The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV, page 394
12:14–16 God’s hand was to be with the enemy as His rod of correction, with only a few left.
12:22 this proverb. Delay had given the people the false impression that the stroke of judgment would never come. In fact, a saying had become popular, no doubt developed by false prophets who caused the people to reject Ezekiel’s visions and prophecies (cf. v. 27) and gave “false divinations” (vv. 23, 24).
12:25 in your days. The prophet is explicit about the present time for fulfillment, i.e., in their lifetime.
Ezekiel 13
13:2 against the prophets. False prophets had long flourished in Judah and had been transported to Babylon as well. Here God directs Ezekiel to indict those false prophets for futile assurances of peace (as Jer. 23) in vv. 1–16. Then His attention turns to lying prophetesses in vv. 17–23. The test of a prophet is found in Deut. 13:1–5 and 18:21, 22.
13:2, 3 heart…spirit. Spurious spokesmen prophesy subjectively out of their minds while claiming to have revelation and authority from the Lord (cf. v. 7).
13:4 like foxes. False prophets did not do anything helpful. Rather, like foxes, they were mischievous and destructive.
13:5 to build a wall. The false prophets did nothing to shore up the spiritual defenses the people so needed in the face of judgment. The enemy had made “gaps” but the false prophets never encouraged the people to repent and return to the Lord. Those who would were called for in 22:30. The “day of the Lord” came in 586 B.C. when the theocracy fell. See note on Is. 2:12.
13:9 A 3-fold judgment is given to the false prophets: 1) they would not be in the council of God’s people; 2) their names would be wiped from the register of Israel (Ezra 2:62); and 3) they would never return to the Land (cf. 20:38).
13:10, 11 builds a wall. False prophets had lulled the people into false security. Phony “peace” promises, while sin continued on the brink of God’s judgment, was a way, so to speak, of erecting a defective “wall” and whitewashing it to make it look good. Such an unsafe “wall” was doomed to collapse (v. 11) when God would bring His storm, picturing the invaders’ assault (v. 11).
13:11–16 These descriptions are all images belonging to the illustration of the wall, not meant to convey real wind, flood, and hail. The Babylonians were the actual destroyers of Israel’s hypocritical false spirituality.
13:17–23 Although women are rebuked by Isaiah (3:16—4:1; 32:9–13) and Amos (4:1–3), this is the only OT text where false prophetesses are mentioned. Sorcery was practiced mainly by women. Jezebel is called a false prophetess in Rev. 2:20.
13:18, 19 charms…veils…handfuls of barley…bread. Apparently these sorceresses employed all these things in their divinations, hunting down souls for their advantage (v. 20).
13:22 with lies. Predators had saddened the righteous by a false message leading to calamity which involved great loss even for them (cf. 21:3, 4). They had encouraged the wicked to expect a bright future, and saw no need to repent to avoid death.
13:23 I will deliver My people. Certainly this was true in the restoration after the 70 years in Babylon, but will be fully true in Messiah’s kingdom. God’s true promise will bring an end to sorcery and false prophecy (cf. Mic. 3:6, 7; Zech. 13:1–6).
Ezekiel 14
14:1–3 elders…came. These leaders came insincerely seeking God’s counsel (v. 3; cf. Ps. 66:18), as God reveals to the prophet, who thus saw through their facade and indicted them for determining to pursue their evil way and defy God’s will. False prophets of chap. 13 were thriving, as the civil leaders and populace whom they represented set a welcoming climate and inclination for the delusions.
14:4 I the LORD will answer. They received no verbal answer, but an answer directly from the Lord in the action of judgment.
14:6 turn away. The Lord answered the two-faced inquiry in only one way, by a call to repent. The seekers were turned away from Him to idols (v. 6b), and He must be turned away from them (v. 8a). The guilty, including both those back at Jerusalem and the exiles tolerating the same things, were to repent, turning away from idols to God.
14:8 The punishment echoed the warnings of Lev. 20:3, 5, 6 and Deut. 28:27.
14:9 induced. God will deceive (entice) a false prophet only in a qualified sense. When one willfully rejects His Word, He places a resulting cloud of darkness, or permits it to continue, hiding the truth so that the person is deceived by his own obstinate self-will. This fits with the same principle as when God gives up Israel to evil statutes (20:25, 26), counsel that they insist on as they spurn His Word (20:24, 26). When people refuse the truth, He lets them seek after their own inclinations and gives them over to falsehood (20:39). This is the wrath of abandonment noted in Rom. 1:18–32 (cf. 1 Kin. 22:20–23; 2 Thess. 2:11).
14:12 The word…came again. Ezekiel answered a deception that God would never judge the people of Judah, since some righteous were among them. God would honor the presence of the godly (vv. 14, 20).
14:13–20 My hand against. God promised 4 acts in His drama of judgment (cf. summary, v. 21). In none could the 3 heroes avert tragedy as advocates. These were: 1) famine; 2) ravages by wild beasts; 3) the sword; and 4) pestilence.
14:14–20 Noah, Daniel, and Job. Jeremiah 7:16 and 15:1–4 provide a close parallel to this passage. According to Jeremiah, even Moses and Samuel, well known for their power in intercessory prayer, would not prevail to deliver Jerusalem and the people. The 3 OT heroes mentioned in this section exhibited power in intercession on behalf of others (cf. Gen. 6:18; Job 42:7–10; Dan. 1, 2) at strategic points in redemptive history, and even they could not deliver anyone but themselves if they were there praying earnestly. Even the presence and prayers of the godly could not stop the coming judgment. Genesis 18:22–32 and Jer. 5:1–4 provide rare exceptions to the principle that one man’s righteousness is no protection for others.
14:22, 23 their ways. An ungodly Jerusalem remnant, brought as captives to join exiled Jews in Babylon, were to be very wicked. Exiles already there, repulsed by this evil, were to realize God’s justness in His severe judgment on Jerusalem.
Ezekiel 15
15:1–3 Then the word…came. Israel, often symbolized by a vine (17:6–10; Gen. 49:22; Jer. 2:21), had become useful for nothing. Failing to do the very thing God set her apart to do—bear fruit—she no longer served any purpose and was useless (v. 2). Other trees can be used for construction of certain things, but a fruitless vine is useless (v. 3). It has no value. In every age the people of God have their value in their fruitfulness.
15:4, 5 thrown into the fire. The burning of the fruitless vine symbolized judgment in the deportations of 605 B.C. and 597 B.C. leading up to the final conquest in 586 B.C. Isaiah made the same analogy in his prophecy (Is. 5:1–7), saying Israel produced only useless sour berries.
15:6–8 Therefore. The prophet applies the symbol to Israel and predicts the desolation of the city and the land. In the time of the Great Tribulation, it will be so again (cf. Rev. 14:18).
Ezekiel 16
16:1–7 This section covers the period from Abraham entering Canaan (cf. Gen. 12) through the exile in Egypt (cf. Ex. 12).
16:1 the word. This longest chapter in Ezekiel is similar to chap. 23, in that both indict Judah as spiritually immoral (v. 2). The story of Israel’s sin and unfaithfulness to the love of God is told in all its sordid, vile character. The chap. is so sad and indicting that some of the ancient rabbis did not allow it to be read in public.
16:3–5 Israel was like an abandoned child. In 16:4–14 we see the history of Israel from her conception to her glory under Solomon.
16:3 birth…Amorite…Hittite. Cf. 16:45. These names identify the residents of Canaan who occupied the land when Abraham migrated there (cf. Gen. 12:5, 6). Jerusalem had the same moral character as the rest of Canaan.
16:4, 5 Israel, in the day of its birth, was unwanted and uncared for.
16:6 Live! The time intended here is probably the patriarchal period of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, when God formed His people.
16:7 thrive. This refers more to the people than to the land. It seems to refer to the time of Israel’s growth during the 430 year stay in Egypt; wild but flourishing and beautiful Israel was “naked,” without the benefits of culture and civilization (Gen. 46-Ex. 12; cf. Ex. 1:7, 9, 12).
16:8–14 This is best taken as the time from the Exodus (Ex. 12ff.) through David’s reign (1 Kin. 2).
16:8 the time of love. This refers to the marriageable state. Spreading his “wing” was a custom of espousal (cf. Ruth 3:9) and indicates that God entered into a covenant with the young nation at Mt. Sinai (cf. Ex. 19:5–8). Making a covenant signifies marriage, the figure of God’s relation to Israel (cf. Jer. 2:2; 3:1ff.; Hos. 2:2–23).
16:9–14 These gifts were marriage gifts customarily presented to a queen. The crowning may refer to the reigns of David and Solomon, when Jerusalem became the royal city. Israel was actually a small kingdom but with a great reputation (cf. 1 Kin. 10). This refers to the time from Joshua’s conquest of Canaan (Josh. 3ff.) through David’s reign (cf. 1 Kin. 2) and into Solomon’s time (before 1 Kin. 11).
16:14 My splendor. The nation was truly a trophy of God’s grace (cf. Deut. 7:6–8). The presence and glory of the Lord provided Jerusalem with her beauty and prominence.
16:15–34 Continuing the marriage metaphor, this section describes the spiritual harlotry of Israel from Solomon (cf. 1 Kin. 11:1) all the way to Ezekiel’s time.
16:15–19 A general summary of the nation’s idolatry as she gave herself to the religious practices of the Canaanites. Every gracious gift from God was devoted to idols.
16:20–22 sons…daughters. This refers to the sacrifices of children to pagan gods (cf. 20:25, 26, 31; 2 Kin. 16:3; 21:6; 23:10; 24:4). God had expressly forbidden this (cf. Deut. 12:31; 18:10). Still, the children were first slain, then burned (cf. Jer. 7:31; 19:5; 32:35; Mic. 6:7) until Josiah’s abolition of it. It had been reinstated in Ezekiel’s day.
16:23–30 This section, partly woe and partly lament, spoke to Judah’s obsession with idolatry and her being influenced by Egypt (v. 26), the Philistines (v. 27), Assyria (v. 28), and Babylon (v. 29).
16:27 ashamed. The wickedness and gross evil of the Jews even scandalized pagan Philistines.
16:29 Chaldea. They even prostituted themselves with the Babylonians (cf. 2 Kin. 20:12–19).
16:31–34 It is wicked to solicit and then be paid for immorality. Israel engaged in far worse behavior—she solicited and even paid her idol consorts. This refers to the heavy tribute Israel had to pay to the godless nations.
16:35–40 I…will uncover your nakedness. Public exposure of profligate women and the stoning of them were well-known customs in ancient Israel, making them a shameful spectacle.
16:42 By exacting the full penalty on Israel’s sins in the destruction by Babylon, God’s wrath was to be satisfied.
16:44, 45 Like mother, like daughter! Judah has followed in the pagan footsteps of her beginnings (cf. 16:3).
16:46–59 Judah is compared to Samaria and Sodom, whose judgment for sin was great. Judah was more corrupt (v. 47), multiplied Samaria’s and Sodom’s sin (v. 51), and committed more abominable sin (v. 52).
16:60 I will remember My covenant. God is gracious and He always finds a covenant basis on which He can exercise His grace. The Lord will remember the Abrahamic Covenant (cf. Gen. 12:1ff.) made with Israel in her youth. Restoration will be by grace, not merit. an everlasting covenant. This is the New Covenant, which is unconditional, saving, and everlasting (cf. 37:26; Is. 59:21; 61:8; Jer. 31:31–34; Heb. 8:6–13). The basis of God’s grace will not be the Mosaic Covenant, which the Jews could never fulfill, even with the best intentions (cf. Ex. 24:1ff.). When God establishes His eternal covenant, Israel will know that God is the Lord because of His grace.
16:63 an atonement. This looks to the cross of Christ (cf. Is. 53), by which God’s just wrath on sin was satisfied so that He could grant grace to all who believe (cf. 2 Cor. 5:21).
Ezekiel 17
17:1 This chap. is dated about 588 B.C. (two years before the destruction of Jerusalem). The history of the period is in 2 Kin. 24; 2 Chr. 36; Jer. 36, 37, 52.
17:3 A great eagle. The king of Babylon, in view here, took royal captives and others (vv. 4, 12, 13). the cedar. The kingdom of Judah.
17:4 topmost young twig. This is Jehoiachin, the king, exiled in 597 B.C. (2 Kin. 24:11–16). Babylon is the “land of trade” (16:29).
17:5, 6 seed. Those whom Babylon left in Judah in 597 B.C., who could prosper as a tributary to the conqueror, turned toward him (v. 6).
17:6 a spreading vine. Refers to Zedekiah (ca. 597–586 B.C.), the youngest son of Josiah whom Nebuchadnezzar appointed king in Judah. The benevolent attitude of Nebuchadnezzar helped Zedekiah to prosper, and if he had remained faithful to his pledge to Nebuchadnezzar, Judah would have continued as a tributary kingdom. Instead, he began courting help from Egypt (2 Chr. 36:13), which Jeremiah protested (Jer. 37:5–7).
17:7 another great eagle. Egypt is meant (v. 15), specifically Pharaoh Apries, a.k.a. Hophra (588–568 B.C.). Zedekiah turned to him to help revolt against Babylon.
17:9, 10 wither. Zedekiah’s treachery would not prosper. The king was captured in the plains of Jericho (Jer. 52:8). The dependence on Egypt would fail, and Judah would wither as the E wind (a picture of Babylon, cf. 13:11–13) blasted her.
17:11–21 put him under oath. The parable is explained in detail. Babylon (v. 12) made Zedekiah a vassal subject to her, took captives, and left Judah weak (vv. 13, 14). Zedekiah broke the agreement (v. 15) in which he swore by the Lord to submit to Babylon (2 Chr. 36:13), and sought Egypt’s help, thus he was taken to Babylon to live out his life (v. 16, 19; Jer. 39:4–7). Egypt was to be no help to him (v. 17) or any protector of his army (v. 21).
17:22, 23 one of the highest branches. This is messianic prophecy stating that God will provide the Messiah from the royal line of David (“the high cedar”) and establish Him in His kingdom (like a mountain, cf. Dan. 2:35, 44, 45). He will be “a high branch” reigning in the height of success. “Branch” is a name for Messiah (cf. 34:23, 24; 37:24, 25; Is. 4:2; Jer. 23:5; 33:15; Zech. 3:8; 6:12). Messiah will be “a tender one” (v. 22) growing into a “majestic cedar” (v. 23). Under His kingdom rule, all nations will be blessed and Israel restored.
17:24 made the dry tree flourish. The Messiah would grow out of the dry tree left after humbling judgment, i.e., Judah’s remnant from which He came of a lowly family (cf. Is. 6:13), yet would prosper.
Ezekiel 18
18:1–32 One of the foundational principles of Scripture is presented in this chap. (also taught in Deut. 24:16; 2 Kin. 14:6): Judgment is according to individual faith and conduct. He had foretold national punishment, but the reason was individual sin (cf. 3:16–21; 14:12–20; 33:1–20).
18:2 eaten sour grapes. The people of Judah would not acknowledge their guilt worthy of judgment. Though they were themselves wicked and idolatrous, they blamed their forefathers for their state (cf. 2 Kin. 21:15). The rationalizing is expressed in a current proverb (cf. Jer. 31:29) which means, in effect, “They sinned (ate sour grapes); we inherit the bitterness” (teeth set on edge).
18:3 no longer use this proverb. God rejected their blame shifting and evasion of responsibility.
18:4 The soul who sins shall die. God played no favorites, but was fair in holding each individual accountable for his own sin. The death is physical death which, for many, results in eternal death.
18:5–18 Two scenarios are proposed to clarify the matter of personal guilt: 1) a just father of an unjust son (vv. 5–13); and 2) an unjust father of a just son (vv. 14–18).
18:5 if a man is just. The definition of “just” or righteous is given in specifics in vv. 6–9. Such behavior could only characterize a genuine believer who was “faithful” from the heart.
18:8 exacted usury. This refers to interest on loans (see notes on Deut. 23:19, 20; 24:10–13).
18:9 He shall surely live! The righteous do die physically for many reasons that do not contradict this principle, e.g., old age, martyrdom, or death in battle. While there are exceptions to “surely live” as to temporal life (cf. 21:3, 4), and sometimes the ungodly survive, unlike 18:13 (cf. 14:22, 23), there can be absolutely no exceptions in God’s ultimate spiritual reckoning. In every case, the just die to live eternally and the unjust, who never possessed spiritual life, shall perish physically and eternally (John 5:28, 29; Rev. 20:11–15). The just will live no matter what the character of his parents or children. For an explanation of Ex. 20:5, 6, see the note there.
18:10–13 son…a robber. Could such a sinful son claim the merits of his father’s righteousness and live? No! Each person is responsible for his own personal sin.
18:14–18 he shall die for his iniquity. This part features an unjust father and a just son to make the same point. The righteous son shall “surely live” (v. 17).
18:19, 20 The prophet restated the principle of personal accountability.
18:19–29 Cf. 33:12–20.
18:21, 22 if a wicked man turns. The next case involves an unjust person turning to righteousness. He received a clean slate in forgiveness (v. 22), and spiritual life forever.
18:23 Do I have…pleasure. God takes no willful pleasure in the death of the unrighteous (cf. John 5:40; 1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Pet. 3:9).
18:24 a righteous man turns. The next scenario is a righteous man turning to a life of sin. His former, apparent righteousness was not genuine (cf. 1 John 2:19), and God did not remember it as a valid expression of faith.
18:25–29 Yet you say. God applied the principle in summary to Israel’s sin problem (cf. vv. 2–4). They, not He, must acknowledge their lack of equity (cf. vv. 25, 29).
18:30 Therefore I will judge. The conclusion is that the just God must judge each person for his own life. But He invites repentance, so that hope may replace ruin (cf. 33:10, 11).
