, Is it to inquire of me that you come? As I live, declares the Lord God, I will not be inquired of by you. 4 Will you judge them, son of man, will you judge them? Let them know the abominations of their fathers, 5 and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: On the day when I chose Israel, I swore to the offspring of the house of Jacob, making myself known to them in the land of Egypt; I swore to them, saying, I am the Lord your God. 6 On that day I swore to them that I would bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most glorious of all lands. 7 And I said to them, ‘Cast away the detestable things your eyes feast on, every one of you, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.’ 8 But they rebelled against me and were not willing to listen to me. None of them cast away the detestable things their eyes feasted on, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt.

“Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them and spend my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. 9 But I acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they lived, in whose sight I made myself known to them in bringing them out of the land of Egypt. 10 So I led them out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness. 11 I gave them my statutes and made known to them my rules, by which, if a person does them, he shall live. 12 Moreover, I gave them my Sabbaths, as a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them. 13 But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. They did not walk in my statutes but rejected my rules, by which, if a person does them, he shall live; and my Sabbaths they greatly profaned.

“Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them in the wilderness, to make a full end of them. 14 But I acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I had brought them out. 15 Moreover, I swore to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the land that I had given them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most glorious of all lands, 16 because they rejected my rules and did not walk in my statutes, and profaned my Sabbaths; for their heart went after their idols. 17 Nevertheless, my eye spared them, and I did not destroy them or make a full end of them in the wilderness.

18 “And I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, nor keep their rules, nor defile yourselves with their idols. 19 I am the Lord your God; walk in my statutes, and be careful to obey my rules, 20 and keep my Sabbaths holy that they may be a sign between me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God.’ 21 But the children rebelled against me. They did not walk in my statutes and were not careful to obey my rules, by which, if a person does them, he shall live; they profaned my Sabbaths.

“Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them and spend my anger against them in the wilderness. 22 But I withheld my hand and acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I had brought them out. 23 Moreover, I swore to them in the wilderness that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them through the countries, 24 because they had not obeyed my rules, but had rejected my statutes and profaned my Sabbaths, and their eyes were set on their fathers' idols. 25 Moreover, I gave them statutes that were not good and rules by which they could not have life, 26 and I defiled them through their very gifts in their offering up all their firstborn, that I might devastate them. I did it that they might 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 also your fathers blasphemed me, by dealing treacherously with me. 28 For when I had brought them into the land that I swore to give them, then wherever they saw any high hill or any leafy tree, there they offered their sacrifices and there they presented the provocation of their offering; there they sent up their pleasing aromas, and there they poured out their drink offerings. 29 (I said to them, ‘What is the high place to which you go?’ So its name is called Bamah to this day.)

30 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: Will you defile yourselves after the manner of your fathers and go whoring after their detestable things? 31 When you present your gifts and offer up your children in fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. And shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, declares the Lord God, I will not be inquired of by you.

32 “What is in your mind shall never happen—the thought, ‘Let us be like the nations, like the tribes of the countries, and worship wood and stone.’ Ezekiel 20: 1-32 ESV

Ezekiel 20

1-8 Came to inquire of the Lord - These elders know Ezekiel to be a prophet, so when they want to hear from God they come to His man. Probably the same group of elders from chapter 14

I will not be inquired of by you - Apparently God knows who they are as well, and this is not to their favor. Many times people will say, "if only I had a word from the Lord, what would God say on this matter?" The problem is that those same people have the word of the Lord before them, to read, to meditate upon, but His word, which doesn't change, is not what they want to hear. Many come hoping for a different word, a watered down message, praying that God has changed His mind. As long as they are prosperous in this world then they will not check to see if their lives match up to what God is saying. They will find teachers who tickle their ears, false prophets will be very popular, but now they are in captivity, and things are not going the way the false prophets described. 

“Nay, but you act a deep hypocrisy, being already resolved on your own course, and yet now pretend you would know my counsel. It is a sharp reproof of their wickedness, and God utterly refuseth to be inquired of by such.” (Poole)

…7You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you: 8‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. 9They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’ ”… Matthew 15: 7-9

Let them know the abominations of their fathers - He is going to give them a history of what He said, what their fathers did, and that way which they still arrogantly walk in. 

I swore to them - God had made a covenant with Abraham, and He identified Himself to Moses and the people in Egypt, as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. That they grew and survived in Egypt was His doing, and their release from there was also by His power because of His word. He was keeping His promise for His names sake. 

1Then the LORD said to Abram, “Leave your country, your kindred, and your father’s household, and go to the land I will show you. 2I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you; and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you.”… Genesis 12: 1-3

…7I will take you as My own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. 8And I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD!’” 9Moses relayed this message to the Israelites, but on account of their broken spirit and cruel bondage, they did not listen to him.… Exodus 6: 7-9

Cast away the detestable things - He had kept His word to them, but He must only be their God, which He proved in that the gods and idols of Egypt were no match for Him, not the Pharaoh nor his sorcerers either. There was no place where He was outside of His jurisdiction, ultimately He is the creator and there are no other gods, but those made with hands and fallen hearts. They sinned in this right away, so that when Moses was on the mount, Aaron made for them a calf, which was from the gods of Egypt, who could not save Egypt. 

When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”

2 Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. 4 He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.” Exodus 32: 1-4

9-13. I acted for the sake of my name - According to the promise, not according to their actions. It was a unilateral covenant with Abraham, and thank God, for all have fallen short of the law which shows the need of someone who can keep it. It all rests upon the power of God to save, to save wholly, meaning righteously, not against His holy and just nature. 

…15For He says to Moses: “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16So then, it does not depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. 17For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”… Romans 9: 15-17

By which if a person does them, he shall live - It seemed simple enough, He is God, the self existing One, you are not, the idols were made and He is above all that was made. He is the alpha and the omega, this is His world, so He is the moral high bar, the ultimate decider of right and wrong. Without Him there is no right or wrong, and nothing calls itself into being, so apart from Him there is nothing. 

…4You are to practice My judgments and keep My statutes by walking in them. I am the LORD your God. 5Keep My statutes and My judgments, for the man who does these things will live by them. I am the LORD. Leviticus 18: 4-5

…16For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and firstborn from among the dead, so that in all things He may have preeminence.… Colossians 1: 16-18

I gave them My Sabbaths - He gave them rest, but also a sign in all that He gave them, that they were set apart from all of humanity in following His statutes. When the stranger came there he would know of the Sabbath, that they could not work on that day, nor could they ask him to work either. They were set up in such a fashion to evangelize the world, to be a blessing to all the families of the earth. 

By which - Do this and you shall live, but not only live but do so abundantly, and this they rejected, which is to die. They wanted a god that would comply with them, which would make them god, and yet they did not make themselves.

14-26 Nevertheless, My eye spared them - He did not make a full end of them in the wilderness, which is to the credit of His great patience, and the sad reality of their ungratefulness. This has been a long time in coming, yet He has and continues to keep a remnant. 

…17So now I pray, may the power of my Lord be magnified, just as You have declared: 18‘The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in loving devotion, forgiving iniquity and transgression. Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished; He will visit the iniquity of the fathers upon their children to the third and fourth generation.’ 19Pardon, I pray, the iniquity of this people, in keeping with the greatness of Your loving devotion, just as You have forgiven them ever since they left Egypt.”… Numbers 14: 17-19

…3So when you, O man, pass judgment on others, yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? 4Or do you disregard the riches of His kindness, tolerance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you to repentance? 5But because of your hard and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.… Romans 2: 3-5

But the children rebelled against me - Before they had made the argument that their parents had eaten sour grapes which were now putting their teeth on edge, but men have not changed, the children rebel as did their fathers. One thing that they all agree on is that it's someone else's fault. They are all just poor victims.

I would scatter them - He gave them His word that this would happen, and Babylon was only a part of that, but God was not only true to His word, but see again, what patience.

…26I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you this day that you will quickly perish from the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess. You will not live long upon it, but will be utterly destroyed. 27Then the LORD will scatter you among the peoples, and only a few of you will survive among the nations to which the LORD will drive you. 28And there you will serve man-made gods of wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or eat or smell.… Deuteronomy 4: 26-28

…63Just as it pleased the LORD to make you prosper and multiply, so also it will please Him to annihilate you and destroy you. And you will be uprooted from the land you are entering to possess. 64Then the LORD will scatter you among all the nations, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you will worship other gods, gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known. 65Among those nations you will find no repose, not even a resting place for the sole of your foot. There the LORD will give you a trembling heart, failing eyes, and a despairing soul.… Deuteronomy 28: 63-65

I gave them statutes that were not good - They did not follow His original statutes that led to life, so He gave them over to themselves, the law of the jungle, to reap what they sew.

“Ezekiel was declaring that in retribution the Lord allowed them to go after their own ways in order to punish them according to their deeds. The passage is speaking in the sense of a judicial sentence…. Disobedience leads to greater sin. Sin becomes its own punishment.” (Feinberg)

…27Likewise, the men abandoned natural relations with women and burned with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. 28Furthermore, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, He gave them up to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. They are gossips,… Romans 1: 27-29

27-32 Bamah -  "high place"

Bamah: “A high place; a name good enough in itself, but, as used by them, as odious to all good hearts as a brothel house is to a chaste matron. She is the worse to pass by it, and spitteth at it. So should we in like case.” (Trapp)

I will not be inquired of by you - They have a lot of nerve, and would not put up with even a percentage of such abuse themselves, but what good is it for Him to give His time or word anyway? Are we supposed to believe that they have now come to not only hear, but do?

“It is as though he expressed surprise that those who had continued in sin and emulated the disobedience of their forefathers should still expect to receive fresh revelations from God.” (Feinberg)

ii. “Are you fit to come and ask counsel of me, whom you have so shamelessly, so obstinately forsaken and reproached? Can you expect I should answer you?” (Poole)

…21Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and every expression of evil, and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save your souls. 22 Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves. 23For anyone who hears the word but does not carry it out is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror,… James 1: 21-23

What is in your mind shall never happen - "Just let us go', they thought, 'let us be like our neighbors. They eat, marry and give in marriage, the sun goes up and down, the rain falls on them just like it does on us, let us be without the knowledge of the Holy One." 

No, but He will save a remnant for His name's sake. What He has spoken will be accomplished. Men love the idea of being left alone by God, the solace of thinking there is no after life, no God and therefore right or wrong, no lasting regrets. It is all material to them, but where does matter come from? Some love the idea so much that innate matter has become their god.

1For the choirmaster. Of David. The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt; their acts are vile. There is no one who does good. 2The LORD looks down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if any understand, if any seek God. 3All have turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.… Psalm 14: 1-3