By: Dr. Dale Weckbacher
Text: Ezekiel
20:18-32
Ezekiel
20:18-19
“But
I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of
your fathers, nor observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their
idols. 19 I am the Lord your
God: Walk in My statutes, keep My judgments, and do them
(NKJV)
Complacency is dangerous
for a child of God for it can lead to one believing he or she can take care of
problems with no need of bothering God about it. The Book of Judges in the
Bible illustrates a cycle in Israel of turning to God, achieving victory, doing
things on their own or becoming complacent, and turning back to God. The Church
must also guard against becoming complacent for the time of the return of
Christ is imminent and the harvest fields are ripe (Luke
10:2; Matthew 9:37) because complacent believers in the Church are not
working the harvest.
This section of the text in
Ezekiel speaks to the next generation of Israelites who are descendants of
those who rebelled against God in the wilderness. The text begins with a
reminder to this future generation not to make the mistake of their fathers and
rebel against God’s Word (Deuteronomy
6:1-9; Ezekiel 20:18-20). This generation confronted a fork in the road and
could continue down the road of rebellion like their parents or serve the Lord.
Unfortunately, this
generation chose to follow the path of rebellion like their parents with God
vowing to pour out His fury on them (Ezekiel
20:21). Fortunately for Israel, God withheld His fury so His name was not
profaned by the Gentiles believing God delivered his people from Egypt only to
have them perish in the land He promised them (Ezekiel
20:22). God also vowed to scatter the Israelites among the Gentiles for their
disobedience (Deuteronomy
28:36-37; Ezekiel 20:23-24).
God pronounces this
rebellious generation as unclean because of the detestable sin of offering
their children up as sacrifices to the pagan gods they have decided to worship
(Ezekiel
20:25-26). God now speaks to the elders who have asked him to inquire of
the Lord on their behalf, reminding them that they too have blasphemed God by
their unfaithfulness (Ezekiel
20:27). When the generation entering the Promised Land crossed the Jordan
and saw the high hills and thick trees, they chose to offer their sacrifices
there unto their pagan gods instead of God, their Lord (Ezekiel
20:28). The high place is named Bamah by God, the place Israel chose to
defile themselves like their fathers (Ezekiel
20:29-30). Because of these abominations, God does not allow them to
inquire of Him For God knows they desire to be like the Gentiles, worshipping
idols of wood and stone (Ezekiel
20:31-32).
One would think that the
rebellions of Israel would stop once they entered the Promised Land, but the
rebellions continued. After crossing the Jordan into the Promised Land and the
victory at Jericho (Joshua
6), Achan took as plunder some of the accursed things from Jericho, leading
to the defeat of Israel at Ai (Joshua
7:1-9). Solomon also turned from the Lord, leading to the division of
Israel after his death (1
Kings 12). This constant rebellion has now reached its climax with God no
longer allowing the elders to make inquiries of them with them destined to
seventy years of exile (Ezekiel
20:31; Jeremiah 25:11).
One would think that God
coming to fallen humanity in the person of Jesus Christ (John
1:14) and dying for their sins even though He knew no sin (2
Corinthians 5:21) would end rebellion against God but rebellion against God
continues. Jesus taught that the way to life and salvation was narrow but the
way to destruction is wide and easy and why many continue down that path (Matthew
7:13-14). Because many will choose the wide and easy way, Jesus told his
disciples they would experience persecution in this world but also reminds us
that He overcame the world (John
16:33). God cannot allow the Israelites, or His Church, to fulfill their
desire to be like the Gentiles and worship idols of wood and stone or
compromise with today’s woke culture (Ezekiel
20:32).
Rebellion against God in
our time resembles the abomination of Israel when they sacrificed their
children in the fire (Ezekiel
20:26) with millions of unborn babies murdered by abortion. Continued
rebellion against God has led to the vile passion of homosexuality (Romans
1:26-27). We are also observing the acceptance as normal the mutilation of
one’s body through gender reassignment surgery, something Paul cautioned
against in Philippians
3:2. The Church must not remain silent but speak out against these woke
culture abominations and rebellions against the Word of God.
If you are reading this
and have not asked for the forgiveness of the sin in your life, I invite you to
pray with me,
Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans
3:23)
and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans
6:23). I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse
me as you promise in your Word (1
John 1:9). I believe
you died, spent three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now
declare you Lord of my life.
May God challenge,
convict, and bless everyone reading this post.
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