Paul Kretzmann Commentary - Ezekiel 20:1 - 20:9

Online Resource Library

Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | Download

Paul Kretzmann Commentary - Ezekiel 20:1 - 20:9


(Show All Books | Show All Chapters)

This Chapter Verse Commentaries:



In the Early Days

v. 1. And it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, the tenth day of the month, about in the middle of the first period of Ezekiel's prophetic activity, that certain of the elders of Israel, who were their spiritual leaders also in the captivity, came to enquire of the Lord, as on a former occasion, seeking a special revelation, very likely concerning the speedy termination of their captivity, and sat before me, according to the custom of such delegations.

v. 2. Then came the word of the Lord unto me, saying,


v. 3. Son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel,
giving them information which was verbally the expression of the will of God, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God, the supreme Ruler of the universe, at the same time the God of the covenant, Are ye come to enquire of Me? Was their impudence such as to cause them to appear before Jehovah without previous change of heart, in an excess of bold hypocrisy? As I live, saith the Lord God, I will not be enquired of by you, this emphatic declaration being made chiefly on account of their inability, in their present moral state, to understand the will of the Lord. In connection with this inquiry, therefore, the Lord takes occasion to charge his servant with a message of earnest rebuke addressed to the disobedient and hard-hearted Jews.

v. 4. Wilt thou judge them, son of man, wilt thou judge them?
the question showing the impatience of the Lord in pronouncing sentence upon the unrepentant sinners. Cause them to know the abominations of their fathers, this rehearsal having the purpose not only of presenting the greatness of Israel's guilt, but also of emphasizing the patience which the Lord had till now exhibited in dealing with His people.

v. 5. And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God, In the day when I chose Israel,
selecting them, on the basis of His grace and mercy, from among the nations of the world, and lifted up Mine hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob, in the gesture of a solemn oath to the children of His servant Israel, and made Myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, under the name of Jehovah, the God of the covenant, Exo_6:3, when I lifted up Mine hand unto them, saying, I am the Lord, your God, Exo_6:8;

v. 6. in the day that I lifted up Mine hand unto them to bring them forth of the land of Egypt into a land that I had espied for them,
seeking it out and choosing it for them as the best of all lands for His special purpose, Deu_8:7-8, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands, the most lovely and delightful of all lands, Dan_8:9,

v. 7. then said I unto them,
this being the gist of the entire message of Moses, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, that which was loathsome in God's eyes and should have been so in theirs, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt, for such. idolatry was still carried on in secret, Cf Lev_17:7; Jos_24:14. I am the Lord, your God.

v. 8. But they rebelled against Me and would not hearken unto Me,
being filled even in those days with the obstinacy which proved their undoing; they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt, Cf Exodus 32. Then I said, I will pour out My fury upon them, having reached this conclusion concerning them even before they left Egypt, to accomplish My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt, to punish them even at that time.

v. 9. But I wrought for My name's sake,
He refrained from executing His wrath for the sake of His own honor, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, who would have taken occasion to blaspheme if Israel had been severely punished by the Lord at that time, while the Egyptians were witnesses, among whom they were, in whose sight I made Myself known unto them, as by the ten great plagues, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt. That was the first stage of Israel's national existence, or rather the preparation for this stage. Even in those days the children of Israel had been so stubborn and willful that the Lord felt constrained to punish them severely, and only His great mercy had saved them from the well-merited punishment.