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Ezekiel 20 — God pulls up the group chat history and it's not pretty
12 min read
nocap.bible editorialThe of are sitting in front of , waiting for a word from God. It's the seventh year of — they've been in long enough that the shock has worn off and now they want answers. They've come to "inquire of the Lord," which sounds respectful enough.
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But God is NOT having it. What comes next isn't a comforting word or a hopeful . It's a complete historical breakdown of every time had a chance to get it right and chose to fumble instead. Three generations. Same pattern. Same rebellion. Same holding back the consequences they earned.
So these show up to place, sit down, and wait for God to speak. Seems normal — leaders seeking God's guidance. But God's response through is immediate and blunt.
"You really came here to ask ME something? As I live, I will NOT be inquired of by you. You want answers? Fine — but first, let them hear about the absolute mess their ancestors made."
God essentially tells Ezekiel: don't answer their question. Instead, confront them with their own history. Before they get to ask God anything, they need to reckon with why they're in this position in the first place.
God starts from the very beginning — the day He chose . He made Himself known to the house of Jacob in , swore a to them, and promised to bring them to the most elite land imaginable — a land flowing with milk and honey, the best piece of real estate on earth.
"I told them: get rid of the idols. Stop feasting your eyes on Egypt's fake gods. I am the LORD your God. But they rebelled. Not a single one of them let go of Egypt's idols. I was ready to pour out My wrath right there in the middle of Egypt."
But God held back. Not because deserved it — they absolutely didn't. He held back for the sake of His own name. He'd made Himself known to the nations through , and destroying them in Egypt would have profaned His reputation. So He brought them out anyway.
This is the first time in this chapter we see the pattern: rebels, God is ready to , but grace intervenes — not because of merit, but because of God's character. 💯
God led them out of and into the wilderness. He gave them His — rules designed for life, not restriction. He gave them the as a sign, a weekly reminder that they belonged to the God who makes people holy.
"I gave them rules that would bring LIFE if they followed them. I gave them the Sabbath — a sign between Me and them so they'd know I am the LORD who sanctifies them. But they rebelled in the wilderness too. They rejected My rules, profaned My Sabbaths, and their hearts chased after idols."
Same story, second verse. God was ready to end them right there in the desert. But again — He acted for the sake of His name. He did, however, make a devastating decision: that generation would never enter the . The land flowing with milk and honey, the most glorious of all lands — they forfeited it.
And yet, even in that judgment, God showed restraint. He spared them. He didn't wipe them out completely. His held the door open for the next generation.
God turned to the children — the next generation — and gave them a clear warning:
"Don't follow your parents' playbook. Don't walk in their statutes. Don't keep their rules. Don't defile yourselves with their idols. I am the LORD your God. Walk in MY statutes. Keep MY Sabbaths holy — let them be the sign between us."
Fresh start. slate. Every opportunity to break the cycle. And what happened?
"But the children rebelled against Me too. They didn't walk in My statutes. They didn't obey My rules. They profaned My Sabbaths. I was ready to pour out My wrath on them in the wilderness."
Three generations deep and the same L keeps repeating. God withheld His hand again — for the sake of His name — but this time He swore something heavier: He would scatter them among the nations. The exile they were living through in day wasn't random. It was promised centuries earlier because of this exact rebellion.
(Quick context: Verses 25-26 are among an incredibly difficult in all of . God says He "gave them statutes that were not good." This likely refers to God allowing to follow the consequences of their own choices — handing them over to the horrific practices of the nations around them, including child , so they would see the full devastation of life apart from Him. It's not that God authored , but that He let rebellion run its course.)
Even after God brought their ancestors into the — the land He swore to give them — they found new ways to disrespect Him.
"Everywhere they saw a high hill or a leafy tree, they set up sacrifices. They brought their offerings to every elevated spot they could find — sending up their aromas and pouring out their drink offerings to gods who aren't gods."
God's commentary here is almost sarcastic. He asked them: "What even IS this high place you keep going to?" And the name stuck — Bamah, meaning "high place." Every hill became a shrine. Every tree became a site. They turned the beautiful land God gave them into a landscape of betrayal.
Now God brings it to the present — the sitting right in front of . This isn't ancient history anymore. This is about THEM.
"Will you defile yourselves the same way your fathers did? Will you chase after the same detestable things? You offer your children in fire. You defile yourselves with your idols to this very day. And you think I'm going to let you inquire of Me? As I live, I will NOT be inquired of by you."
This is where the weight of the chapter lands. God isn't just recounting history — He's showing them that they ARE the history. The same rebellion, the same worship, the same pattern stretching across centuries. They came looking for a word from God, but they hadn't dealt with the words He'd already given them.
Then comes an exceptionally intense declaration in all of . thought they could just blend in — assimilate, worship wood and stone like everybody else, become just another nation.
"What is in your mind shall never happen. The thought 'Let us be like the nations' — that's not going to work. As I live, with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out, I WILL be king over you."
This isn't an invitation. It's a declaration. God will gather them from the nations, but not gently — with . He will bring them into a "wilderness of the peoples" and confront them face to face, the same way He confronted their ancestors in wilderness.
"I will make you pass under the rod. I will bring you into the bond of the covenant. I will purge out the rebels from among you. They will leave exile — but they will not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD."
"Pass under the rod" is language — a shepherd counts and inspects each sheep as it passes under his staff. God is saying: every single person will be examined. The faithful will enter the . The rebels will be cut off. No one slips through unchecked. ⚡
After all that judgment, God's tone shifts. Not to softness exactly — more like the heavy resolve of a who has decided to restore what rebellion destroyed.
"Go ahead — serve your idols if you want. But My holy name you will no longer profane with your gifts and your fake worship. On My holy mountain — the mountain height of Israel — ALL of Israel will serve Me. There I will accept them. There I will require your offerings and the choicest of your gifts."
God is painting a picture of full . A day when will worship Him genuinely — not out of obligation or religious performance, but with everything they have. And He will accept them. After centuries of rejection and rebellion, He will accept them.
"You will remember your ways and all the things you did to defile yourselves, and you will loathe yourselves for all the evil you committed. And you will know that I am the LORD — when I deal with you for My name's sake, not according to your evil ways or your corrupt deeds."
The restoration isn't cheap. It comes with a reckoning — not , but profound awareness. They'll look back at their history and be devastated by what they see. True isn't just saying sorry. It's seeing your clearly and being genuinely grieved by it. But even that grief is held inside God's grace — because He acts for His name's sake, not according to what they deserve. 🫶
The chapter closes with a separate but connected prophecy. God tells to face south — toward the — and deliver a message of judgment.
"Say to the forest of the Negeb: Hear the word of the LORD. I will kindle a fire in you that will devour every green tree and every dry tree. The blazing flame will not be quenched. Every face from south to north will be scorched by it. All flesh will see that I the LORD have kindled it. It shall not be quenched."
This is an image of total, unstoppable judgment sweeping from south to north — no one escapes, no one puts it out. The doesn't discriminate between green and dry, and wicked. When God moves in judgment, the whole landscape changes.
response is painfully honest:
"Lord God — they're saying I'm just making up parables. They're not taking this seriously."
Even the felt the weight of being dismissed. He's delivering a profoundly urgent message imaginable, and the people are writing him off as a storyteller. Sometimes the hardest part of speaking truth isn't the message — it's the audience. 💔