Ezekiel 7:20

Ezekiel 7:20 says, As for the beauty of his ornament, he set it in majesty: but they made the images of their abominations and of their detestable things therein: therefore have I set it far from them.  God was speaking about the temple now.  It had been a beautiful house of God and the people of Israel thought it would bring them protection, but they had polluted it with false gods and false teachings.  No matter how beautiful the temple was, if God had been left out of the worship that was going on there, it offered no sanctuary from the forces of the world.  We may have a beautiful church sanctuary, but if we are worshipping false gods or are not teaching and obeying God’s word, it will never be a sanctuary from the evil of the world. God said He set the temple far from them, which happened when they were in captivity.  If we start to worship false gods in our church buildings, we will be far away from God, and He may let us stay there.   

Verse twenty-one adds, And I will give it into the hands of the strangers for a prey, and to the wicked of the earth for a spoil; and they shall pollute it.  God said He was going to give the temple over to strangers and that they would pollute it, which was really better than God’s chosen people polluting it.  The strangers would not understand all that the temple represented, whereas the people of Israel should have, but they had polluted it.  When the people of Israel polluted the temple with idols and false teachings, the temple was just a beautiful building, because God wasn’t there. No matter how beautiful our sanctuaries may be, if God is not the focus of our worship service when we gather in His name in word only, it is just a beautiful building,   

Verse twenty-two continues, My face will I turn also from them, and they shall pollute my secret place: for the robbers shall enter into it, and defile it.   God said He was going to turn His face away from the temple and that these strangers, who were the Chaldeans, would pollute the temple, even God’s most holy place, and that they would take everything that was used in worship to enrich themselves. They would see them as no more than any other gold and silver, and if they weren’t being used to worship and glorify God, they really weren’t any different.  Our body as followers of Christ is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and we need to do all that we can to never pollute it. 

 

Ezekiel 7:16

Ezekiel 7:16 says, But they that escape of them shall escape, and shall be on the mountains like doves of the valleys, all of them mourning, every one for his iniquity.  Ezekiel said that those who escaped would be on the mountain mourning for their iniquity. Matthew Henry says that those who escaped would die a thousand deaths whereas those who had been killed would only die once.  They would live in solitude and never find peace of mind. If we are not following God's will in our life, then we will never have peace of mind and may at times may feel like we are all alone in the world.    

Verse seventeen adds, All hands shall be feeble, and all knees shall be weak as water.  Not only would they be suffering from grief, but they would be physically weak as well.  We should never believe that we are strong enough to live without God’s help, because he can quickly take our strength away.  We should always look to God for our strength, and when we don’t, we will always be spiritually weak, even if we are physically strong.   

Verse eighteen continues, They shall also gird themselves with sackcloth, and horror shall cover them; and shame shall be upon all faces, and baldness upon all their heads.  God said that the people of Israel instead of being clothed in fine clothes would be clothed in sackcloth, which was a sign of mourning.  God had given them a great nation where they had everything they needed, but they had turned away from Him, so now all they had left was clothes of mourning.  When we become a Christian, God gives us everything we need to live a prosperous spiritual life, but if we claim to be a Christian without truly accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we will one day be sent away to everlasting mourning.   

Verse nineteen concludes, They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity.  God said that their silver and gold would do them no good, but in fact would have been a stumbling block to them.  We may have all the wealth that we can imagine in the world, but it will not save us and at times may even be a stumbling block to our being saved.  

Ezekiel 7:11

 Ezekiel 7:11 says, Violence is risen up into a rod of wickedness: none of them shall remain, nor of their multitude, nor of any of their's: neither shall there be wailing for them.  God said that violence had risen up into a rod of wickedness because of the people of Israel rejecting Him.  We may not have a rod to punish us if we do not put our faith in God in this lifetime, but when God comes in judgment, He will send His rod of punishment on us.   

Verse twelve adds, The time is come, the day draweth near: let not the buyer rejoice, nor the seller mourn: for wrath is upon all the multitude thereof.  Ezekiel said the day had come for the people of Isreal to be punished for their iniquity. This was to apply to all the people of Israel, or the united tribe.  None would be spared from God’s judgment.  God’s judgement is closer than it has ever been, and when it comes, none will be spared.  We will either be pronounced not guilty by putting or faith in Jesus Christ or we will be pronounced guilty if we haven’t.  

Verse thirteen continues, For the seller shall not return to that which is sold, although they were yet alive: for the vision is touching the whole multitude thereof, which shall not return; neither shall any strengthen himself in the iniquity of his life. God said that His word was true and that no one could change it.  His word would accomplish what He said it would, and it would never come back to Him void.  We can be certain that God’s word will always come to pass, and it will apply to all people, whether they believe it or not.   

Verse fourteen states, They have blown the trumpet, even to make all ready; but none goeth to the battle: for my wrath is upon all the multitude thereof.  God said that the trumpet calling them to battle had sounded but that no one responded to it. Even those who might have responded didn’t have the courage to engage in battle.  When God’s trumpet sounds at the return of Jesus Christ in judgment, no one will be able to withstand His judgment.   

Verse fifteen adds, The sword is without, and the pestilence and the famine within: he that is in the field shall die with the sword; and he that is in the city, famine and pestilence shall devour him.  God said that no one would be spared from the coming judgment.  Those in the field would die by the sword in the field, and those who were in the city, where they thought they were safe from the sword, would die of famine. When God’s judgment comes, there will be no place for those who haven’t put their faith in Jesus Christ where it does not apply, even if we think we are somehow exempt.       

Ezekiel 7:7

Ezekiel 7:7 says, The morning is come unto thee, O thou that dwellest in the land: the time is come, the day of trouble is near, and not the sounding again of the mountains.  God said that the time of trouble had now come to the people of Israel because of their rebellion against Him.  God is not a God Who just acts arbitrarily, but He is faithful to bless those who put their faith in Him, but He will also allow those who don’t to be punished, whether in this world or the one to come.  We can put our faith in God’s word being true, but the question is will we believe Him and accept His gift of salvation or continue to live our life as though His word is not true.     

Verse eight adds, Now will I shortly pour out my fury upon thee, and accomplish mine anger upon thee: and I will judge thee according to thy ways, and will recompense thee for all thine abominations.  Ezekiel was told he was to further warn the people of Israel that God was shortly going to pour out His anger on them because even in their distress they still refused to repent and return to Him in obedience.  As followers of Christ, we often say that God’s judgment day is near, but we need to live as though we believe it and be witnessing to the lost and dying world before it is too late.  Our concern should not be on the day that this will happen but on the fact that it will.  

Verse nine continues, And mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: I will recompense thee according to thy ways and thine abominations that are in the midst of thee; and ye shall know that I am the Lord that smiteth.  God continued by saying that He would no longer have pity on, or I believe we could say, show mercy to, the people of Isreal because they had continually rejected His mercy. God will never send anyone to hell just because He chooses to, but He will allow them to go there because they have rejected His gift of salvation.  The choice will always be ours as to where we spend the rest of eternity.   

Verse ten concludes, Behold the day, behold, it is come: the morning is gone forth; the rod hath blossomed, pride hath budded.  God told Ezekiel to tell the people that the day of judgment had come, and they had been found guilty.  When God’s day of judgment comes, we will either be found not guilty by having put our faith in His only begotten Son Jesus Christ, or we will be found guilty if we haven’t.