Ezekiel

Ezekiel 5: God judges His rebellious city

Begin in prayer

Before we hear why God judges His city, please ask Him to search our hearts. Ask Him to quiet our hearts and be near our family, teaching us to recognize Christ as we read Ezekiel 5.

It will be, like people, like priest; and I will punish them for their ways, and will repay them for their deeds.

Hosea 4:9

Father in heaven, please open our eyes as we read Your Word. Show us the weight of sin and help us see Jesus, who saves sinners from judgment. Make us more like Jesus. And please bless our family as we worship You together. In Jesus' name, Amen.

See where we're going

God tells Ezekiel to shave his head and beard, then weigh and divide the hair. He must burn a third, strike a third with the sword and scatter a third to the wind. A few hairs are kept in his clothing, but some of those must also burn. The LORD explains that Jerusalem has rejected His commands and defiled His sanctuary. He warns of plague, famine, the sword and scattering, including parents and children eating one another. God will bring these judgments in His anger, and Jerusalem will become a desolation before the nations.

As you read Ezekiel 5, look for the answers:

Reflect together

Key truth

God judges Jerusalem for rejecting His commands and defiling His sanctuary.

God identifies Jerusalem as the city He set among the nations, with His sanctuary in her midst. That privilege makes her rebellion worse, because she rejects His commands and exceeds even the surrounding nations in wickedness. Weighing and dividing the hair pictures measured judgment, with plague, famine, sword and scattering assigned to the people. The hairs kept in Ezekiel's clothing do not provide an unconditional promise of safety, because God orders some of them burned again. Defiling His sanctuary turns the place appointed for worship into a reason for His announced withdrawal of pity. Public judgment answers public rebellion, making the city a reproach and a warning before the nations that once surrounded her. The final knowledge that He has spoken means the threatened ruin will prove His word true, including His anger against their abominations.

How does Ezekiel 5 show us that God judges Jerusalem for rejecting His commands and defiling His sanctuary?

God's signs show judgment reaching the city.

Ezekiel must burn a third of the hair, strike a third with the sword and scatter a third (verses 1 to 4). God will draw a sword after the scattered people. Some hairs kept in his clothing must also be burned.

God names the rebellion He will judge.

Jerusalem has rejected God's commands and acted more wickedly than the nations around her (verses 5 to 11). The people have defiled His sanctuary. God says He is against the city and will judge it before the watching nations. His judgment will be unmatched, and He will show no pity (verses 9 and 11).

God will carry out the judgment He speaks.

Plague, famine, the sword and scattering explain the sign of the divided hair (verse 12). These are judgments God Himself will bring. When His anger is accomplished, the people will know He has spoken in His zeal (verse 13). God also sends evil animals to bereave them (verse 17).

Memorize

Behold, I, even I, am against you; and I will execute judgments among you in the sight of the nations.

Ezekiel 5:8

Looking to Jesus in my life

Ask yourself in your heart, what command am I rejecting, and do I need Jesus to save me from judgment?

God says of Jerusalem, “they have rejected my ordinances.” Being the city where His sanctuary stood could never make rebellion safe. The divided hair warns of real deaths, scattering and suffering under His anger. We also must answer to this holy God.

Jesus came to rescue guilty sinners from God's wrath. He died for His people, taking their guilt as His own and suffering God's punishment for their sins. His saving work is accomplished and fully sufficient, with no further payment needed. He was buried, and He rose from the dead.

Do not hide behind a religious place or a religious family. Turn from sin and believe in the risen Christ. Those who seek His mercy with repentant faith will be forgiven. Please come to Him with the rebellion this chapter exposes, and ask Him to make you willing to obey.

Parent's note

Tell your children that God warns of fathers and sons eating one another, showing the horror of His judgment. Jesus died and rose to save sinners. Please do not tell them they are saved just because they grew up in a Christian home. Call each child to turn from sin and trust Jesus, and pray that God would give them a new heart.

Pray together

Now please close your time together in prayer. Thank God for speaking truth about sin and judgment, and bring the heart question to Him. Every child can pray, so let each one say a short prayer if they want to.

It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Hebrews 10:31

Holy God, thank You for speaking plainly about the judgment our sins deserve. Please forgive our rebellion, and help each one repent and trust Jesus for mercy. Give us hearts that honor Your commands and receive Your Word with reverence this week. Amen.