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In the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, some of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the LORD, and sat before me.
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Then the word of the LORD came to me:
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“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, I will not let you inquire of Me, declares the Lord GOD.
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Will you judge them, son of man, will you judge them? Make known to them the abominations of their fathers,
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and say to them: Thus says the Lord GOD: On the day I chose Israel, I swore to the offspring of the house of Jacob and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt; I swore to them, I am the LORD your God!
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On that day I swore to them to bring them out of the land of Egypt into the land that I had chosen for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands.
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And I said to them: Let each one cast away the detestable things of his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am the LORD your God.
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But they rebelled against Me and would not listen to Me; none of them cast away the detestable things of his eyes, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I intended to pour out My wrath upon them and to spend My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.
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But I acted for the sake of My name, so that it should not be profaned before the nations among whom they lived. In the sight of the nations I made Myself known to them by bringing them out of the land of Egypt.
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So I brought them out of the land of Egypt and led them into the wilderness.
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There I gave them My statutes and made My ordinances known to them, which, if a person does them, he shall live by them.
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Moreover, I also gave them My Sabbaths as a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them.
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But the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness; they did not walk in My statutes and they rejected My ordinances, which, if a person does them, he shall live by them. They also greatly profaned My Sabbaths. Then I intended to pour out My wrath upon them in the wilderness, to destroy them.
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But I acted for My name’s sake, so that it should not be profaned before the nations, in whose sight I had brought them out.
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Yet I also 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 beautiful of all lands,
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because they rejected My statutes and did not walk in My ordinances, but profaned My Sabbaths; for their heart went after their idols.
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Nevertheless My eye spared them, so that I did not destroy them or make an end of them in the wilderness.
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Then I said to their children in the wilderness: Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, and do not keep their ordinances, and do not defile yourselves with their idols.
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I am the LORD your God: walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and do them faithfully,
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and hallow My Sabbaths, that they may be a sign between Me and you, so that people may know that I am the LORD your God.
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But their children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes and did not faithfully keep My ordinances, though the one who does them shall live; they also profaned My Sabbaths. Then I intended to pour out My wrath upon them, to spend My anger against them in the wilderness.
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But I withdrew My hand and acted for My name’s sake, so that it should not be profaned before the nations, in whose sight I had brought them out.
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Yet I also swore to them in the wilderness that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them through the lands,
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because they did not do My ordinances, but rejected My statutes and profaned My Sabbaths, and their eyes were always set on their fathers’ idols.
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So I also gave them statutes that were not good and ordinances by which they could not live.
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I let them become defiled through their gifts, in that they offered up in the fire all that first opens the womb, so that I might make them appalled, in order that they might know that I am the LORD.
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Therefore speak to the house of Israel, son of man, and say to them: Thus says the Lord GOD: In this also your fathers blasphemed Me, by dealing treacherously with Me.
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For after I had brought them into the land that I had sworn to give them, they looked on every high hill and on every leafy tree, and there they offered their sacrifices and brought their offerings that provoked grief, and there they also sent up their pleasing aromas and poured out their drink offerings.
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Then I said to them, What is this high place to which you go? So its name is called High Place to this day.
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Therefore say to the house of Israel: Thus says the Lord GOD: Will you defile yourselves also in the way of your fathers and play the harlot by following their detestable idols?
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When you bring your offerings, in making your sons pass through the fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. And shall I let you inquire of Me, O house of Israel? As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I will not let you inquire of Me any longer.
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What comes into your mind shall never happen, when you say, Let us be like the nations, like the families of the lands, to serve wood and stone.
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As I live, declares the Lord GOD, surely with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out I will rule over you.
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I will bring you out from among the peoples and gather you out of the lands where you are scattered, with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out,
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and I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will enter into judgment with you face to face.
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As I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you, declares the Lord GOD.
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I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant.
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I will purge from among you the rebels and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the land where they live as foreigners, but into the land of Israel they shall not enter. And you shall know that I am the LORD.
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As for you, O house of Israel, thus says the Lord GOD: Go, every one of you, serve his idols. But afterward you will listen to Me and no longer profane My holy name with your offerings and your idols.
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For on My holy mountain, on the high mountain of Israel, declares the Lord GOD, there in the land the whole house of Israel, all of it, shall serve Me. There I will accept you, and there I will require your special offerings and the choicest of your gifts, all that you consecrate.
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As a pleasing aroma I will accept you when I bring you out from among the peoples and gather you from the lands where you have been scattered; and I will show My holiness in you before the nations.
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And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I bring you into the land of Israel, into the country that I swore to give to your fathers.
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There you will remember your ways, and all your deeds by which you defiled yourselves, and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for all the evil things that you have done.
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And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I deal with you for My name’s sake, not according to your evil and corrupt ways, O house of Israel, declares the Lord GOD.”
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Then the word of the LORD came to me:
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“Son of man, set your face toward the south, and speak against the southland; prophesy against the forest land in the south;
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and say to the forest of the south: Hear the word of the LORD: Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will kindle a fire in you, and it shall devour every green tree in you and every dry tree. The blazing flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from south to north shall be scorched by it.
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And all flesh shall see that I, the LORD, have kindled it; it shall not be quenched.”
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Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD, they say of me, ‘Is he not just speaking in riddles?'”
🔥📜🌲 Summary of Ezekiel 20 – The History of Israel’s Rebellion and God’s Patience
Ezekiel 20 is a retelling of Israel’s history of rebellion from Egypt to the exile, spoken by God to the elders who came seeking an answer. Yet, God refuses to answer them directly and instead reminds them of the long record of sin, idolatry, and stubbornness in His people. Even so, God still declares His faithfulness and promise of restoration, not because of Israel’s goodness, but for the sake of His name’s glory.
📌 1. The Lord Rejects the Elders’ Inquiry (verses 1–4)
➡️ The elders of Israel came to Ezekiel to seek the Lord’s guidance
➡️ The Lord refused: “I do not want to give you an answer!”
➡️ Instead, the Lord told Ezekiel to remind them of the history of their sin
🎯 Those who keep living in rebellion cannot expect spiritual guidance from the Lord.
📌 2. Rebellion in Egypt (verses 5–9)
➡️ The Lord chose Israel in Egypt, revealed Himself, and promised to bring them out
➡️ But they had already been worshiping idols since Egypt!
➡️ The Lord wanted to punish them, but withheld His anger for His name’s sake.
🎯 The Lord is patient, yet even early sin is still recorded.
📌 3. Rebellion in the Wilderness by the First Generation (verses 10–17)
➡️ The Lord gave the law and the Sabbath day — a sign of the covenant
➡️ They rejected the Lord’s law and profaned the Sabbath
➡️ The Lord wanted to destroy them, but still restrained Himself for His name’s sake
🎯 The Lord is faithful to the covenant, even when His people are unfaithful.
📌 4. The Second Generation in the Wilderness Also Sinned (verses 18–26)
➡️ Their children also were disobedient, worshiped idols, and profaned the Lord’s law
➡️ The Lord gave them over to harmful statutes (as a form of judgment)
🎯 Hardness of heart repeated brings fatal consequences.
📌 5. Rebellion in the Promised Land (verses 27–32)
➡️ After entering the land of Canaan, they still committed spiritual adultery by worshiping local idols
➡️ They even planned to mix their worship with the customs of the pagan nations
➡️ The Lord declared: “No, you shall not become like the other nations!”
🎯 The Lord requires exclusive faithfulness, not syncretistic worship.
📌 6. Promise of Restoration and Purification (verses 33–44)
➡️ The Lord will judge them and bring them into the wilderness of the nations
➡️ There, He will sift His people, separating out the rebels
➡️ Then the Lord will bring them back to His land and restore them
➡️ They will be ashamed of their sins and worship the Lord sincerely
🎯 True restoration comes after repentance and purification by the Lord.
📌 7. Prophecy of the Fire of Judgment (verses 45–49)
➡️ The Lord commands a prophecy about the forest in the south that will be burned by the fire of His wrath
➡️ This fire symbolizes complete judgment
➡️ The people respond with scorn: “He is only speaking in parables”
🎯 They mock the prophecy, but judgment will still come.
📖 Main Teaching
- The Lord reveals the history of sin not to shame, but so that there may be repentance
- The Lord’s patience is not weakness, but an opportunity to repent
- Syncretistic (mixed) worship is not accepted by the Lord
- Restoration comes only after judgment and purification
- The Lord is faithful to His promise for the glory of His name, not because of human worthiness
✨ Spiritual Meaning (New Testament)
📖 1 Corinthians 10:1–12
➡️ Paul reminds the church not to repeat Israel’s rebellion in the wilderness
📖 “Now these things happened as examples for us…”
📖 2 Timothy 2:13
➡️ “If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.”
📖 Hebrews 3:8–10
➡️ “Do not harden your hearts as in the time of rebellion…”
📖 Titus 2:14
➡️ Christ “purifies for himself a people of his own…”
🎯 All of this confirms: God desires a people who are faithful, pure, and unmixed.
🕊️ “I do not want to give you an answer.” – Ezekiel 20:3
🕊️ “I act for the sake of my name, so that my name will not be profaned.” – Ezekiel 20:9,14,22
🕊️ “I will sift you in the wilderness of the nations.” – Ezekiel 20:35
🕊️ “You will remember your evil ways and feel ashamed.” – Ezekiel 20:43
