Ezekiel-20-23-44
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Please Note: Some
alterations or (additions) have been made relating to ‘Names’ and ‘Attributes’
of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, having been corrected
like it once was pre the “Masoretic Text”.
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Remember the following truth from our beloved Torah!
“Ye shall NOT ADD TO
THE WORD which I command you, NEITHER SHALL YE DIMINISH FROM IT, that ye may keep the
commandments of יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֵיכֶם - the LORD your Eloleichem,
which I command you”. Davarim - Deuteronomy 4:2. (JPS-1917).
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With
Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
Introduction:
In this, the second half of Chapter 20, אֱלֹהִים יְהוָה - the LORD Elohim (God) addresses the later generations of
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Let us now read the ‘Text’ of Ezekiel
Chapter 20 verses 23 to 44 together
with ‘Explanations’. (JPS-1917
version of the Tanakh).
Verse 23: “I
lifted up mine hand unto them also in the wilderness, that I would scatter them
among the heathen, and disperse them through the countries;”
Explanation: Long before the Babylonian exile, God had
already sworn that persistent rebellion would result in dispersion. The current
exile was not a surprise, but the fulfillment of a long-standing warning.
Verse 24: “Because
they had not executed my judgments, but had despised my statutes, and had
polluted My Sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers’ idols”.
Explanation: The cause of the scattering is reiterated:
they prioritized the traditions of their “fathers” (idolatry) over the statutes
of their יְהוָה - the LORD.
Verse 25: “Wherefore
I gave them also statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby they should
not live;”
Explanation: This is a difficult verse. Most scholars
suggest this means אֱלֹהִים יְהוָה – “gave them over” to
the laws of the pagans they desired. If they refused His life-giving laws, He
allowed them to suffer the deadly consequences of the laws of the nations.
Verse 26: “And I
polluted them in their own gifts, in that they caused to pass through the fire
all that openeth the womb, that
I might make them desolate, to the end that they might know that I am יְהוָה - the LORD”.
Explanation: They reached the point of sacrificing their firstborn to Molech. אֱלֹהִים - Elohim allowed them to
experience the horror of their own choices so they would eventually realize
that He alone is the source of life.
Verse 27: “Therefore,
son of man, speak unto the house of
Explanation: Ezekiel is told to tell the current
generation that their ancestors’ actions were not just mistakes, but active
blasphemy.
Verse 28: “For
when I had brought them into the land... then they saw every high hill, and all
the thick trees, and they offered there their sacrifices...”
Explanation: Even after entering the “Glory of all lands”,
they used the beauty of the land to set up unauthorized altars (Bamah) to foreign gods.
Verse 29: “Then
I said unto them, What is the high place whereunto ye
go? And the name thereof is called Bamah unto this
day”.
Explanation: A play on words אֱלֹהִים- Elohim ְ
asks, “Where (Mah) are you going (Ba)?” Their
focus was on the place of worship rather than the Object of worship.
Verse 30: “Wherefore
say unto the house of
Explanation: Now the Prophet turns to the elders sitting
before him. He asks: “Are you any different from them?”
Verse 31: “For
when ye offer your gifts... ye pollute yourselves with all your idols, even
unto this day: and shall I be enquired of by you, O house of
Explanation: Because they still held onto their idols in
their hearts, אֱלֹהִים- Elohim again refuses to answer their inquiry.
Verse 32: “And
that which cometh into your mind shall not be at all, that ye say, We will be as the heathen, as the families of the countries,
to serve wood and stone”.
Explanation: This is a powerful decree. The Israelites
thought they could just “blend in” and become like other nations. אֱלֹהִים- Elohim says, “No. I will not let you”.
Verse 33: “As I
live, saith אֱלֹהִים יְהוָה - the LORD
Elohim, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury
poured out, will I rule over you:”
Explanation: אֱלֹהִים- Elohim asserts His kingship. Even if they don't want
Him, He will not let His people go. He will rule them, even if it requires “fury”
to bring them back.
Verse 34: “And I
will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries...”
Explanation: A promise of a “Second Exodus”. This time,
it is not from
Verse 35: “And I
will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with
you face to face”.
Explanation: The “wilderness of the people” refers to the
time of transition and trial where אֱלֹהִים- Elohim will confront His people directly.
Verse 36: “Like
as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the
Explanation: History repeats. אֱלֹהִים- Elohim will use the desert experience to refine the
nation.
Verse 37: “And I
will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the
covenant”:
Explanation: “Passing under the rod” is how a shepherd
counts his sheep to see which belong to the fold. He is sorting the people to
bring them back into a legal and loving relationship.
Verse 38: “And I
will purge out from among you the rebels... they shall not enter into the
Explanation: The judgment is selective. The unrepentant
will be removed, but the “remnant” will move forward.
Verse 39: “As
for you, O house of
Explanation: A sarcastic rebuke. אֱלֹהִים- Elohim tells them if they insist on idols, go all the
way but stop pretending to worship Him at the same time.
Verse 40: “For
in mine holy mountain... there shall all the house of
Explanation: A beautiful vision of the future. On
Verse 41: “I
will accept you with your sweet savour, when I bring you out from the people...
and I will be sanctified in you before the heathen”.
Explanation:
Verse 42: “And ye
shall know that I am יְהוָה - the LORD, when I shall bring you into the
Explanation: Recognition of יְהוָה - the LORD comes through His acts of restoration, not just
through the punishment.
Verse 43: “And
there shall ye remember your ways... and ye shall lothe
yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that ye have committed”.
Explanation: True repentance. When they see אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s goodness, they will finally see the
gravity of their past rebellion.
Verse 44: “And ye
shall know that I am יְהוָה - the LORD, when I have wrought
with you for My Name's sake, not according to your wicked ways, nor according
to your corrupt doings, O ye house of
Explanation: The study concludes as it began. Our hope lies in the fact that אֱלֹהִים - Elohim acts “for His Name's sake”. יְהוָה - the LORD is better to us than we really deserve!
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My Closing Message:
The conclusion of this chapter is one of fierce hope.
It teaches us that
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