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Dave Burnette's Commentary

Ezekiel Chapter 6

Written By: God through Inspiration
Penned By: Ezekiel
Date Penned: (571 BC)
Overview: To Announce God's Judgement and Salvation (c 1-5)
Theme: Messages of Doom (c 1-24)
Message: Ezekiel Prophesizes Against the Mountains (v 1-14)


Ezekiel 6 Commentary

(6:1) A Two Part Message - This is the beginning of a two-part message. Remember that Ezekiel could speak only when giving messages from God (3:26-27). The message in Ezekiel 6 is that Judah's idolatry would surely call down God's judgment. The message in Ezekiel 7 describes the nature of that judgment--utter destruction of the nation. Nevertheless, God, in his mercy, would save a remnant of the people. Ezekiel prophesied against the mountains of Israel because mountains were sites of the pagan shrines, or high places, where for years the people had worshiped idols. 

(6:8-10) A Ray of Light - A ray of light appears in this prophecy of darkness. God would spare a small group of people, a remnant, but only after they had learned some hard lessons. God sometimes has to break a person in order to bring him or her to true repentance. The people needed new attitudes, but they wouldn't change until God broke their hearts with humiliation, pain, suffering, and defeat. Does your heart long for God enough to change those areas that displease him? Or will he have to break your heart? 

(6:11) A Threefold Judgement - Prophets often used this threefold description of judgment upon Jerusalem--sword, famine, and pestilence (plague)--as a way of saying that the destruction would be complete. The sword pointed to death in battle; famine came when enemies besieged a city or in times of drought; plague was always a danger during famine. Don't make the mistake of underestimating the extent of God's judgment. If we ignore the biblical warnings and turn away from God, we will experience the consequences of rebelling against the true King and his righteous rule. 

(6:14) The One True God - Variations of the phrase "and they shall know that I am the LORD" occur over 60 times in the book of Ezekiel. The purpose of God's punishment was not to take revenge but to impress upon the people the truth that the Lord is the only true and living God. People in Ezekiel's day were worshiping human-made idols and calling them gods. Today money, sex, and power have become idols for many. Punishment will come upon all who put anything ahead of God. It is easy to forget that the Lord alone is God, the supreme authority and the only source of eternal love and life. God may use the difficulties of your life to bring you to himself.

 


David Burnette's Life Application


The Word of the Lord Comes to Me

 

Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today we continue the Book of Ezekiel with Chapter 6. In our text today we see Ezekiel prophesies against the mountains as the Word of the Lord came unto him. In making application my attention is focused on how the Lord speaks to us through His Word. Today some believe that our Bible is just a book of do's and don'ts but the truth is the Bible is the Living Word of God that the Holy Spirit will use to instruct and guide us. How about you? Do you seek the Lord through His Word? Let us learn from our text today and how the Word of the Lord came to Ezekiel to remember that the Lord still speaks to us through the pages of the Bible.

 

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Ezekiel 6

Ezekiel 6

 1And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

 2Son of man, set thy face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them,

 3And say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD; Thus saith the Lord GOD to the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys; Behold, I, even I, will bring a sword upon you, and I will destroy your high places.

 4And your altars shall be desolate, and your images shall be broken: and I will cast down your slain men before your idols.

 5And I will lay the dead carcases of the children of Israel before their idols; and I will scatter your bones round about your altars.

 6In all your dwellingplaces the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate; that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, and your idols may be broken and cease, and your images may be cut down, and your works may be abolished.

 7And the slain shall fall in the midst of you, and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

 8Yet will I leave a remnant, that ye may have some that shall escape the sword among the nations, when ye shall be scattered through the countries.

 9And they that escape of you shall remember me among the nations whither they shall be carried captives, because I am broken with their whorish heart, which hath departed from me, and with their eyes, which go a whoring after their idols: and they shall lothe themselves for the evils which they have committed in all their abominations.

 10And they shall know that I am the LORD, and that I have not said in vain that I would do this evil unto them.

 11Thus saith the Lord GOD; Smite with thine hand, and stamp with thy foot, and say, Alas for all the evil abominations of the house of Israel! for they shall fall by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence.

 12He that is far off shall die of the pestilence; and he that is near shall fall by the sword; and he that remaineth and is besieged shall die by the famine: thus will I accomplish my fury upon them.

 13Then shall ye know that I am the LORD, when their slain men shall be among their idols round about their altars, upon every high hill, in all the tops of the mountains, and under every green tree, and under every thick oak, the place where they did offer sweet savour to all their idols.

 14So will I stretch out my hand upon them, and make the land desolate, yea, more desolate than the wilderness toward Diblath, in all their habitations: and they shall know that I am the LORD.