EZEKIEL 4-5 JUDGMENT ON THE CITY OF JERUSALEM2010 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Ezekiel 4-5 Judgment On The City Of Jerusalem

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2010.

Well, this evening we're in Ezekiel chapter 4. We'll be looking at chapters 4 and 5 this evening as we continue on in the book of Ezekiel. And here as we head on from chapter 4, the next 20 chapters or so are going to be focused on the judgments that God is proclaiming and pronouncing against Jerusalem.

The first three chapters, we really saw the commissioning of Ezekiel, how God called him and enlisted him into this ministry of speaking his word to those captives who were in Babylon. The

The nation of Israel, the nation of Judah had been conquered. The remaining people were taken captive to Babylon. And the nation of Judah, there was still a remnant left. There was still a few people left. And they were rebelling against Babylon. And they were going to be conquered finally for the third time.

while Ezekiel is writing these things. And so there are those who are captive in Babylon. They are under the impression that they are going to be set free. The false prophets are out among them still, even at this point.

And the false prophets are declaring to the people that are in Babylon, and they're saying that Jerusalem and the rest of the people that are there are going to be victorious, they're going to defeat Babylon, and they're going to come and set these captives free and bring them back into the promised land. And the false prophets were filling the minds of the people with these hopes, with these dreams, and convincing them that this is what was going to take place.

But that actually was not what was in store for those people. Instead, what God had said was that Jerusalem is going to be completely leveled and the rest of the inhabitants are going to be brought to Babylon for 70 years of captivity.

And so for the next 20 chapters, we have God's message to the captives, letting them know this is really what's going to take place. This is actually what's going to happen. Those who are telling you otherwise are not telling the truth. Here is really what is in store for the city of Jerusalem that is back there in the promised land. And so as we pick it up in chapter 4, verse 1 says this,

He says,

Set your face against it, and it shall be besieged, and you shall lay siege against it. This will be a sign to the house of Israel. Here God has commissioned Ezekiel. He gives him now this task of laying out this scene for those captives who are in Babylon.

And he tells them to take a tablet and to draw a picture of the city of Jerusalem, probably a map or a layout of the city. And the people, this was the city that they loved, they would know and they would recognize what Ezekiel was drawing. Just like, you know, if we were to draw the map of Corona and you'd see, you know, the circle, the grand circle that goes around, you recognize immediately, oh, okay, that's my hometown, that's Corona. They would recognize

they would see the map that Ezekiel is drawing and they would realize, hey, this is Jerusalem.

And so God tells Ezekiel to take this city of Jerusalem that's portrayed here on this tablet and now he's going to lay siege against it. And so he's to put it on the ground and build up siege ramps against it and kind of make a miniature model of what was actually taking place at the city of Jerusalem as Ezekiel is accomplishing or doing these things.

So the nation of Babylon was laying siege to the city of Jerusalem and it's a great distance away, but God is giving Ezekiel insight into what is happening and what is in store for the city of Jerusalem.

And so Babylon is laying siege to Jerusalem, which means they camp all around it. They keep the people inside. They don't let supplies come in. And so they're starving the people out and putting them in a desperate situation so that they surrender. Why fight the battle and lose lots of men if you can just wait it out and wait for them to surrender or to die of starvation? And so they would build up ramps to climb over the walls once necessary.

It was finally time to enter into the city when the people were weak enough and they would camp all around it. And so Ezekiel is to portray this. He's to kind of demonstrate it and have a miniature model here of what was going to take place there at Jerusalem.

And then God tells him to take an iron plate and set it between him and the city and to set his face against the iron plate. Probably a picture here of the situation that Jerusalem was in where God was not receiving them. He was not looking favorably upon them.

where at one time the blessing that was supposed to be pronounced upon the people from Numbers chapter 6 verse 24 through 26 was, "...the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you." That was a blessing that the priests were to give to the people.

But because of the rebellion of the Jewish people, they have brought themselves to a place where God is against them. He's not shining his face upon them, but there's like an iron wall in between because of their rebellion. That iron wall is not because of God, but it's because of the people and their refusal to obey God and to turn and to listen to him.

And so Ezekiel is laying out this scene for people to look and to see and to understand what is taking place. It's interesting as we look at the book of Ezekiel,

There's a lot of times that we'll see throughout the book where Ezekiel's messages were not just the words that he shared, but the actions that he did. God gave him instructions to kind of play out and to give these visual illustrations for the people to understand what was going on and what God was saying.

Because the people had hardened their hearts and stopped listening to the Lord and to the proclamation, God is seeking to break through and to speak to them visually and to give them these understandings that he would call their attention and cause them to pay attention to what God was speaking to them. I kind of think of it similar to how Jesus spoke in parables in his ministry.

He didn't speak directly and he explained that. He spoke in parables that it was accessible that people could receive it and receive what God was speaking to them if they were willing to hear what God would say. And in the same way, they would look and understand as Ezekiel is demonstrating and playing out these things that God is instructing him to do. And so the city of Jerusalem is going to have a siege around it. Then in verse 4 it says,

Verse 6.

And when you have completed them, lie again on your right side. Then you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days. I have laid on you a day for each year. Therefore you shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem. Your arm shall be uncovered, and you shall prophesy against it. And surely I will restrain you so that you cannot turn from one side to another till you have ended the days of your siege."

Here Ezekiel is laying out this battle scene, this miniature model of what was taking place in Jerusalem. Now God says, and what I want you to do is to lie down next to it. And you're going to lie on your side for a specific amount of time. You're going to lie on your left side for 390 days.

And God is explaining to him that these 390 days represent 390 years. 390 years of iniquity, God is saying. That he is laying on his side, he has this burden placed upon him, he's in this forced position of laying upon his side for this time because of the iniquity of the house of Israel.

Now, if you remember, the nation of Israel was at one time one nation under Saul, David, and Solomon. But after Solomon, the nation was divided into two. And the northern kingdom was called Israel. The southern kingdom was called Judah. And so God talks about the 390 days for Israel and then 40 days that he was to lay on his right side for the nation of Judah and the iniquity of the nation of Judah.

Now because these specific amounts are mentioned, 390 days, 40 days, or 390 years and 40 years, there's been many attempts to try to find out what those years are in reference to, what time of iniquity and what type of sin is God referring to as he's having Ezekiel lay upon his side.

And if you begin to dig into it and research it, as many resources as you use to look up and try to determine what this amounts of time referred to, as many resources you use is as many opinions that you will find about what these numbers refer to and what this time period is referring to.

Really, there's no clear connection to this 390 years and 40 years and what specifically God is referring to. But that's beside the point because God knows what he's referring to. And so he gives Ezekiel this instruction to lay on his side for this amount of time. And he's representing to the people this forced...

that the nation of Judah, the city of Jerusalem, would be in. As the siege is against them, they're forced into this one confined space and they're not able to move from it. And it's a result of their sin. It's a result of their iniquity. And similarly...

Ezekiel is forced into this position. God says there in verse 8, he says, And so he tells Ezekiel, you're going to lay on your left side for 390 days and I'm going to restrain you so that you're not able to

to turn to the other side until it's time so that you're not able to move and to go about freely that I'm going to restrain you, God says, so that you will be in that position for that 390 days.

Can you imagine how uncomfortable that would be to lay in the same position on the same side for 390 days? I mean, that is a long time. That's a year and a month, basically. 13 months that God is calling him to lay on one side. I get very uncomfortable, you know, if I'm too long in bed and I start tumbling.

turning back and forth but that's just you know for a few hours but here Ezekiel is to lay on his side for 390 years and then he's going to lay on his right side for 40 not 390 years 390 days and then he's going to

And then he's to lay on his right side for 40 days, representing years. And he's demonstrating to the people by his actions, by fulfilling these commands, the position and the state of the city of Jerusalem and the siege that is taking place.

You know, it got me to think as God has given Ezekiel this instruction and said, I'm going to restrain you. I'm going to keep you in that uncomfortable position. It began to cause me to question and to wonder, does God have you in an uncomfortable position?

You know, sometimes we have afflictions, we have difficulties, we have things in life that meant they're just really uncomfortable and we wish they were different. We wish circumstances were not what they were. And sometimes we bring on trouble and affliction and put ourselves in those difficult positions. But perhaps God has you in an uncomfortable position for an altogether different reason. Because He wants to speak a message through your life to the people around you.

Perhaps God has you in an uncomfortable position and you try to get out, but it's like God is restraining you. He's keeping you there. And maybe it's not about, you know, that idea that you are in rebellion. Ezekiel was not in rebellion. He was faithful to God. He's God's messenger. But God puts him in this uncomfortable position and holds him there so that the message that God seeks to deliver will be brought forth to the people around him.

And you know, sometimes in our lives, God allows us to go through some very difficult things and put us in some uncomfortable positions. And sometimes it's for an extended period of time that God has us in those uncomfortable positions. But stop and consider, be encouraged if this is you, that it's because God is using that position and those circumstances to speak to the people around you.

Maybe as a spouse, you're in a very uncomfortable position. The marriage just isn't what it's supposed to be. It's just really difficult. It's really incredibly tough. And man, you'd love to be out of that situation. And perhaps you've tried to get out of that situation. It just doesn't seem that God's going to let you out. I'm not talking to you, Richard and Janine. It's too early for that.

But maybe you're just in this uncomfortable position that it's just really difficult. But perhaps God's using that time and that uncomfortable position that He has you in to minister to perhaps your spouse or to other family members. Would you consider it worth it? You know, if you knew in the end, if you knew the end result and the situation that you're in, the uncomfortable position that you're in is a direct...

step or link in the salvation of your spouse or someone close to you or people around you in your family or friends or co-workers or neighbors if you knew ahead of time that this was going to result in someone else coming to the Lord and someone else getting right with God and having eternity with God promised to them

then you would count it worth it. And that's why it's important to remember that God is in control. And sometimes He puts us in these uncomfortable positions, not because of our own faults, but because He wants to speak through our lives to the world around us. And so don't be discouraged in those situations. Take heart and know that God wants to speak through

through your life and he's using these things to accomplish his will and to bring forth his message and that's what we see here with Ezekiel man what an uncomfortable position to be in but what a powerful powerful message that God was bringing forth to his people

Well, that's not the end of what God instructs Ezekiel to do in the time of this siege. It continues on in verse 9. It says,

Here's Ezekiel laying siege to this

and he's drawn out the city of Jerusalem. He's being a picture to the people around him of this siege that's going to take place and being forced into this uncomfortable position and not being able to move. Now Ezekiel is going to also have a similar diet as to what the people of Jerusalem are going to experience during the siege.

And so he's to have this very limited and specific diet as a representation, as a picture of what is actually taking place in Jerusalem.

And so he's to gather these materials together, these foods together, wheat and barley and beans and these different types of things and he's to make them into a bread and eat them. But it says, you know, 20 shekels per day would be the weight of the food that he was to eat. Now 20 shekels per day is not that much. According to different sources, the...

conversion of that into today's weights and measures that we would use, 20 shekels would be about 8 ounces of food. 8 ounces of food. Now, I started thinking, 8 ounces of food, how much is that? And of course, I went immediately to Del Taco. You know, they have the half pound bean and cheese burrito.

That was all that he could eat for the whole day. Could you imagine? For over a year, 390 days on one side, 40 days on the other side, the whole time just eating one bean and cheese burrito from Del Taco every day for that whole time. That's all he could eat.

And you could imagine what that would do to his body. He was going to be in a similar position of those in Jerusalem, starving. He was going to be very in need of more nutrition.

Well, he was also to limit his liquid intake. He said that he was to drink water one-sixth of a hin per day. Now, a sixth of a hin, a hin would be roughly equivalent to our gallon. And so one-sixth of a gallon, or maybe a little bit easier number for us to understand, is a little over two and a half cups of water per day.

So a tiny burrito and two and a half cups of water per day is all that Ezekiel could eat for this duration of the siege. It was going to be a very intense time for him. Again, he was being put in this uncomfortable position by God to speak forth a powerful message that the inhabitants around him, those who were captive in Babylon, that they would have a clear picture and understanding that

this is what's happening in Jerusalem.

The Jews are not going to be victorious over Babylon. They're not going to win Babylon and then come here and set you free. God's word is not going to be overturned. No, God's word is going to be fulfilled. And they were blind to what God was saying. And so he's giving them these pictures through Ezekiel's life to pierce through and to declare to them what was actually going to take place. And it was...

a result of their rebellion against God that they were in this situation. Verse 12. He says, And you shall eat it as barley cakes and bake it using fuel of human waste in their sight. Did you catch that? Let me read that again. And you shall eat it as barley cakes and bake it using fuel of human waste in their sight. Then the Lord said, So shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles where I will drive them.

And so I said, Ah, Lord God, indeed I have never defiled myself from my youth till now. I have never eaten what died of itself or was torn by beasts, nor has abominable flesh ever come into my mouth. Then he said to me, See, I am giving you cow dung instead of human waste, and you shall prepare your bread over it. Whew, right? I mean, I don't see how it's any better, but...

God's giving him cow dung instead of human waste to be the fuel for the fire that bakes his Del Taco burrito that he gets to eat every day. What an incredible, difficult situation Ezekiel is in. But again, God is using him as a picture to the people around him.

This, it just, it's kind of beyond really our scope of being able to reasonably understand. It would be very difficult for us to realistically picture ourselves in this point of desperation. But this is what was going to be taking place in Jerusalem. And God wanted it to be clear to the people what was going on. That they would understand what was taking place.

That they would understand that God's word is being fulfilled. This is a good example for us of the desperation that would take place in the time of a siege. And the desperation that would take place as Babylon is coming against Jerusalem. And as we saw in the book of Lamentations, this is what happens when we rebel against God. This is what rebellion against God brings us to.

Look on in verse 16. He says, Moreover, he said to me, Son of man, surely I will cut off the supply of bread in Jerusalem. They shall eat bread by weight and with anxiety and shall drink water by measure and with dread that they may lack bread and water and be dismayed with one another and waste away because of their iniquity.

The inhabitants of Jerusalem are going to waste away because of their iniquity. They were going to waste away because their bread, they would eat it by measure, God says. And the idea here is that they'd be looking at the rest of their supply.

And it would be, they would be starving, but they would have to eat, but they don't want to eat up their supply. And so it was with agony, with anxiety, they'd be just measuring out, trying to make it last as long as possible. Because here they are trapped in their city while Babylon camps outside waiting to conquer them.

And that's what Ezekiel is picturing for the people. Trying to give them, bring them out of the fantasy that, you know, everything's just going to be okay. And yeah, you rebelled against God, but, you know, don't worry about it. It's no big deal. All the consequences are going to be relieved soon and it's all going to be over. That's what the people were thinking. That's what the false prophets were promoting. But God's saying, no, listen, you're going to be there for a long time. And, and,

The results of your rebellion are severe. And so you need to accept that. You need to not live in the fantasy. You need to turn and to get right with me. He says the inhabitants of Jerusalem are going to waste away because they're not going to have the food and the nourishment that they once had. And so Ezekiel is going to waste away before their eyes. This is the result of sin.

This is the result of us disobeying God and rebelling against God. Sin will cause us to waste away. Proverbs chapter 6 verse 26 puts it this way. It says, For by means of a harlot, a man is reduced to a crust of bread. By means of a harlot, sexual immorality reduces a person to a crust of bread. It just brings us to nothing. It wastes us away.

Rebelling against God has severe effects upon our lives. And that's what's being demonstrated in the life of Ezekiel to the people around him. Well, God continues on with some more visuals for the nation in chapter 5. He says in verse 1, And you, son of man, take a sharp sword, take it as a barber's razor, and pass it over your head and your beard. Then take scales to weigh and to divide the hair.

You shall burn with fire one-third in the midst of the city when the days of the siege are finished. Then you shall take one-third and strike around it with the sword, and one-third you shall scatter in the wind. I will draw out a sword after them. You shall also take a small number of them and bind them in the edge of your garment.

Then take some of them again and throw them into the midst of the fire and burn them in the fire. From there a fire will go out into all the house of Israel. And so Ezekiel is to lay out this siege before them and to demonstrate it and to live it out before the people.

But the siege at some point comes to an end. And so God is saying, when that siege comes to an end, then here's what you're to do. You're to shave off your head, take all the hair off your head, take all the hair off your beard, and then you're to weigh it out and to divide your hair into thirds.

Ezekiel probably had a little bit more hair than I do, so it's a bigger task than if God asked me to do this. But he has to get weights and scales, and can you imagine that's pretty tedious and meticulous work. But he's to weigh out this hair and to separate it into three portions.

And he's to do different things with each portion. And so for one third of his hair, he's going to burn in the fire. And God is using this hair and these portions of hair to represent the people of Jerusalem and what is going to happen to them. And that's basically what chapter five is all about. And so one third of his hair is going to be burned in the fire.

Another third is going to be Ezekiel's to cut it up with his sword or with his knife. And then another third is to be tossed into the wind and to be scattered with the wind.

God said he was to take a small portion and kind of bundle it up in his garment. And it's a beautiful picture of the remnant. God always has those who are faithful to him, those that he preserves, those that continue to walk with him. And so there is to be this small portion. It was just a few that were to be set aside and kept in Ezekiel's garment that would be representative of those who are faithful to God even in the midst of this wicked nation.

And so he's taking off all of his hair and using this now as a picture for the people of what the city of Jerusalem is going to be going through. Again, the false prophets were saying they're going to be victorious. They're going to survive this siege. They're going to survive the attack. Then they're going to come here and set you free.

But God is saying, no, what's really going to happen is the people, well, they're going to be destroyed. And they're going to be destroyed in several different ways, in three different ways specifically. And he will spell that out here in the rest of the chapter. Going on in verse 5, he says, Thus says the Lord God, this is Jerusalem. I have set her in the midst of the nations and the countries all around her.

She has rebelled against my judgments by doing wickedness more than the nations and against my statutes more than the countries that are all around her. For they have refused my judgments and they have not walked in my statutes.

And so God now says,

He's giving a verbal message to go along with the picture of the hair being cut off and weighed out and split up into these different portions. He says, listen, the nation of Jerusalem, the nation of Judah rather, is going to be destroyed. And he explains why.

He says, look, this is Jerusalem. This is what I'm talking about. This is what this is representing. I've set her in the midst of these nations and she has rebelled against me. She has disobeyed me. We're not talking about, you know, they stumbled one time into sin. But we're talking about for hundreds of years, the nation of Judah, the nation of Israel was walking away from God and they knew it.

God was sending prophets to them like Jeremiah, like Isaiah, calling them back to repentance, calling them back to get right with God. And they just continued to refuse. And it brings them to this point where God is saying, I'm bringing judgment upon you. The siege, the attack of Babylon, all of these things that Ezekiel is picturing, these are the results of the people rebelling against God.

He says, she's rebelled against my judgments by doing wickedness. And notice he says there in verse 6 and 7 several times, more than the nations around them. Not only, they kind of had three strikes against them. First of all, strike one, rebelling against God. Now, rebelling against God, it's bad for you. Don't do it.

No matter who you are, no matter what background you have, no matter what upbringing you have, no matter what you know about God, rebelling against God is sin. And it has consequences and it's destructive.

But strike two for these people was the nation of Israel were given the word of God. God gave them his commandments. They were to be his shining light of testimony to the world around them. They were to be the nation that God used to reach the world around them and to shine through them and to speak to the world around them of the hope that they could have in God if they would turn and get right with God.

And so they had entrusted to them the word of God, the commandments of God, the statutes of God, a relationship with God. And yet having this special privilege, they still rebelled against God. It's one thing to rebel against God and to not really know God. It's still sin. It still brings death. It still has severe consequences. But to know God,

to have that relationship with God, to have this special place of privilege that God has given and still rebel, well, that's even worse. But not only that, strike three for these people was that then they took it a step further. And those who didn't have the word of God were not as bad as the nation of Israel.

They didn't just rebel against God as much as the nations around them, but they pushed the envelope even further and rebelled more against God than the nations around them who didn't have the word of God. They were full out in rebellion against God. They were living in sin. They couldn't care less what God had to say to them and for them.

And so they rebelled more than the other nations. And it's as a result of that rebellion that this judgment is coming upon them. Verse 9. He says, And I will do among you what I have never done, and the like of which I will never do again, because of all your abominations.

Therefore fathers shall eat their sons in your midst, and sons shall eat their fathers. And I will execute judgments among you, and all of you who remain I will scatter to all the winds.

Verse 2.

And one third shall fall by the sword all around you. And I will scatter another third to all the winds and I will draw out a sword after them.

And so God continues on to say, look, as a result of your rebellion, you continue to persist in your sin against me. And you've brought me to the point that I'm going to do something that I've never done, God says. And I'm not going to do it again. The results of their abominations, they were so wicked. They brought this judgment upon themselves.

And so now the city of Jerusalem is in this situation as Babylon is laying siege that desperation is so great that fathers will eat their children and children will eat their fathers. This is what they had to do to survive.

What a terrible situation to be put in. And yet, they had brought themselves to this point because God was speaking to them all the way. We saw all through the book of Jeremiah. Up until the very end, God was calling out and saying, listen, you still have a chance. You can still get right with me. It doesn't have to be this way. You don't have to suffer these things. If only you'll turn and get right with me. If only you'll repent.

And what did the people say? No, that's too hard. We don't want to walk with God and follow his statutes. That's too difficult. We'll continue our own way. And now they're reaping the consequences for that decision that they made. And so God says, you've defiled my sanctuary. You've diminished me. And so now I'm going to diminish you.

He says, my eye is not going to spare you. I'm not going to have pity. You are going to receive the consequences and the result of rebelling against me. And so he explains here in verse 12 what the different one-thirds are all about. Ezekiel was to take one-third and put it in the fire, one-third of his hair. He was to take one-third and chop it up with his sword or knife. And then he was to take one-third and throw it into the wind and let it be scattered.

And so God says what that is representing is one third is going to die of famine and pestilence. They're going to be consumed. And just like the hair that was consumed in the fire, there are those who are going to be consumed with famine, with pestilence, and they're going to die as a result. They're not going to survive this siege, this battle.

Then another third was going to be put to death by the sword. They're going to die in battle. They're going to die at the swords of Babylon. And then another third would be scattered from Jerusalem.

One third of the inhabitants would be scattered all over. And he says a sword will be after them. And so they won't just escape and woo, we made it. But they're going to be pursued. They're going to be chased. They're going to be under pursuit and under affliction as a result. This sword is going to be after them and against them. Again, as a result of their rebellion. Verse 13.

Verse 2.

So it shall be a reproach, a taunt, a lesson, and an astonishment to the nations that are all around you when I execute judgments among you in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes. I, the Lord, have spoken. As God is executing these judgments, He's also making it clear. His purpose in doing these things, well, He's using the nations

for what He originally ordained them to be used as. They were to be a witness and a testimony to the world around them. And God says, look, you can do it the easy way or you can do it the hard way. You can do it the easy way. You can follow Me. You can get right with Me. You can walk with Me and have a relationship with Me and experience all that I have in store for you. And you're going to be a witness to the world around Me. Or you can rebel against Me and force Me to bring judgment upon you

And in doing so, the rest of the world is going to know that I am God. And so whether they rebel against God or walk with God, they're going to be a witness for God. He says there in verse 13, no, verse 15, he says that they will be a reproach, a taunt, a lesson, and an astonishment to the nations that are all around. All the nations are going to look and go, wow, that's one powerful God.

We don't want to rebel against that God. They're going to have a clear message sent to them about who God is, what He requires, what He desires. God is going to be glorified. Even the outpouring of God's wrath is going to be used for His glory. Israel would know. He said in verse 13, He says, I'm saying these things and these things are going to happen and they shall know that I the Lord have spoken it in my zeal. And so Israel, who's experiencing these things, they're going to know

God was speaking. God was reaching out to us. God does want to have relationship with us. And the world around them is going to know, wow, that's amazing. That is, well, there is a real God. He really was speaking. It really is important that we get right with Him. And so God is using the nation to speak to the world around them. And He is speaking to them in the midst of the wrath, in the midst of the judgment. He's letting them know, I'm real. I'm real.

God brings judgment. He allows these things to take place. He brings the discipline into our lives. Not because He's angry and He just wants to lash out at us, but because He wants us to know how much He loves us and because He wants to bring us to repentance. When God deals with us in this way,

When God deals with His children in this way, it's so that they can be restored and renewed and have the right relationship with God that He desires. And so God is bringing this nation, these people that He chose, the people of Israel, through this judgment because He loves them.

And He's giving them the opportunity to get right with Him. If God didn't love Israel, He would just have allowed them just to continue on in their sin. He wouldn't have disciplined them. He wouldn't have brought this judgment. They would have just destroyed themselves ultimately. But God did not want them to destroy themselves because He loved them.

And so he brings them through this judgment and they go through 70 years of captivity in Babylon and they come out of Babylon and the thing that got them there was their idolatry. They insisted on worshipping other gods. But when they came out of Babylon and go back to the land, they never again return as a nation again.

to those same idolatries. They have other problems and sins for sure. We see that as Jesus comes on the scene. But for the rest of their history, even to this point, as a nation, they never again turned to other gods like they were before the Babylonian captivity. You see, God was doing a work in them.

If he didn't love them, he would have just let them just continue on. But he's bringing this discipline into their lives, into this nation, so that he can bring them out and take care of that issue that is going on in their heart. And so he's speaking to them. He's saying, look, I want you to know that I've said these things because I love you and I care for you and I want you to get right with me and I'm giving you the opportunity. And at the same time, the nations around would see this testimony of God

As he pours out his wrath upon the nation. Finishing it up in verse 16 and 17. He says,

God says, this is my word. This is what's going to happen. It's going to be brought in three different ways. Fire, sword, and wind. You're going to be consumed with famine. You're going to be put to death by the sword. You're going to be scattered with the wind. That's going to be the result. That's going to be what takes place for the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

It's not going to be like the false prophets say. You can't rebel against God and win. You can't ignore God's word and be successful. You cannot escape what God has declared and what God has promised. And so God is bringing forth His word to be glorified, to deal with His people, to let them know that He is. The worship team is going to come up now and lead us in some worship. And as they do, I would encourage you to consider these things.

I don't know what you're going through and what kind of things are going on in your life right now. God could be speaking to you in a multitude of ways from this passage. Maybe you are like the nation of Judah and you've been in rebellion against God and God's been bringing you through some very difficult judgment circumstances. Know that God is doing this. As He says in Hebrews chapter 12, He disciplines those that He loves.

He's working in our lives to bring us to the point that we get rid of those things that are holding us back and destroying us. He's working in our lives so that we have the opportunity to get right with Him. And so take this time to get right with God. Or maybe you're in an uncomfortable position right now, not because you're in rebellion against God, but because God is speaking to the world around you through your life.

And I would encourage you as we worship the Lord together, take this time to be encouraged, to look to God for strength, to endure whatever duration that is, if it's 390 days or 390 years, that you would be faithful to Him, that you would be faithful to represent Him and to declare the message that He's given to you, to the world around you, that they might have the opportunity to know Him.

Whether we're like Judah and in trouble because of our rebellion or whether we're like Ezekiel and we're faithful but God still is using either one, both of them, to speak His word and to speak His message to the world around because God loves this world and He wants people to get right with Him and He wants them to have that opportunity of salvation. So let's take this time. Whatever camp you find yourself in,

Let's take this time to be encouraged to get right with God and to allow Him to be glorified in our lives. Amen? Let's worship the Lord together.