FRAMEWORKS:
Ezekiel
7: The End has come
[Preliminary
Comment: Chapters 4 to 7 bring us wave after wave of
condemnation and warning of a coming judgment. This chapter is
again explicit in respect of those judgments.]
v.1-7
The End Has Come – your time is up!
v.8-9
It is God's wrath, anger, no pity
v.10,11
The Instrument of God's correction is now ready
v.12-14
God's wraths falls on every person, commerce will be ended
v.15,16
The three ‘destroyers' will come, just a few will escape
v.17-19
Every heart will go weak with all hope gone
v.20-22
They took pride in their wealth but it will all be stripped
away
v.23-25
Violence, bloodshed & slavery await them
v.26,27
All comfort from authorities will be gone
v.1-7
The End Has Come – your time is up!
v.1
The
word of the LORD came to me :
v.2
“Son
of man, this is what the Sovereign LORD says to the land
of Israel: “‘The end! The end has come
upon the four corners of the land!
v.3
The
end is now upon you, and I will unleash my anger against you.
I will judge you according to your conduct and repay you for all
your detestable practices.
v.4
I
will not look on you with pity; I will not spare you. I will surely
repay you for your conduct and for the detestable practices among
you. “‘Then you will know that I am the LORD.'
v.5
“This
is what the Sovereign LORD says: “‘Disaster! Unheard-of disaster
! See, it comes!
v.6
The
end has come!
The end has come! It has roused
itself against you. See, it comes!
v.7
Doom
has come upon you, upon you who dwell in the
land. The time has come! The day is near! There
is panic, not joy, on the mountains.
[Notes:
There
can be little doubt, with the repetition of these verses, that
time is running out for God's people in the Land of Israel. The
measure of the coming disaster is greater than anything previously
known [v.5] and the threefold declaration, “the end has come”
bolstered by three additional ‘it's coming' warnings leaves nothing
to the imagination.]
v.8-9
It is God's wrath, anger, no pity
v.8
I
am about to pour out my wrath on you and spend my anger against
you. I will judge you according to your conduct and repay you
for all your detestable practices.
v.9
I
will not look on you with pity; I will not spare you. I will repay
you for your conduct and for the detestable practices among you.
“‘Then you will know that it is I the LORD who strikes you.
[Notes:
Verse
8 echoes v.3 and verse 9 echoes verse 4 with a determination to
judge without pity. The state of the land has got so bad, nothing
can hold back the Lord's judgement.]
v.10,11
The Instrument of God's correction is now ready
v.10
“‘See,
the day! See, it comes! Doom has burst forth, the rod has budded,
arrogance has blossomed!
v.11
Violence
has arisen, a rod to punish the wicked. None of the people will
be left, none of that crowd— none of their wealth, nothing of
value.
[Notes:
Further
fuel to the previous warnings, it's almost here – the rod of punishment
had budded, people and prosperity will be swept away.]
v.12-14
God's wraths falls on every person, commerce will be ended
v.12
The
time has come! The day has arrived! Let not the buyer rejoice
nor the seller grieve, for my wrath is on the whole crowd.
v.13
The
seller will not recover the property that was sold— as long as
both buyer and seller live. For the vision concerning the whole
crowd will not be reversed. Because of their sins, not one of
them will preserve their life.
v.14
“‘They
have blown the trumpet, they have made all things ready, but no
one will go into battle, for my wrath is on the whole
crowd.
[Notes:
There
can be no doubts left in these denunciations, this disaster is
going to envelop EVERYONE in the Land.]
v.15,16
The three ‘destroyers' will come, just a few will escape
v.15
Outside is
the sword; inside are plague
and famine. Those in the country will die by
the sword; those in the city will be devoured by famine and plague.
v.16
The fugitives
who escape will flee to the mountains. Like doves of the valleys,
they will all moan, each for their own sins.
[Notes:
The
methods of destruction – sword, plague and famine, seen in 5:12
& 6:11 – are declared again.]
v.17-19
Every heart will go weak with all hope gone
v.17
Every
hand will go limp; every leg will be wet with urine.
v.18
They
will put on sackcloth and be clothed with terror. Every face will
be covered with shame, and every head will be shaved.
v.19
“‘They
will throw their silver into the streets, and their gold will
be treated as a thing unclean. Their silver and gold will not
be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD's wrath. It will
not satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs, for it has caused
them to stumble into sin.
[Notes:
The
terror created will be terrible to behold – and experience! None
of their riches can be used to stave this off.]
v.20-22
They took pride in their wealth but it will all be stripped away
v.20
They
took pride in their beautiful jewelry and used it to make their
detestable idols. They made it into vile images; therefore I will
make it a thing unclean for them.
v.21
I
will give their wealth as plunder to foreigners and as loot to
the wicked of the earth, who will defile it.
v.22
I
will turn my face away from the people, and robbers will desecrate
the place I treasure. They will enter it and will defile it.
[Notes:
All
of the wealth they trusted it will be taken as plunder.]
v.23-25
Violence, bloodshed & slavery await them
v.23
“‘Prepare
chains! For the land is full of bloodshed, and the city is full
of violence.
v.24
I
will bring the most wicked of nations to take possession of their
houses. I will put an end to the pride of the mighty, and their
sanctuaries will be desecrated.
v.25
When
terror comes, they will seek peace in vain.
[Notes:
The
mighty will be brought down and taken in chains.]
v.26,27
All comfort from authorities will be gone
v.26
Calamity
upon calamity will come, and rumor upon rumor. They will go searching
for a vision from the prophet, priestly instruction in the law
will cease, the counsel of the elders will come to an end.
v.27
The
king will mourn, the prince will be clothed with despair, and
the hands of the people of the land will tremble. I will deal
with them according to their conduct, and by their own standards
I will judge them. “Then they will know that I am the LORD.' ”
[Notes:
They
may seek for hope from prophets or priests but there is no hope
for the rulers down to the ordinary people. All fall short in
judgement.]
[Concluding
Note:
Chapter 7 is the last of the five chapters of general warning
and condemnation. Listening to the prophecy of this chapter leaves
no room for hope – destruction is coming on all – death or deportation,
and it is coming soon.]
Continue
to Chapter 8