#1167 Ezekiel 28 Part 5 Briers and Thorns

 

The word of the Lord came to me: 21 “Son of man, set your face toward Sidon, and prophesy against her 22 and say, Thus says the Lord God:

“Behold, I am against you, O Sidon,

and I will manifest my glory in your midst.

And they shall know that I am the Lord

when I execute judgments in her

and manifest my holiness in her;

23 for I will send pestilence into her,

and blood into her streets;

and the slain shall fall in her midst,

by the sword that is against her on every side.

Then they will know that I am the Lord.

24 “And for the house of Israel there shall be no more a brier to prick or a thorn to hurt them among all their neighbors who have treated them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the Lord God.

Israel Gathered in Security

25 “Thus says the Lord God: When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and manifest my holiness in them in the sight of the nations, then they shall dwell in their own land that I gave to my servant Jacob. 26 And they shall dwell securely in it, and they shall build houses and plant vineyards. They shall dwell securely, when I execute judgments upon all their neighbors who have treated them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God.” Ezekiel 28: 20-26

Ezekiel 28: 20-26

13Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. 15And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades!… Luke 10: 13-15

20-24 Set your face toward Sidon - Now Sidon and Tyre are often stated together, and in earlier passages we see that they provided labor to Tyre, and that Sidon was a close neighbor, tied to Tyre's trade. 

Sidon “was a great city in Joshua’s time, Joshua 11:8, 19:28, and built by Sidon, Canaan’s son, Genesis 10:15 1 Chronicles 1:13; a famous mart full of merchants, like Tyre, and as full of sin as riches.” (Poole)

ii. “In Ezekiel’s day, Sidon was not a very important state. In comparison with Tyre, its neighbor 40 km. (15 mi.) to the south, Sidon was insignificant though once it had been a formidable power.” (Vawter and Hoppe)

And I will manifest My glory in your midst - God is sovereign above all the universe, so how much more above something as small as our planet or minute as one of it's cities. In the past passages we have looked at individuals, Lucifer in particular, who would try to rob God of His glory, but let's examine the effect of these upon God's glory.

1. When sin entered the world it showed or revealed God's otherliness, the glory of His holiness, for He never wavered, never stepped down from righteousness. His holiness was eternal, infinite, and now contrasted by evil.

…21Does not the potter have the right to make from the same lump of clay one vessel for special occasions and another for common use? 22 What if God, intending to show His wrath and make His power known, bore with great patience the vessels of His wrath, prepared for destruction? 23What if He did this to make the riches of His glory known to the vessels of His mercy, whom He prepared in advance for glory—… Romans 9: 21-23

2. When God judges sin it is to the glory of His justice, that what He calls sin He remains infinitely opposed to. This applies to everyone who sins, those who have received light and not, let our words match our deeds.

Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. 2 We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. 3 Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. Romans 2: 1-5

3.When God forgives sinners, it is to the glory of His mercy. 

He will render to each one according to his works: 7 to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8 but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. 9 There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. 11 For God shows no partiality. Romans 2: 6-11

…12On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”  Matthew 9: 12-13

…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

4. When sinners come to God for forgiveness it is to the glory of His grace, and it shows Him sovereign in salvation. It is the greatest miracle, new birth, the gift of faith. It is to His glory that sinners receive this gift of repentance. 

…6Flesh is born of flesh, but spirit is born of the Spirit. 7 Do not be amazed that I said, ‘You must be born again.’ 8The wind blows where it wishes. You hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”…John 3: 6-8

…7in order that in the coming ages He might display the surpassing riches of His grace, demonstrated by His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9not by works, so that no one can boast.… Ephesians 2: 7-9

5. When He punishes sin it is justice, yet when shows mercy He does not expel justice. It is to the glory of His great love that He furnishes such a way to hold both His holiness in tact, and yet redeem the elect, and this all in the sacrifice of His Son. This is the glory of redemption. That history has not ended all rests upon the righteousness of Christ, and the predicted sacrifice of Him for our sin, which sacrifice He fulfilled at the cross.

1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;… Romans 5: 1-3

…20Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ: Be reconciled to God. 21God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5: 20-21

…4because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 5Therefore, when Christ came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You prepared for Me. 6In burnt offerings and sin offerings You took no delight.… Hebrews 10: 4-6

Then they will know that I am the Lord - The God that cursed the world after the fall of Adam and Eve, those He had put over the earth, it's representative heads, human kind, when they fell it took all of Creation with them. Now this God has done so against that parasite called sin, that which is beneath His glory, deluded and against His perfect order, He has promised to rid the world of it. When God comes to judge then they will know why and Who He is, for it is given to all to die and then the judgment. Oh that we would look upon His judgments in history and repent. 

12See to it, brothers, that none of you has a wicked heart of unbelief that turns away from the living God. 13But exhort one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. 14We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly to the end the assurance we had at first.… Hebrews 3: 12-14

Brier to prick or a thorn to hurt them - Now some will insist that this has already been fulfilled in the predicted return from Babylon, but any student of the Bible will recognize that they were still agitated by the people of the land. This looks forward to a time of perfection, of Messianic rule, when Christ brings peace. Israel's neighbors are still a thorn to them to this day, but miraculously they are a nation once again, though Tyre is no longer a great port or power. Now many that insisted upon this were initially before the time of modern Israel, and yet even now their replacement theology has gained popularity once again. God is not done with the nation of Israel, and one day He will remove both the threat and the ungodly influence of her neighbors.

25-26 When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered - This was predicted back in Moses time, when they were heading in to the promised land, after their deliverance from the Egyptian captivity. They went under Assyrian captivity in the north, Babylonian, Persian and Roman, yet in these modern times they have come back to Israel from all over the world, to be recognized once again.

…2and when you and your children return to the LORD your God and obey His voice with all your heart and all your soul according to everything I am giving you today, 3then He will restore you from captivity and have compassion on you and gather you from all the nations to which the LORD your God has scattered you. 4Even if you have been banished to the farthest horizon, He will gather you and return you from there.… Deuteronomy 30: 2-4

…2Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says about the shepherds who tend My people: “You have scattered My flock and driven them away, and have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of your deeds, declares the LORD. 3Then I Myself will gather the remnant of My flock from all the lands to which I have banished them, and I will return them to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and multiply. 4I will raise up shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or dismayed, nor will any go missing, declares the LORD.… Jeremiah 23: 2-4

They shall dwell securely - History has proven that there is no long term security for any nation as a whole, not under any system designed and ruled by fallen creatures. This looks forward to a Millennial Kingdom ruled by Christ. 

…23How miserable those days will be for pregnant and nursing mothers! For there will be great distress upon the land and wrath against this people. 24 They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive into all the nations. And Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. 25There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among the nations, bewildered by the roaring of the sea and the surging of the waves.… Luke 21: 23-25

1Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the Abyss, holding in his hand a great chain. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3And he threw him into the Abyss, shut it, and sealed it over him, so that he could not deceive the nations until the thousand years were complete. After that, he must be released for a brief period of time.… Revelation 20: 1-3

…9They will neither harm nor destroy on all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the sea is full of water. 10 On that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples. The nations will seek Him, and His place of rest will be glorious. 11On that day the Lord will extend His hand a second time to recover the remnant of His people from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.… Isaiah 11: 9-11

God’s glory will be shown on the last day when He executes final judgment. On that day, the whole world will see His righteousness as everything is set right and the wicked get the justice they deserve. Let us give glory to God for His justice and pray that the day on which that justice is fully revealed comes quickly. - Ligonier Ministries