Chapter 6 – Ezekiel

God instructed Ezekiel to set his face towards the mountains of Israel and prophesy against them, saying:

…”O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God! Thus says the Lord God to the mountains, to the hills, to the ravines, and to the valleys: “Indeed I, even I, will bring a sword against you, and I will destroy your high places. 

⁴ Then your altars shall be desolate, your incense altars shall be broken, and I will cast down your slain men before your idols. 

⁵ And I will lay the corpses of the children of Israel before their idols, and I will scatter your bones all around your altars.

 ⁶ In all your dwelling places the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate, so that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, your idols may be broken and made to cease, your incense altars may be cut down, and your works may be abolished. 

⁷ The slain shall fall in your midst, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

Ezekiel 6:3-7

But God would leave a remnant, and those who remain will remember Me among the nations where they have been carried into captivity. All of this has come about because God was grieved by their adulterous hearts that turned away from Him, and by their eyes that lusted after foreign idols.

Then those who remain will know that I am the LORD, and that I have not spoken in vain—for all this calamity will surely come upon Israel.

God also instructs Ezekiel to pound his fists and stamp his feet and say:

…”for all the evil abominations of the house of Israel! For they shall fall by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. ¹² He who is far off shall die by the pestilence, he who is near shall fall by the sword, and he who remains and is besieged shall die by the famine. Thus will I spend My fury upon them. ¹³ Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when their slain are among their idols all around their altars, on every high hill, on all the mountaintops, under every green tree, and under every thick oak, wherever they offered sweet incense to all their idols. ¹⁴ So I will stretch out My hand against them and make the land desolate, yes, more desolate than the wilderness toward Diblah, in all their dwelling places. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.

Ezekiel 6:11-14

God’s judgment toward Israel was set. For many years they had followed the ways of idols instead of worshiping the one true God who had chosen them from among all nations to be His people—an example to the whole world. Yet the nation failed; they abandoned God, dishonored His commandments and statutes, and did not revere Him. Therefore, judgment was inevitable.

This should serve as a lesson to us. If God’s judgment came upon Israel, how should we be living in light of the judgment that is yet to come when Jesus returns? All of this is a foreshadowing of things to come. Let us be ready and remain faithful to God, for as He reiterates in this chapter: when judgment comes, all will know that I am the Lord, and that He does not act in vain.

Stay Blessed!