The Supper of the Great God Text: Ezekiel 39:17-20
Introduction: Two Suppers
The Bible presents us with two great suppers. The first is the marriage supper of the Lamb, a feast of intimate fellowship, joy, and eternal life for all who are in Christ. It is the culmination of our salvation, the great party at the end of history where the Bride is finally united with her Husband. The second supper is a very different affair. It is a feast of judgment, a grim and terrible banquet where God’s enemies are the main course. It is the supper of the great God, and the guests are the carrion birds and beasts of the field.
Our text today in Ezekiel 39 describes this second supper in graphic, stomach-turning detail. And we must not look away. We live in a sentimental age that wants a God who is all comfort and no confrontation, all mercy and no justice. We want the wedding feast without the wrath. But the God of the Bible is the God of both suppers. In fact, you cannot truly appreciate the sweetness of the first supper until you understand the terror of the second. The same covenant that promises blessing for obedience promises curses for rebellion. The same God who prepares a table for His friends in the presence of their enemies also prepares a table for the vultures, and the enemies are the meal.
This passage is not some isolated, bizarre episode from the wilder parts of the Old Testament. It is a foundational image of divine judgment. The apostle John picks up this very imagery, almost word for word, in Revelation 19 to describe the final defeat of the Beast and the False Prophet. This tells us that what Ezekiel saw was not just about a historical battle with a northern invader named Gog. It is a pattern of how God deals with all proud, rebellious, God-hating powers in every age. When men set themselves up against the Lord and His Anointed, when they rage against His people and His law, they are not just signing their own death warrant; they are sending out invitations to their own funeral feast.
So as we come to this text, we must see it for what it is: a declaration of the absolute sovereignty of God. He is the one who summons the armies of Gog, He is the one who destroys them on the mountains of Israel, and He is the one who invites the guests to clean up the mess. This is a display of His holiness, His justice, and His covenant faithfulness to His people. For the enemies of God, this is a picture of ultimate horror and degradation. But for the people of God, this is a picture of ultimate deliverance.
The Text
"Now as for you, son of man, thus says Lord Yahweh, ‘Say to every kind of bird and to every beast of the field, “Gather and come, assemble from every side to My sacrifice which I am going to sacrifice for you, as a great sacrifice on the mountains of Israel, that you may eat flesh and drink blood. You will eat the flesh of mighty men and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, as though they were rams, lambs, goats, and bulls, all of them fatlings of Bashan. So you will eat fat until you are satisfied and drink blood until you are drunk, from My sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you. And you will be satisfied at My table with horses and charioteers, with mighty men and all the men of war,” declares Lord Yahweh."
(Ezekiel 39:17-20 LSB)
A Sacrificial Summons (v. 17)
The Lord begins with a command to his prophet, the son of man.
"Now as for you, son of man, thus says Lord Yahweh, ‘Say to every kind of bird and to every beast of the field, “Gather and come, assemble from every side to My sacrifice which I am going to sacrifice for you, as a great sacrifice on the mountains of Israel, that you may eat flesh and drink blood." (Ezekiel 39:17)
God tells Ezekiel to act as a herald, but his audience is not human. He is to preach to the birds and the beasts. This is a picture of God’s total command over creation. He who spoke the animals into existence can certainly summon them to dinner. This is a mockery of the pride of man. These great armies, who thought they could defy the living God, are now nothing more than carrion, a feast for scavengers. Their dignity is stripped away. They will not receive a noble burial; they will be torn apart by beaks and claws.
But notice the language God uses. He calls this slaughter "My sacrifice." This is a staggering use of covenantal language. A sacrifice is a religious observance, an offering. But here, God is the priest, and the wicked are the sacrificial animals. This is a polemic against all pagan religion. The pagans offered sacrifices to appease their bloodthirsty gods. But the true God, Yahweh, is not appeased by anyone. He is the one who offers the sacrifice, and the sacrifice is His enemies. He is turning their own worldview upside down. They thought they were coming to plunder Israel, but they were actually being gathered as a sacrifice to demonstrate the holiness and justice of Israel's God.
The location is significant: "on the mountains of Israel." This is where the enemies of God came to defy Him, and this is the very place where they will be devoured. God defeats His enemies on His own turf, for His own glory, and for the deliverance of His people. The purpose of this gathering is stated with brutal clarity: "that you may eat flesh and drink blood." This is not the Lord's Supper; this is the Lord's slaughter. In the New Covenant, we drink the blood of the covenant, the blood of Christ, which gives life. Here, the birds drink the blood of the covenant-breakers, which signifies death and judgment.
The Menu of Judgment (v. 18)
God then elaborates on who, precisely, is on the menu.
"You will eat the flesh of mighty men and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, as though they were rams, lambs, goats, and bulls, all of them fatlings of Bashan." (Ezekiel 39:18)
The world is impressed by "mighty men" and "princes of the earth." We see their power, their wealth, their arrogance, and we are tempted to fear them. But God sees them as livestock being fattened for the slaughter. He equates them with rams, lambs, goats, and bulls. These are all animals used in the sacrificial system. The proud leaders who defied God are reduced to the status of beasts, fit only to be killed and eaten.
The reference to "fatlings of Bashan" is a particularly sharp jab. Bashan was a region east of the Jordan known for its lush pastures and, consequently, for its large, strong, well-fed cattle. The prophets often used the "bulls of Bashan" as a symbol of arrogant, brutal, and oppressive power (Psalm 22:12; Amos 4:1). These were men who had grown fat and sleek on their own power and wickedness. They were proud of their strength. But God says that their very strength and prosperity only made them a more satisfying meal for the vultures. Their pride was simply marinating them for the day of judgment.
This is a permanent warning to all who trust in worldly power. The Pentagon, the Kremlin, the corporate boardrooms, the halls of academia, all the places where the mighty men and princes of our age congregate, are, in God's sight, nothing more than the pastures of Bashan. If they set themselves against Christ and His kingdom, they are simply fattening themselves for this very supper.
A Drunken Feast (v. 19)
The description of the feast continues with an image of grotesque abundance.
"So you will eat fat until you are satisfied and drink blood until you are drunk, from My sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you." (Ezekiel 39:19)
The sheer scale of the slaughter will be immense. There will be more than enough for every scavenger. They will eat until they are "satisfied," or glutted. They will drink blood until they are "drunk." This is a picture of overwhelming, total, and complete destruction. There will be no survivors, no escapees. The judgment will be exhaustive.
The image of drunkenness is potent. Drunkenness leads to stupor and senselessness. The enemies of God will be so utterly consumed that it is as though the world itself is intoxicated on their ruin. This is the cup of God's wrath, which He forces the nations to drink (Jeremiah 25:15-16). Here, the birds and beasts partake of the results of that wrath. God’s judgment is not a halfway measure. When He moves against His enemies, He makes a full end of them.
Again, God emphasizes His own agency: "from My sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you." God is not a passive observer. He is the host of this banquet. He planned it, He prepared it, and He serves it. This is a terrifying thought for the wicked, but it is a profound comfort for the righteous. Our God is in control. The powers of the world may seem invincible, but they are on a leash, and God holds the end of it.
Satisfaction at God's Table (v. 20)
The final verse of our text summarizes the totality of the defeat.
"And you will be satisfied at My table with horses and charioteers, with mighty men and all the men of war,” declares Lord Yahweh." (Ezekiel 39:20)
God calls this battlefield "My table." A table is a place of provision and fellowship. For His people, His table is the Lord's Supper, a place of communion and grace. For the scavengers, His table is this valley of death, a place of provision at the expense of His enemies. God provides for all His creatures, and sometimes He provides for some by making a meal of others.
The menu is all-inclusive. It is not just the princes and generals, but the very instruments of their power: "horses and charioteers." The horse was the ancient equivalent of the tank, a symbol of military might. Men are tempted to trust in chariots and horses, but the Psalmist reminds us that "we will remember the name of the Lord our God" (Psalm 20:7). Here, that trust is shown to be utterly futile. The mightiest war machine is just more meat on God's table. Every part of the rebellious army is consumed: the leadership ("mighty men") and the rank-and-file ("all the men of war"). No one is spared.
The passage ends with the solemn affirmation, "declares Lord Yahweh." This is God's personal signature on the verdict. This is not a possibility; it is a certainty. The covenant-keeping God has spoken, and so it shall be.
Conclusion: The Tale of Two Tables
So what do we do with a passage like this? First, we must tremble. We must tremble at the holiness and justice of God. This is not a God to be trifled with. "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Hebrews 10:31). If you are outside of Christ, if you are at war with God, this passage is your future. You are a fatling of Bashan, being prepared for the slaughter. Your only hope is to flee from the wrath to come and take refuge in the crucified and risen Son of God, who drank the cup of wrath for all who trust in Him.
Second, we must rejoice. For those of us who are in Christ, this passage is a promise of our ultimate vindication. Our enemies will not have the last word. God will defend His people. He will crush those who persecute His church. When we see the Gogs and Magogs of our own day rising up, the arrogant secular states, the Christ-hating ideologies, the culture of death, we are not to fear. We are to remember that God has a table prepared for them, and it is not a table of honor.
This scene in Ezekiel is the dark twin of the marriage supper of the Lamb in Revelation. At one table, the saints feast on the goodness of God in the person of Christ. At the other, the vultures feast on the bodies of the wicked. Every human being will end up at one of these two tables. There is no third option. You will either feast with Christ in glory, or you will be the feast for the birds in judgment.
Therefore, let us live as those who are headed for the right supper. Let us live in faith, in holiness, and in joyful confidence, knowing that our God reigns. He has prepared a table for us, a table of life. And as for His enemies, their table is also being prepared. The birds are gathering. The host is ready. The judgment is sure.