Ezekiel 4-7 Judgment on Jerusalem and Judah

931 BC Solomon dies and the Israel splits into two (2) Kingdoms
Northern Kingdom - 10 Tribes - Known as Israel
Southern Kingdom - 2 Tribes - Known as Judah

Ezekiel was taken 721 BC Northern Tribe (Israel) taken into Assyrian Captivity
on the second Still lost after all these years
deportation. He 605 BC Southern Tribe (Judah) taken into Babylonian Captivity
would prophesy
for 20 years. The two tribes are Judah and Benjamin. This begins
Many Jews were 70 years of captivity (605 BC to 536 BC). Jehoiachin
not allowed to
read the Book of
is King and did evil in the sight of the Lord.
Ezekiel until the He only reigned 3 months when Nebuchadnezzar came up
age of 30, against Jerusalem (II Kings 24:8)
because of his
extravagant
analogies and 597 BC Ezekiel taken into captivity into Babylon. Chapter 11
boisterous refers to "good figs and bad figs". These people that
visuals. go during this time are the "good figs".
This is the 70
THESE ARE PROMISED A RETURN FROM EXILE
years of
(Ez. 14:22-23)
Babylonian Zedekiah is left to rule over the remnant- "bad figs".
captivity for the See Jeremiah 24:8-10
Southern
Kingdom of Judah. 593 BC Ezekiel begins to prophecy while in Babylon.

588 BC On January 15, 588 BC, Nebuchadnezzar began the seige

Many exiles did of Jerusalem. Ezekiel becomes mute and is not allowed
not return to the to prophecy by God.
land because they
had established
lives in Babylon. 587 BC Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem is burned down on the
Not Good!!! 10th of Loos.

586 BC Jerusalem is completely destroyed. The Kingdom of Judah

was taken completely captive. Zedekiah was deported,
forced to watch his sons and soldiers killed, and then he
was blinded. This happened because Zedekiah rebelled
against Nebuchadnezzar and made a deal with Pharoah
of Egypt. God was angry with Zedekiah because he made
a covenant with Nebuchadnezzar invoking the name of God.
Jeremiah had warned Zedekiah of disaster because he
broke this covenant.

585 BC On January 8, 585 BC, somone comes to Ezekiel and

tells him that all these prophecies have been fulfilled and
suddenly Ezekiel is no longer mute. (See Ez 3)

536 BC Cyrus issues a decree to allow the captives back into the
city of Jerusalem. See Ezra chapter 1
 Ezekiel 4-7 Judgment on Jerusalem and Judah

Ezekiel 4-24 covers the Judgment on Jerusalem and Judah.

It is broken down as such:
Ch 4-7 Symbolic Actions
Ch 8-11 Ezekiel’s first “temple vision”
Ch 12-14 Idolatry will be punished
Ch 15-23 Parables and Metaphors
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Today I will be touching on Ezekiel 4-7
(I really try not to make these long each Friday, but sometimes it is hard. That is why I give you the option of being able to print it
out in my BlogFrog Community, it may be easier to read that way).

Even though Ezekiel is far away from Jerusalem in Babylon, he is given prophetic warnings to those who are still
residing in Israel about the coming invasion. At the time, there were false prophets telling the people there would
be peace, but God tells the people that disaster is coming. Sounds like the world today telling us we are working
towards peace, but as Christians the book of Revelation tells us it is going to get worse before it gets better. Who
do you believe?
Ezekiel was instructed to take a clay tablet with the city of Jerusalem drawn on it and camp around about it
(Ezekiel 4:2). Ezekiel then took an iron pan to symbolize a wall between him and the city. This was God's
warning through Ezekiel that the Chaldeans would seal off Jerusalem. Do you think anyone was listening to
Ezekiel? Ezekiel 2:4 tells us he was speaking to impudent and stubborn people.
Sin of Israel: (these sins are important to remember because later you will be asking, why is God so angry. Below is WHY.)
And he (God) shall give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who did sin, and who made Israel to sin (1
Kings 14:16). Jeroboam caused the ten tribes to rebel against the authority of the house of David when
Rehoboam, Solomon's son, came to reign.
Simply put: they lacked the fear of God!
Ezekiel 22:3-11
"You shall say, Thus says the Lord God: A city that sheds blood in her midst, so that her time may come, and that
makes idols to defile herself! 4 You have become guilty by the blood that you have shed, and defiled by the idols
that you have made, and you have brought your days near, the appointed time of your years has come. Therefore
I have made you a reproach to the nations, and a mockery to all the countries. Those who are near and those
who are far from you will mock you; your name is defiled; you are full of tumult."
They lacked the Fear of God.
“Behold the princes of Israel in you, every one according to his power, have been bent on shedding blood. Father
and mother are treated with contempt in you; the sojourner suffers extortion in your midst; the fatherless and
the widow are wronged in you. You have despised my holy things and profaned my Sabbaths. There are
men in you who slander to shed blood, and people in you who eat on the mountains; they commit lewdness in
your midst. In you men uncover their fathers' nakedness; in you they violate women who are unclean in their
menstrual impurity. One commits abomination with his neighbor's wife; another lewdly defiles his daughter-
in-law; another in you violates his sister, his father's daughter. In you they take bribes to shed blood; you take
 Ezekiel 4-7 Judgment on Jerusalem and Judah

interest and profit and make gain of your neighbors by extortion; but me you have forgotten, declares the
Lord God.
I don’t know about you, but I get a shiver of fear while reading the sins Jerusalem committed and God’s
punishment. Some (if not all of the sins) are prevalent today.
God then instructed Ezekiel to lay on his left size for 390 days~appox. 13 months (we are not told how long each
day he had to do this). Then lay on his right side for 40 days. Left side symbolized the days of judgment
Jerusalem would have against them and the right side symbolized their time in captivity. (Ezekiel 4:4-6)( In the
BlogFrog community I break down this important calculation).
Symbol of Ezekiel’s sharp sword (Ezekiel 5):
God orders Ezekiel to shave the hairs off his head and his beard, then to distribute them into three parts. God is
using Ezekiel's hair to symbolize how Israel will be defeated. Also shaving the head was a sign of mourning.
1/3 of his hair was to be burned inside the city when the siege is fulfilled
1/3 of his hair was smitten with the knife
1/3 of his hair was to be scattered in the wind and God would draw out a sword against them.
A few strands were to be bound and then cast into fire.
Ezekiel 5: 7-9
Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because you are more turbulent than the nations that are all around you
(meaning the Gentiles), and have not walked in my statutes or obeyed my rules, and have not even acted
according to the rules of the nations that are all around you, therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, even I,
am against you. And I will execute judgments in your midst in the sight of the nations. And because of all your
abominations I will do with you what I have never yet done, and the like of which I will never do again.
God will go to great lengths to make His people understand that He, and He alone, is God.
God’s Judgment (what the distribution of Ezekiel's hairs represented):
1/3 will die by plague and famine
1/3 would die by the sword
1/3 would be scattered (a remnant)
God would make her an object of horror to the nations
God would destroy her with famine, wild beasts, plague and bloodshed.

Chapter 6 is the Destruction Against the Mountains of Israel

In this chapter (now let this sink in, this is important) this describes the lengths to which God will go to make
His people understand that He, and He alone, is God. Yahweh also gives us a truth, He has been hurt. God has
been hurt by the adulterous, idolatrous hearts of His people. Ezekiel 6:9
Even today we wound God when we seek other idols. God reminds us in a powerful way, we may seek advice,
we may go to counsel BUT it is God who will answer us. We have become a society today that makes our idols
look pretty. We study Ezekiel and the judgment upon Israel, but look at our society today....is there much
difference? This should strike fear into those who lack the fear of God and should comfort those who fear God.
Those who fear God know God is a God of justice and that he will not allow evil deeds to go unpunished.
Chapter 7: The Coming of God's Judgment
 Ezekiel 4-7 Judgment on Jerusalem and Judah

God tells Israel he will not spare them of the coming judgment. The entire land will be judged. There will be
famine and pestilence (Ezekiel 7:15), those outside the city will die by the sword (Ezekiel 7:15), the remnant will
flee to the mountains mourn (Ezekiel 7:16), money and possessions will mean nothing (Ezekiel 7:17-22). God
will give the land to the worst of the Gentiles (Ezekiel 7:24). There will be great mourning (Ezekiel 7:25-27).
It is so easy to point our fingers at the sins of Israel, reading through Ezekiel 22:3-11 should be a wake up call.
In the gospel according to Lori (meaning my opinion) we are becoming more and more a nation that does not
fear God. The sad thing is I am mainly talking about Christians here.
Do you fear God more than you fear stepping out of your comfort zone?
Do you fear God enough to realize everything is His (your finances, your children, your spouse )?
Do you fear God more than you fear being persecuted?
I am speaking to myself here today. I know what the "Christian answer" is but God does not want someone that
speaks Christianese, he is after obedient hearts. He knows we are sinners and we will fail, that is why he sent his
son to die on the cross for our sins. Don’t allow Satan to trap you in your sin, forgiveness is offered to you
today. All you need to do is ask.
Discussion Questions:

1. What was the one main sin that lead to all the other sins?

2. In Ezekiel 22:3-11 we saw a list of sins Israel was committing. What are some sins we could add to the list
today?

3. What is the one thing God was trying to communicate to His people? (Ezekiel 6:9)

4. What is some of the idols people today struggle with?

5. Spend some time in prayer asking God to install a healthy Fear of God in your life.