CHAPTER 21

1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, and drop thy word toward the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel, 3 And say to the land of Israel, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I am against thee, and will draw forth my sword out of his sheath, and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked. 4 Seeing then that I will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth out of his sheath against all flesh from the south to the north: 5 That all flesh may know that I the LORD have drawn forth my sword out of his sheath: it shall not return any more. 6 Sigh therefore, thou son of man, with the breaking of thy loins; and with bitterness sigh before their eyes. 7 And it shall be, when they say unto thee, Wherefore sighest thou? that thou shalt answer, For the tidings; because it cometh: and every heart shall melt, and all hands shall be feeble, and every spirit shall faint, and all knees shall be weak as water: behold, it cometh, and shall be brought to pass, saith the Lord GOD.

When God purposes to do something we can count it as DONE! God had given prophecy that the nation would be destroyed if the people didn't repent. Prophet after prophet had come in God's grace; but the people would not listen. Therefore, God had drawn a "sword" and would put an END to the nation.

It is at first a disturbing thought that God would "cut off the righteous AND the wicked" (verses 3 & 4). Some, who were diligent believers had been already transported to Babylon -- like Daniel and Ezekiel. These were prophesying even now to the captives in Babylon about the judgment God would bring on those remaining in the land. Jeremiah was left in the land, and would be part of the calamity. When the righteous no more can exert influence over the wicked, God steps in to change the situation in order that the righteous may be preserved.

8 Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 9 Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus saith the LORD; Say, A sword, a sword is sharpened, and also furbished: 10 It is sharpened to make a sore slaughter; it is furbished that it may glitter: should we then make mirth? it contemneth the rod of my son, as every tree. 11 And he hath given it to be furbished, that it may be handled: this sword is sharpened, and it is furbished, to give it into the hand of the slayer. 12 Cry and howl, son of man: for it shall be upon my people, it shall be upon all the princes of Israel: terrors by reason of the sword shall be upon my people: smite therefore upon thy thigh. 13 Because it is a trial, and what if the sword contemn even the rod? it shall be no more, saith the Lord GOD.

God's "sword" is His Word (Hebrews 4:12). His sword is "bright" and brings illumination. His sword is "furbished" and stronger than anything in this world. And when God uses his "sword" against the unrighteous, "terrors by reason of the sword" come upon people (verse 12).

In verse 13, God says that he will destroy the king. The king was supposed to study the "word" of God everyday, and be a shining example to the people of righteousness (Deuteronomy 17:18-20). But the kings of Israel had forsaken God's Word, and now would be recipients of its cutting power!

He who forsakes the "Word" of God shall be destroyed by the same!

14 Thou therefore, son of man, prophesy, and smite thine hands together, and let the sword be doubled the third time, the sword of the slain: it is the sword of the great men that are slain, which entereth into their privy chambers. 15 I have set the point of the sword against all their gates, that their heart may faint, and their ruins be multiplied: ah! it is made bright, it is wrapped up for the slaughter. 16 Go thee one way or other, either on the right hand, or on the left, whithersoever thy face is set. 17 I will also smite mine hands together, and I will cause my fury to rest: I the LORD have said it.

Preaching should be emphatic. One man said, "I like to see a preacher preaching as he were fighting bumble bees!"

God told Ezekiel to "smite thine hands together" for emphasis. When hands are clapped together loudly, there is a concussion of air. Deaf people use this to get one anothers attention. God was going to use this destruction of Judah to get the attention of those "deaf" to His Word. The emphasis communicated that God would Himself "smite mine hands togeter" and cause the destruction.

18 The word of the LORD came unto me again, saying, 19 Also, thou son of man, appoint thee two ways, that the sword of the king of Babylon may come: both twain shall come forth out of one land: and choose thou a place, choose it at the head of the way to the city. 20 Appoint a way, that the sword may come to Rabbath of the Ammonites, and to Judah in Jerusalem the defenced. 21 For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination: he made his arrows bright, he consulted with images, he looked in the liver. 22 At his right hand was the divination for Jerusalem, to appoint captains, to open the mouth in the slaughter, to lift up the voice with shouting, to appoint battering rams against the gates, to cast a mount, and to build a fort. 23 And it shall be unto them as a false divination in their sight, to them that have sworn oaths: but he will call to remembrance the iniquity, that they may be taken. 24 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye have made your iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are discovered, so that in all your doings your sins do appear; because, I say, that ye are come to remembrance, ye shall be taken with the hand. 25 And thou, profane wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come, when iniquity shall have an end, 26 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Remove the diadem, and take off the crown: this shall not be the same: exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high. 27 I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him.

Ezekiel was also to show that God would cause the king of Babylon to choose TWO roads of destruction. One road would lead to Jerusalem and the other would lead to Rabbath, a city of the Ammonites.

Both Jeremiah (Jeremiah 49:2-6) and Amos (Amos 1:14) prophesied against Rabbah, which was the chief city of the Ammonites. It was a city of pride, and Jerusalem had become like it.

God said He would "overturn" the kingdom of Judah (verse 27), and would take away the right of ruling (verse 26) until "..He come whose RIGHT it is; and I will give it Him." That verse refers to the promised Messiah. God is cutting off the kingdom, but He is preserving the line of David for the Messiah to come as promised.

God's discipline comes as a result of our sin and rebellious nature, but God's GRACE affords the PROMISE of eternal salvation!

28 And thou, son of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning the Ammonites, and concerning their reproach; even say thou, The sword, the sword is drawn: for the slaughter it is furbished, to consume because of the glittering: 29 Whiles they see vanity unto thee, whiles they divine a lie unto thee, to bring thee upon the necks of them that are slain, of the wicked, whose day is come, when their iniquity shall have an end. 30 Shall I cause it to return into his sheath? I will judge thee in the place where thou wast created, in the land of thy nativity. 31 And I will pour out mine indignation upon thee, I will blow against thee in the fire of my wrath, and deliver thee into the hand of brutish men, and skilful to destroy. 32 Thou shalt be for fuel to the fire; thy blood shall be in the midst of the land; thou shalt be no more remembered: for I the LORD have spoken it.

The city of Rabbah was on the way to Jerusalem, and would be consumed by the Babylonians. They had "reproached" Judah because of the earlier shame experienced when some were taken into captivity. But now God would return that reproach upon the Ammonites.

The world may reproach Christians because of sin. But God will bring the ultimate reproach upon those who refuse to believe in Him.

"The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:" (2Peter 2:9)

PLEASE CONTINUE WITH US IN BIBLE STUDY TOMORROW.