THE FALL OF JERUSALEM

Passage: Ezekiel 33:21-33

Key verse: 33

NIV

Jerusalem’s Fall Explained

21 In the twelfth year of our exile, in the tenth month on the fifth day, a man who had escaped(A) from Jerusalem came to me and said, “The city has fallen!(B)” 22 Now the evening before the man arrived, the hand of the Lord was on me,(C) and he opened my mouth(D) before the man came to me in the morning. So my mouth was opened and I was no longer silent.(E)

23 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 24 “Son of man, the people living in those ruins(F) in the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one man, yet he possessed the land. But we are many;(G) surely the land has been given to us as our possession.’(H) 25 Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Since you eat(I) meat with the blood(J) still in it and look to your idols and shed blood, should you then possess the land?(K) 26 You rely on your sword, you do detestable things,(L) and each of you defiles his neighbor’s wife.(M) Should you then possess the land?’

27 “Say this to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: As surely as I live, those who are left in the ruins will fall by the sword, those out in the country I will give to the wild animals to be devoured, and those in strongholds and caves will die of a plague.(N) 28 I will make the land a desolate waste, and her proud strength will come to an end, and the mountains(O) of Israel will become desolate so that no one will cross them.(P) 29 Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I have made the land a desolate(Q) waste because of all the detestable things they have done.’(R)

30 “As for you, son of man, your people are talking together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, saying to each other, ‘Come and hear the message that has come from the Lord.’ 31 My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before(S) you to hear your words, but they do not put them into practice. Their mouths speak of love, but their hearts are greedy(T) for unjust gain.(U) 32 Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs(V) with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice.(W)

33 “When all this comes true—and it surely will—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.(X)”

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What God had prophesied through Ezekiel regarding Jerusalem came to pass. An escapee found Ezekiel and told him, “The city has fallen!” By this time the Lord had given his word to Ezekiel. The people of Israel thought they had a right to possess the land as Abraham’s descendants, but they practiced detestable things, from idol worship to adultery. They disregarded the Lord and became self-reliant and godless. God pronounced judgment. They would not possess the land. The land would be desolate because of their detestable rejection of God and his word. The Lord would make himself known by his judgment.

Some in Israel wanted to hear what Ezekiel had to say. They heard his words, but they didn’t put them into practice. They spoke of love, but their hearts were full of injustice. They liked to listen to the words Ezekiel spoke but still did not put them into practice. Only when God’s word of judgment came true would they truly recognize the prophetic insight of Ezekiel. Heritage and even proximity to the word are not enough. We must put God’s commands into practice.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for giving me your word and your calling. Help me not to take it for granted but practice your word each day.

One Word: Practice the word of God