Ezekiel 14 Study Notes: Idols in the Heart and Personal Righteousness
Elders who come to Ezekiel are exposed for cherishing idols, and God calls Israel to repent. He declares that even Noah, Daniel and Job could rescue only themselves from His judgment, yet a few survivors will reach the exiles and show that His judgment on Jerusalem was just.
General
The LORD said He Himself would answer any idolater who came to the prophet. What purpose did He give for this (Ezekiel 14:4-5)?
Answer: To take hold again of hearts turned away from Him by idols
God said that when any Israelite whose heart clung to idols came to a prophet, the LORD would answer him in keeping with his great idolatry (14:4). The reason He gave was to lay hold again of Israel’s hearts, because their idols had made all of them strangers to Him (14:5). God’s answer would not be the reply the inquirer wanted. He would turn His face against such a man, make him a warning to others, and remove him from the people (14:7-8). Even this judgment had a purpose: to win back hearts that had wandered. The human heart is more deceitful than anything else (Jeremiah 17:9), and God promises to be found by those who seek Him with the whole heart (Jeremiah 29:13). John ends his first letter with a plain warning that still applies: guard yourselves against idols (1 John 5:21).
- Ezekiel 14:4-5 (BSB)“Therefore speak to them and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘When any Israelite sets up idols in his heart and puts a wicked stumbling block before his face, and then comes to the prophet, I the LORD will answer him according to his great idolatry, so that I may take hold of the hearts of the people of Israel. For because of their idols, they are all estranged from Me.’”The LORD will answer the idolater in keeping with his idolatry, in order to lay hold of Israel’s hearts, which idols had estranged from Him.
- Ezekiel 14:7-8 (BSB)“For when any Israelite or any foreigner dwelling in Israel separates himself from Me, sets up idols in his heart, and puts a wicked stumbling block before his face, and then comes to the prophet to inquire of Me, I the LORD will answer him Myself. I will set My face against that man and make him a sign and a proverb; I will cut him off from among My people. Then you will know that I am the LORD.”God Himself will answer such an inquirer by setting His face against him and cutting him off.
- Jeremiah 17:9 (BSB)“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”The human heart is treacherous beyond any human cure.
- Jeremiah 29:13 (BSB)“You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”God promises to be found by people who search for Him wholeheartedly.
- 1 John 5:21 (BSB)“Little children, keep yourselves from idols.”John closes his letter by telling believers to guard themselves against idols.
Theological
For what purpose does the LORD say He will personally answer the idolatrous inquirer (Ezekiel 14:4-5)?
Answer: To take hold again of hearts turned away from Him by idols
The idolater who approaches a prophet will receive an answer from the LORD Himself, one fitted to the magnitude of his idolatry (14:4). The stated purpose is that God might reclaim the hearts of His people Israel, all of whom had become estranged from Him through their idols (14:5). The answer is judgment, not oracle: God sets His face against the man, makes him a warning example and a byword, and cuts him off (14:7-8). Yet the aim is to reclaim, not merely to punish. The heart is treacherous beyond human cure (Jeremiah 17:9), so it is God who must seize it; He is found when sought with the whole heart (Jeremiah 29:13). John’s closing exhortation to guard against idols (1 John 5:21) carries the same warning to the church.
- Ezekiel 14:4-5 (BSB)“Therefore speak to them and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘When any Israelite sets up idols in his heart and puts a wicked stumbling block before his face, and then comes to the prophet, I the LORD will answer him according to his great idolatry, so that I may take hold of the hearts of the people of Israel. For because of their idols, they are all estranged from Me.’”The LORD will answer the idolater in keeping with his idolatry, in order to lay hold of Israel’s hearts, which idols had estranged from Him.
- Ezekiel 14:7-8 (BSB)“For when any Israelite or any foreigner dwelling in Israel separates himself from Me, sets up idols in his heart, and puts a wicked stumbling block before his face, and then comes to the prophet to inquire of Me, I the LORD will answer him Myself. I will set My face against that man and make him a sign and a proverb; I will cut him off from among My people. Then you will know that I am the LORD.”God Himself will answer such an inquirer by setting His face against him and cutting him off.
- Jeremiah 17:9 (BSB)“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”The human heart is treacherous beyond any human cure.
- Jeremiah 29:13 (BSB)“You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”God promises to be found by people who search for Him wholeheartedly.
- 1 John 5:21 (BSB)“Little children, keep yourselves from idols.”John closes his letter by telling believers to guard themselves against idols.
General
Some of Israel’s elders came to sit in front of Ezekiel. What did the LORD reveal about them (Ezekiel 14:1-3)?
Answer: Their hearts were devoted to idols, yet they came to ask of Him
Elders, the leading men of the community, came to Ezekiel and sat in front of him, apparently to hear a word from the LORD (14:1). But God told Ezekiel what was hidden: these men had taken idols, false gods, into their hearts and placed a stumbling block of sin in front of their own faces, and God asked whether He should let them consult Him at all (14:2-3). Their outward behavior looked devout, but their inner devotion belonged to other gods. The LORD looks at the heart, not at outward appearance (1 Samuel 16:7). Jesus quoted Isaiah about people who honor God with their lips while their hearts stay distant from Him (Matthew 15:8). When elders came to inquire again later, God said He would not let them consult Him (20:3). An idol need not be a carved statue; Paul calls greed idolatry (Colossians 3:5), because whatever the heart loves and trusts above God takes His place.
- Ezekiel 14:1-3 (BSB)“Then some of the elders of Israel came and sat down before me. And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I consult with them in any way?”Elders of Israel sit before Ezekiel, and the LORD reveals that their hearts are set on idols.
- 1 Samuel 16:7 (BSB)“But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him; the LORD does not see as man does. For man sees the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart.””God judges people by what is inside them rather than by how they look.
- Matthew 15:8 (BSB)“‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.”Jesus quotes Isaiah about people who honor God with their lips while their hearts remain distant.
- Ezekiel 20:3 (BSB)““Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: Have you come to inquire of Me? As surely as I live, I will not be consulted by you, declares the Lord GOD.”When elders come to inquire again, the LORD refuses to let them consult Him.
- Colossians 3:5 (BSB)“Put to death, therefore, the components of your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry.”Paul names greed as idolatry, showing that idols can be desires of the heart as well as carved images.
Theological
What did the LORD disclose about the elders who sat before Ezekiel to inquire (Ezekiel 14:1-3)?
Answer: Their hearts were devoted to idols, yet they came to ask of Him
The elders present themselves as inquirers (14:1), but the LORD exposes their interior idolatry: they have enthroned idols within their hearts and placed the stumbling block of iniquity before their faces, so He questions whether He should be consulted by them at all (14:2-3). Idolatry here is located first in the affections, not merely in cultic acts. God searches the heart rather than appearances (1 Samuel 16:7), and Jesus condemns lip-worship from a distant heart (Matthew 15:8). The same refusal to be consulted by idolatrous elders recurs in 20:3. Paul’s identification of greed as idolatry (Colossians 3:5) shows the principle: whatever the heart trusts and loves in God’s place is an idol.
- Ezekiel 14:1-3 (BSB)“Then some of the elders of Israel came and sat down before me. And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I consult with them in any way?”Elders of Israel sit before Ezekiel, and the LORD reveals that their hearts are set on idols.
- 1 Samuel 16:7 (BSB)“But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him; the LORD does not see as man does. For man sees the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart.””God judges people by what is inside them rather than by how they look.
- Matthew 15:8 (BSB)“‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.”Jesus quotes Isaiah about people who honor God with their lips while their hearts remain distant.
- Ezekiel 20:3 (BSB)““Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: Have you come to inquire of Me? As surely as I live, I will not be consulted by you, declares the Lord GOD.”When elders come to inquire again, the LORD refuses to let them consult Him.
- Colossians 3:5 (BSB)“Put to death, therefore, the components of your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry.”Paul names greed as idolatry, showing that idols can be desires of the heart as well as carved images.
General
Suppose Noah, Daniel and Job lived in a land under God’s judgment. What did God say they could do (Ezekiel 14:14, 16, 20)?
Answer: Deliver only themselves by their righteousness
God described four judgments on an unfaithful land: famine, wild beasts, the sword and plague (14:13-19). He said that were Noah, Daniel and Job, three righteous men, living there, their righteousness could save only themselves (14:14, 20). They could not rescue even a son or daughter of their own (14:16). Noah and Job are known in Scripture for their righteousness (Genesis 6:9; Job 1:1), and Daniel is named alongside them. The point is that, when this judgment came, no one’s own goodness could rescue anyone else; each person’s righteousness or wickedness rests on that person (18:20). God said something similar to Jeremiah: were Moses and Samuel to stand before Him, He would not turn toward that people (Jeremiah 15:1). Jerusalem could not hide behind a few godly people when God’s judgment came.
- Ezekiel 14:13-14 (BSB)““Son of man, if a land sins against Me by acting unfaithfully, and I stretch out My hand against it to cut off its supply of food, to send famine upon it, and to cut off from it both man and beast, then even if these three men—Noah, Daniel, and Job—were in it, their righteousness could deliver only themselves, declares the Lord GOD.”Even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in a land that had sinned against God, their righteousness would rescue only themselves.
- Ezekiel 14:16 (BSB)“then as surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, even if these three men were in it, they could not deliver their own sons or daughters. They alone would be delivered, but the land would be desolate.”Those three could not rescue even a son or daughter of their own.
- Ezekiel 14:20 (BSB)“then as surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, they could not deliver their own sons or daughters. Their righteousness could deliver only themselves.”The point is repeated: their righteousness could save only their own lives.
- Jeremiah 15:1 (BSB)“Then the LORD said to me: “Even if Moses and Samuel should stand before Me, My heart would not go out to this people. Send them from My presence, and let them go!”God told Jeremiah that even Moses and Samuel standing before Him would not turn His heart toward this people.
- Ezekiel 18:20 (BSB)“The soul who sins is the one who will die. A son will not bear the iniquity of his father, and a father will not bear the iniquity of his son. The righteousness of the righteous man will fall upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked man will fall upon him.”Each person answers for his own righteousness or wickedness; neither is passed to father or son.
- Genesis 6:9 (BSB)“This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God.”Noah is described as righteous and blameless among the people of his time.
- Job 1:1 (BSB)“There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. And this man was blameless and upright, fearing God and shunning evil.”Job is described as a man of integrity who feared God and turned from evil.
Theological
What does the LORD say Noah, Daniel and Job could accomplish in a land under His judgment (Ezekiel 14:14, 16, 20)?
Answer: Deliver only themselves by their righteousness
Across four hypothetical judgments, famine, wild beasts, sword and plague (14:13-19), the LORD insists that even Noah, Daniel and Job, three righteous men, would deliver only their own lives (14:14, 20); they could not rescue even their sons or daughters (14:16). Noah and Job are attested elsewhere as righteous and blameless (Genesis 6:9; Job 1:1). The principle is that, in such a judgment, no one’s own righteousness could rescue another; each bears his own righteousness or wickedness (18:20), and Jeremiah heard the same verdict about Moses and Samuel interceding (Jeremiah 15:1). Jerusalem could not shelter under the godliness of a few.
- Ezekiel 14:13-14 (BSB)““Son of man, if a land sins against Me by acting unfaithfully, and I stretch out My hand against it to cut off its supply of food, to send famine upon it, and to cut off from it both man and beast, then even if these three men—Noah, Daniel, and Job—were in it, their righteousness could deliver only themselves, declares the Lord GOD.”Even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in a land that had sinned against God, their righteousness would rescue only themselves.
- Ezekiel 14:16 (BSB)“then as surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, even if these three men were in it, they could not deliver their own sons or daughters. They alone would be delivered, but the land would be desolate.”Those three could not rescue even a son or daughter of their own.
- Ezekiel 14:20 (BSB)“then as surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, they could not deliver their own sons or daughters. Their righteousness could deliver only themselves.”The point is repeated: their righteousness could save only their own lives.
- Jeremiah 15:1 (BSB)“Then the LORD said to me: “Even if Moses and Samuel should stand before Me, My heart would not go out to this people. Send them from My presence, and let them go!”God told Jeremiah that even Moses and Samuel standing before Him would not turn His heart toward this people.
- Ezekiel 18:20 (BSB)“The soul who sins is the one who will die. A son will not bear the iniquity of his father, and a father will not bear the iniquity of his son. The righteousness of the righteous man will fall upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked man will fall upon him.”Each person answers for his own righteousness or wickedness; neither is passed to father or son.
- Genesis 6:9 (BSB)“This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God.”Noah is described as righteous and blameless among the people of his time.
- Job 1:1 (BSB)“There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. And this man was blameless and upright, fearing God and shunning evil.”Job is described as a man of integrity who feared God and turned from evil.
General
The LORD said a prophet who gave a message to an idolater would share the same punishment as the one who asked. What goal did God state for this (Ezekiel 14:9-11)?
Answer: So that Israel would stop straying and be His people again
God said that if a prophet was enticed into giving a message to such an idolater, it was the LORD who had enticed him, and He would stretch out His hand and destroy that prophet. The prophet and the one who consulted him would receive the same punishment (14:9-10). God is in control of everything, even of a false prophet’s deception, and here He uses it as a judgment on people whose hearts were already set on idols. Yet God never does evil Himself and is never to blame for anyone’s sin: the prophet who speaks and the idolater who seeks him out both act from their own hearts, both are fully responsible, and both are justly punished. Scripture shows the same pattern when the LORD placed a deceiving spirit in King Ahab’s prophets and decreed disaster for Ahab (1 Kings 22:22-23), and when Paul says that God will send a strong deception on people who refused to love the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:10-11). God’s stated goal is mercy: that Israel would no longer wander from Him or make themselves unclean, but would be His people, with Him as their God (14:11). He promises the same when He restores them (37:23).
- Ezekiel 14:9-10 (BSB)“But if the prophet is enticed to speak a message, then it was I the LORD who enticed him, and I will stretch out My hand against him and destroy him from among My people Israel. They will bear their punishment—the punishment of the inquirer will be the same as that of the prophet—”A prophet who gives the idolater a message is under God’s judgment, and the prophet and the inquirer bear the same punishment.
- Ezekiel 14:11 (BSB)“in order that the house of Israel may no longer stray from Me and no longer defile themselves with all their transgressions. Then they will be My people and I will be their God, declares the Lord GOD.’””God’s goal is that Israel would no longer stray or defile itself, and that they would be His people and He their God.
- 1 Kings 22:22-23 (BSB)“And he replied, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ ‘You will surely entice him and prevail,’ said the LORD. ‘Go and do it.’ So you see, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours, and the LORD has pronounced disaster against you.””Micaiah tells Ahab that the LORD has sent a deceiving spirit to speak through his prophets and has announced disaster for him.
- 2 Thessalonians 2:10-11 (BSB)“and with every wicked deception directed against those who are perishing, because they refused the love of the truth that would have saved them. For this reason God will send them a powerful delusion so that they believe the lie,”Because those who are perishing refused to love the saving truth, God will send them a strong deception so that they believe what is false.
- Ezekiel 37:23 (BSB)“They will no longer defile themselves with their idols or detestable images, or with any of their transgressions. I will save them from all their apostasies by which they sinned, and I will cleanse them. Then they will be My people, and I will be their God.”In the promised restoration the LORD will cleanse His people from idols, and they will be His people and He their God.
Theological
What end does the LORD state for punishing both the deceived prophet and the idolatrous inquirer alike (Ezekiel 14:9-11)?
Answer: So that Israel would stop straying and be His people again
If a prophet is enticed into speaking to such an inquirer, the LORD declares that He Himself enticed that prophet, and He will destroy him; inquirer and prophet bear the same punishment (14:9-10). God’s sovereignty extends even over a prophet’s deception, which He uses as a judicial act against those who have already enthroned idols within. Yet God is never the author of sin: the prophet and the inquirer act from their own corrupt hearts, remain wholly responsible, and are justly punished. Scripture presents the same pattern when the LORD placed a deceiving spirit in Ahab’s prophets and decreed disaster for Ahab (1 Kings 22:22-23), and when God sends a strong deception on those who would not love the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:10-11). The judgment is purposeful: that Israel would stray no longer or defile itself, but be His people and He their God (14:11), the covenant bond promised again with the cleansing of 37:23.
- Ezekiel 14:9-10 (BSB)“But if the prophet is enticed to speak a message, then it was I the LORD who enticed him, and I will stretch out My hand against him and destroy him from among My people Israel. They will bear their punishment—the punishment of the inquirer will be the same as that of the prophet—”A prophet who gives the idolater a message is under God’s judgment, and the prophet and the inquirer bear the same punishment.
- Ezekiel 14:11 (BSB)“in order that the house of Israel may no longer stray from Me and no longer defile themselves with all their transgressions. Then they will be My people and I will be their God, declares the Lord GOD.’””God’s goal is that Israel would no longer stray or defile itself, and that they would be His people and He their God.
- 1 Kings 22:22-23 (BSB)“And he replied, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ ‘You will surely entice him and prevail,’ said the LORD. ‘Go and do it.’ So you see, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours, and the LORD has pronounced disaster against you.””Micaiah tells Ahab that the LORD has sent a deceiving spirit to speak through his prophets and has announced disaster for him.
- 2 Thessalonians 2:10-11 (BSB)“and with every wicked deception directed against those who are perishing, because they refused the love of the truth that would have saved them. For this reason God will send them a powerful delusion so that they believe the lie,”Because those who are perishing refused to love the saving truth, God will send them a strong deception so that they believe what is false.
- Ezekiel 37:23 (BSB)“They will no longer defile themselves with their idols or detestable images, or with any of their transgressions. I will save them from all their apostasies by which they sinned, and I will cleanse them. Then they will be My people, and I will be their God.”In the promised restoration the LORD will cleanse His people from idols, and they will be His people and He their God.
General
True or False: Alongside His warning to idolaters who came to inquire of Him, the LORD called the whole house of Israel to repent and abandon their idols (Ezekiel 14:6).
Answer: True
This is true. In the middle of the warnings, the LORD gave Ezekiel a direct call for the whole house of Israel: they were to repent, that is, change their minds and their direction, turn away from their idols, and turn their faces from all their abominations, the practices God detests (14:6). Right after this call He repeats how He will judge the idolater who comes to inquire (14:7-8). God warns before He strikes, and later in the book He promises to give His people a new heart and put His own Spirit within them so that they will obey Him (36:26-27). The same call returns later in the book: a call to repent and leave every transgression behind (18:30). Isaiah urged the wicked to forsake their way and come back to the LORD, who pardons freely (Isaiah 55:7), and Peter preached the same message after Pentecost: repent and return to God so that their sins would be erased (Acts 3:19).
- Ezekiel 14:6 (BSB)“Therefore tell the house of Israel that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Repent and turn away from your idols; turn your faces away from all your abominations.”The LORD calls the house of Israel to repent and abandon their idols and abominations.
- Ezekiel 18:30 (BSB)“Therefore, O house of Israel, I will judge you, each according to his ways, declares the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, so that your iniquity will not become your downfall.”The LORD again calls Israel to repent and leave every transgression behind.
- Isaiah 55:7 (BSB)“Let the wicked man forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that He may have compassion, and to our God, for He will freely pardon.”The wicked are called to abandon their way and come back to the LORD, who pardons freely.
- Acts 3:19 (BSB)“Repent, then, and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped away,”Peter calls his hearers to repent and turn to God so their sins would be erased.
Theological
True or False: Within His word against idolatrous inquirers, the LORD summoned the whole house of Israel to repent and forsake their idols (Ezekiel 14:6).
Answer: True
This is true. Set between the two statements of the sentence on idolatrous inquirers (14:4-5, 7-8) is an explicit call to repentance addressed to the whole house of Israel: repent, turn from your idols, and turn your faces from every abomination (14:6). The LORD then restates how He will answer the idolater with judgment (14:7-8). The command reveals what God requires; the book later shows that He Himself gives the new heart that obeys it (36:26-27). The summons recurs in 18:30, echoes Isaiah’s offer of free pardon to the one who forsakes his way (Isaiah 55:7), and is carried into the apostolic preaching, where Peter calls Israel to repent and return so that their sins may be erased (Acts 3:19).
- Ezekiel 14:6 (BSB)“Therefore tell the house of Israel that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Repent and turn away from your idols; turn your faces away from all your abominations.”The LORD calls the house of Israel to repent and abandon their idols and abominations.
- Ezekiel 18:30 (BSB)“Therefore, O house of Israel, I will judge you, each according to his ways, declares the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, so that your iniquity will not become your downfall.”The LORD again calls Israel to repent and leave every transgression behind.
- Isaiah 55:7 (BSB)“Let the wicked man forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that He may have compassion, and to our God, for He will freely pardon.”The wicked are called to abandon their way and come back to the LORD, who pardons freely.
- Acts 3:19 (BSB)“Repent, then, and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped away,”Peter calls his hearers to repent and turn to God so their sins would be erased.
General
After Jerusalem’s judgment, some survivors would be brought out to the exiles. How would they comfort the exiles (Ezekiel 14:22-23)?
Answer: By showing through their ways that God’s judgment was just
God said that if a land with three righteous men could not be spared, how much worse would it be when He sent all four judgments, the sword, famine, plague and wild beasts, against Jerusalem (14:21). Yet some survivors, sons and daughters, would be brought out and come to the exiles in Babylon (14:22). When the exiles saw how these survivors lived and acted, they would be comforted about the disaster, because they would see that God had not done any of it without cause (14:22-23). The text does not spell out what the exiles would see, but it seems the survivors’ own conduct would show how deep Jerusalem’s sin had been, and so how just God’s judgment was. God had said earlier that He would spare a few so they could tell of their abominations among the nations (12:16). Abraham trusted that the One who judges the whole earth will do right (Genesis 18:25), and in Revelation God’s judgments are praised as true and just (Revelation 16:7).
- Ezekiel 14:21-22 (BSB)“For this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘How much worse will it be when I send against Jerusalem My four dire judgments—sword, famine, wild beasts, and plague—in order to cut off from it both man and beast? Yet, behold, some survivors will be left in it—sons and daughters who will be brought out. They will come out to you, and when you see their conduct and actions, you will be comforted regarding the disaster I have brought upon Jerusalem—all that I have brought upon it.”After God’s four judgments on Jerusalem, some survivors will be led out to the exiles.
- Ezekiel 14:23 (BSB)“They will bring you consolation when you see their conduct and actions, and you will know that it was not without cause that I have done all these things within it,’ declares the Lord GOD.””Seeing the survivors’ conduct, the exiles will be comforted and will know God did nothing without cause.
- Ezekiel 12:16 (BSB)“But I will spare a few of them from sword and famine and plague, so that in the nations to which they go, they can recount all their abominations. Then they will know that I am the LORD.””God spares a few so they can tell the nations of the evil they had practiced.
- Genesis 18:25 (BSB)“Far be it from You to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Will not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?””Abraham confesses that the One who judges the whole earth will do right.
- Revelation 16:7 (BSB)“And I heard the altar reply: “Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are Your judgments.””The altar answers that God’s judgments are true and fair.
Theological
In what way would the survivors brought out of Jerusalem console the exiles (Ezekiel 14:22-23)?
Answer: By showing through their ways that God’s judgment was just
If a land could not be spared for Noah, Daniel and Job, Jerusalem under all four judgments together, the sword, famine, plague and wild beasts, could expect no less (14:21). Yet a remnant of sons and daughters will be led out to the exiles (14:22). The consolation they bring is a vindication of God: seeing their ways and deeds, the exiles will recognize that the LORD did nothing in Jerusalem without cause (14:22-23). The text does not detail their conduct, but it most likely displays the city’s guilt and so the justice of its judgment, much like the purpose given for sparing a few in 12:16. The comfort rests on God’s righteousness: the One who judges all the earth does right (Genesis 18:25), and His judgments are true and just (Revelation 16:7).
- Ezekiel 14:21-22 (BSB)“For this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘How much worse will it be when I send against Jerusalem My four dire judgments—sword, famine, wild beasts, and plague—in order to cut off from it both man and beast? Yet, behold, some survivors will be left in it—sons and daughters who will be brought out. They will come out to you, and when you see their conduct and actions, you will be comforted regarding the disaster I have brought upon Jerusalem—all that I have brought upon it.”After God’s four judgments on Jerusalem, some survivors will be led out to the exiles.
- Ezekiel 14:23 (BSB)“They will bring you consolation when you see their conduct and actions, and you will know that it was not without cause that I have done all these things within it,’ declares the Lord GOD.””Seeing the survivors’ conduct, the exiles will be comforted and will know God did nothing without cause.
- Ezekiel 12:16 (BSB)“But I will spare a few of them from sword and famine and plague, so that in the nations to which they go, they can recount all their abominations. Then they will know that I am the LORD.””God spares a few so they can tell the nations of the evil they had practiced.
- Genesis 18:25 (BSB)“Far be it from You to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Will not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?””Abraham confesses that the One who judges the whole earth will do right.
- Revelation 16:7 (BSB)“And I heard the altar reply: “Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are Your judgments.””The altar answers that God’s judgments are true and fair.