Commentary - Ezekiel 20:1-32

Bird's-eye view

In this powerhouse of a chapter, the prophet Ezekiel is confronted by the elders of Israel, who come with a veneer of piety to "inquire of Yahweh." God's response is a flat refusal, followed by a devastating, four-part historical indictment. This is not a conversation; it is a covenant lawsuit. God, the plaintiff, lays out the case against Israel, the defendant, demonstrating that their current apostasy is nothing new. It is the consistent, unbroken pattern of their entire history. The rebellion began in Egypt before the Exodus, continued with the first generation in the wilderness, was duplicated by the second generation in the wilderness, and then came to full, rotten flower in the Promised Land itself. The central theme is Israel's persistent idolatry and rebellion, contrasted with God's persistent, longsuffering grace, a grace motivated not by Israel's worthiness but by a zealous concern for the glory of His own name. The chapter serves as a comprehensive justification for the judgment of exile that has befallen them.

The elders come seeking a word from God, and they get one, but it is not the one they wanted. They are looking for guidance or comfort, but God puts them in the dock and reads out the charges. The history lesson is designed to show them that their hearts are just like the hearts of their fathers. They are idolaters asking an idol-hating God for favors. God's refusal to be inquired of by them is a judicial sentence. The chapter climaxes by bringing the historical record right into the present, showing that the current generation is defiling itself in the exact same ways, culminating in the abomination of child sacrifice. Their desire to be like the pagan nations is thrown back in their faces; God will be their king, but He will rule them with judgment.

Outline

Context In Ezekiel

Ezekiel 20 is a crucial hinge in the book. It follows a series of oracles that have detailed the spiritual bankruptcy of Jerusalem and its leaders. Chapter 14 dealt with elders who came to inquire of God while having idols in their hearts, a direct precursor to our chapter. Chapter 16 depicted Israel as a foundling child, rescued and adorned by God, who then grew up to be a grotesquely promiscuous prostitute. Chapter 18 addressed the issue of individual responsibility, refuting the proverb "The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge." This chapter, Ezekiel 20, now provides the sweeping historical backdrop for all of it. It demonstrates that while individuals are indeed responsible for their own sin, there is also a profound corporate and generational reality to Israel's rebellion. It is the deep-seated, historical treason of the nation as a whole that has brought about the covenant judgment of the exile. This chapter provides the irrefutable evidence for God's verdict.

Key Issues

A History of High Treason

The scene is set with all the gravity of a formal court proceeding. The elders of the exiled community in Babylon come and sit before Ezekiel. They are the official representatives of the people. They come to "inquire of Yahweh," which sounds pious enough. They want a word, a direction, a consultation. But God sees the heart. He knows this is not the humble inquiry of the penitent; it is the self-serving inquiry of the presumptuous. They want to use God, not submit to Him. And so God refuses to play their game. Instead of giving them a fortune cookie, He gives them a history lesson. He unrolls the long scroll of their national guilt and reads it aloud, demonstrating that their entire history has been one long, unbroken chain of high treason against their covenant Lord.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1-3 Now it happened in the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth of the month, that some of the elders of Israel came to inquire of Yahweh and sat before me. And the word of Yahweh came to me saying, “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Do you come to inquire of Me? As I live,” declares Lord Yahweh, “I will not be inquired of by you.” ’

The date is precise, grounding this encounter in history. The elders, the leadership of the exiles, present themselves for a formal inquiry. Their posture is one of seeking guidance. But God's response through Ezekiel is a thunderclap. He begins with a rhetorical question that drips with divine indignation: "Do you come to inquire of Me?" He then swears a solemn oath, "As I live," which is the strongest possible affirmation. The verdict is delivered before the trial even begins: "I will not be inquired of by you." God refuses to be a spiritual advisor to rebels. He will not dispense religious information to those whose hearts are set on their idols. True inquiry begins with repentance, and there is no hint of that here.

4 Will you judge them, will you judge them, son of man? Make them know the abominations of their fathers

The doubled command, "Will you judge them, will you judge them," imparts a solemn urgency to Ezekiel's task. He is not to be a passive medium, but an active prosecutor in God's court. His job is to lay out the evidence. And the evidence is not just their own personal sins, but the "abominations of their fathers." God is going to show them that they are chips off the old, rotten block. Their identity is bound up with a long history of covenant-breaking. This is not to excuse them, but to show them the depth and tenacity of the sin they are entangled in.

5-7 and say to them, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “On the day when I chose Israel and swore to the seed of the house of Jacob and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt, when I swore to them, saying, I am Yahweh your God, on that day I swore to them, to bring them out from the land of Egypt into a land that I had selected for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands. I said to them, ‘Cast away, each of you, the detestable things of his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am Yahweh your God.’

The prosecution begins its case at the very beginning, with God's sovereign, gracious election. Before they had done anything, God chose them, swore an oath to them, and revealed Himself. Grace came first. He promised them a magnificent land, the "glory of all lands." With this grace came a clear command. They were to reject the idols of Egypt, the "detestable things of his eyes." The foundation of the covenant is laid out simply: "I am Yahweh your God." This is a call to exclusive loyalty. He rescued them for Himself.

8-9 But they rebelled against Me and were not willing to listen to Me; each one did not cast away the detestable things of their eyes, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I said I would pour out My wrath on them, to spend My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. But I acted for the sake of My name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they lived, in whose sight I made Myself known to them by bringing them out of the land of Egypt.

The response to grace was rebellion. This is crucial. Their sin did not begin at Sinai or in the promised land; it began in Egypt. They were idolaters from the start. God's righteous wrath was kindled, and He was ready to destroy them right there. What stopped Him? Not their repentance, but His own reputation. He acted "for the sake of My name." He had publicly identified Himself with this people before the pagan nations. To wipe them out then and there would have made Him look weak or fickle. God's ultimate commitment is to His own glory, and in this case, that commitment resulted in mercy for Israel.

10-13 So I took them out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness. I gave them My statutes and made them know My judgments, which, if a man does them, he will live by them. And I also gave them My sabbaths to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am Yahweh who sanctifies them. But the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness. They did not walk in My statutes, and they rejected My judgments, which, if a man does them, he will live by them; and My sabbaths they greatly profaned. Then I said I would pour out My wrath on them in the wilderness, to completely destroy them.

The second count in the indictment moves to the wilderness. God gave them two immense gifts: His law and His Sabbaths. The law was not a burden but a path to life. "If a man does them, he will live by them." The Sabbaths were a sign of their special relationship with God, a weekly reminder that He was the one who set them apart. And their response? Rebellion. They rejected the life-giving law and profaned the holy sign. Once again, God's wrath was justly aroused, and He resolved to destroy them.

14-17 But I acted for the sake of My name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, before whose sight I had brought them out. Also I swore to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands, because they rejected My judgments, and as for My statutes, they did not walk in them; they even profaned My sabbaths, for their heart continually walked after their idols. Yet My eye had pity on them rather than bringing them to ruin, and I did not make of them a complete destruction in the wilderness.

And once again, God relents for the sake of His name. His public reputation is on the line. However, this rebellion does have consequences. God swears an oath that this specific generation will die in the wilderness. Judgment is blended with mercy. He did not make a "complete destruction" of them because His eye had pity. But notice the reason for their sin: "their heart continually walked after their idols." This was not a series of isolated mistakes; it was a settled orientation of the heart.

18-21 “I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers and do not keep their judgments and do not defile yourselves with their idols. I am Yahweh your God; walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them. Keep My sabbaths holy; and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am Yahweh your God.’ But the children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes, nor were they careful to do My judgments, which, if a man does them, he will live by them; they profaned My sabbaths. So I said I would pour out My wrath on them, to spend My anger against them in the wilderness.

The third count concerns the next generation. God gives them a very explicit warning: "Do not be like your parents." He draws a sharp line between the corrupt traditions of their fathers and His life-giving law. The choice could not be clearer. And what do they do? They walk right over that line and rebel just like their fathers did. The pattern is sickeningly repetitive. And so, for a third time, God's wrath is kindled and He is ready to pour it out.

22-26 But I turned back My hand and acted for the sake of My name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. Also I swore to them in the wilderness that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them among the lands because they had not done My judgments, but had rejected My statutes and had profaned My sabbaths, and their eyes were going after the idols of their fathers. And I also gave them statutes that were not good and judgments by which they could not live; and I pronounced them unclean because of their gifts, in that they caused all their firstborn to pass through the fire so that I might make them desolate, in order that they might know that I am Yahweh.” ’

For the third time, God pulls back His hand for the sake of His name. But this time, the judgment pronounced is different. He swears that He will eventually scatter them among the nations, which is precisely the situation Ezekiel's audience is in. Then we have the terrifying verses 25 and 26. God "gave them statutes that were not good." This is not God commanding sin. This is a judicial act of abandonment. Since they rejected His good laws that lead to life, He gave them over to the consequences of the evil laws they chose for themselves. He let them have what their idolatrous hearts wanted, and the result was death, symbolized by the ultimate horror of child sacrifice. He gave them up to a system that could not give life, in order to show them by bitter experience that He alone is Yahweh.

27-29 “Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel and say to them, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Yet in this your fathers have blasphemed Me by acting unfaithfully against Me. Indeed, I brought them into the land which I swore to give to them, and they saw every high hill and every leafy tree, and they offered there their sacrifices, and there they gave the provocation of their offering. There also they made their soothing aroma, and there they poured out their drink offerings. Then I said to them, ‘What is the high place to which you are going?’ So its name is called Bamah to this day.” ’

The fourth and final count takes place in the Promised Land itself. After all the grace and all the warnings, they finally enter the land. And what is their first instinct? To find every high hill and leafy tree, the classic locations for pagan worship, and turn them into sites of idolatry. This was not just disobedience; it was blasphemy. They took the very gifts of God and used them as altars for false gods. God's question, "What is the high place (Bamah)?" is a play on words, a contemptuous dismissal of their cherished shrines.

30-32 Therefore, say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Will you defile yourselves in the way of your fathers and play the harlot after their detestable things? And when you offer your gifts, when you cause your sons to pass through the fire, you are defiling yourselves with all your idols to this day. And shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live,” declares Lord Yahweh, “I will not be inquired of by you. And what comes upon your spirit will not happen, when you say: ‘We will be like the nations, like the families of the lands, to minister to wood and stone.’

Here, the historical indictment lands squarely on the heads of the elders sitting in front of Ezekiel. God asks them, "Will you defile yourselves in the way of your fathers?" The question is rhetorical because the next verse says they are already doing it, right up to the present day, even engaging in child sacrifice. And so God brings the whole argument full circle. He repeats His oath from verse 3: because you are unrepentant, active idolaters, just like every generation before you, "I will not be inquired of by you." Their secret desire to assimilate, to become "like the nations," will be utterly thwarted. God will not let them go that easily. He will rule them, but it will be a rule of judgment.

Application

This chapter is a bucket of ice water for any casual or presumptuous form of religion. The elders came to Ezekiel for a religious transaction, and God told them the store was closed. We must learn from this. We cannot approach God as a divine consultant while our hearts are clinging to idols, whether they are made of wood and stone or of money, approval, and power. To inquire of the Lord requires a broken and contrite heart, not a checklist of religious duties.

Second, we see the terrifying reality of generational sin. The apple does not fall far from the tree. The children rebelled just like the fathers. This should drive us to two things: first, a humble recognition of the sinful patterns and idolatries we have inherited from our families and culture. And second, a fierce determination, by God's grace, to heed the warning given to the second generation: "Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers." We are called to be loyal to Christ first, above all family and cultural traditions.

Finally, our only hope is found in the repeated phrase, "I acted for the sake of My name." Israel's history is one of relentless failure. Our personal histories are the same. If our salvation depended on our faithfulness, we would all be lost. But it doesn't. It depends on God's determination to glorify His own name. And the ultimate expression of that determination was sending a Son who did not rebel. Jesus is the true Israel who obeyed perfectly. He kept the statutes and lived. He honored the Sabbath. And on the cross, He bore the wrath that we, the rebellious children, deserved. God's name is ultimately vindicated and glorified at the cross of Jesus Christ, where His perfect justice and His covenant faithfulness meet.