Day 249 Reading Schedule: Ezekiel 21-22

Ezekiel 21: The Sword of God's Judgement

[Overview]

If the preceding chapters set out the grounds on which the Israelites were to be judged, this chapter gives us the specifics of that judgment. God opens with a prophecy of judgment, revealing that destruction and slaughter will unfold like a fire in a forest against the unrepentant and complaining captives. This section consists of an interpretation of judgment on the south (vv. 1-7), an analogy of God's judgment as a slaughter by the sword (vv. 8-17), a prophecy of imminent judgment by Babylon (vv. 18-27), and a prophecy of judgment on the Ammonites (vv. 28-32).

Ezekiel 22: Jerusalem's Sins

[Overview]

This chapter focuses on the reasons why the people of Israel deserve to be judged. A prominent theological feature of this chapter is that it draws on the Mosaic covenant in identifying the reasons for judgment. This section consists of the cause of the judgment (vv. 1-12), the inevitability of the judgment (vv. 13-16), the purpose of the judgment (vv. 17-22), and the object of the judgment (vv. 23-31). Throughout, the author suggests that Israel's spiritual decline has spread to total corruption, which is undermining the nation's existence.

Ezekiel 23: The Two Harlots

[Overview]

This chapter compares the sins of Samaria and Jerusalem to the adultery of two women. Ezekiel uses the story of fornication to describe Israel's sins to show how filthy and shameful their crimes were. The analogy is based on the idea that the relationship between God and the people of Israel is that of a bridegroom and bride. God loves the people of Israel like a groom loves his bride; nevertheless, the rebellious Israelites can be seen as the equivalent of an adulterous woman. Through his parables, Ezekiel repeatedly emphasizes that both northern Israel and southern Judah are steeped in idolatry and apostasy, and that judgment is inevitable. The extent of Southern Judah's fornication is revealed by the fact that they followed the same course after witnessing the destruction of the Northern Kingdom. This section consists of the identification of the two women (vv. 1-4), a description of Samaria's behavior (vv. 5-10), a description of Jerusalem's behavior (vv. 11-35), and a statement of judgement on their behavior (vv. 36-49).