EZEKIEL LESSON 5


     We will begin this lesson in Ezekiel 5:1 "And thou, son of man,
take thee a sharp knife, take thee a barber's razor, and cause [it] to
pass upon thine head and upon thy beard: then take thee balances to
weigh, and divide the [hair]."

     God calls Ezekiel son of man. Ezekiel is the instrument God uses
to show what he will do to His people. This sharp knife and razor are
both representative of the judgement of God. Ezekiel was a priest and
was not generally to cut his hair, or his beard. Each one of the hairs
represent individuals who make up the nation of Judah. The judgement
is against all. The dividing of the hair shows that not all will fall
under the exact same punishment. Each hair {individual} suffers, but
not all of them in the same way. A woman's head was shaved when she
was found guilty of adultery. These strands of hair represent the wife
of God {Israel}. They have committed spiritual adultery by worshipping
false gods.

     Ezekiel 5:2 "Thou shalt burn with fire a third part in the midst
of the city, when the days of the siege are fulfilled: and thou shalt
take a third part, [and] smite about it with a knife: and a third part
thou shalt scatter in the wind; and I will draw out a sword after
them."

     This dividing into thirds is explaining what happens to the
various people in the city. One third of them are burned up in the
fire. One third is killed by the sword, and one third is taken away
captive.

     Ezekiel 5:3 "Thou shalt also take thereof a few in number, and
bind them in thy skirts."

     This is speaking of that remnant which is always saved in the
midst of terrible circumstances. The best example of that is in the
following Scripture. Psalms 91:7 "A thousand shall fall at thy side,
and ten thousand at thy right hand; [but] it shall not come nigh
thee." This binding in the skirt shows their supernatural protection.

     Ezekiel 5:4 "Then take of them again, and cast them into the
midst of the fire, and burn them in the fire; [for] thereof shall a
fire come forth into all the house of Israel."

     This is showing that some, who were spared at first, would be
destroyed later, because they were not repentant.

     Ezekiel 5:5  "Thus saith the Lord GOD; This [is] Jerusalem: I
have set it in the midst of the nations and countries [that are] round
about her."

     All eyes had been on Jerusalem. It had been the center of the
nations around them. Many came to Jerusalem to worship in the temple
there. In the days of Solomon, people had come from far away countries
to see the glories of Jerusalem and her God.

     Ezekiel 5:6 "And she hath changed my judgments into wickedness
more than the nations, and my statutes more than the countries that
[are] round about her: for they have refused my judgments and my
statutes, they have not walked in them."

     Judgement begins at the house of God. Jerusalem was God's. God
will judge Jerusalem and her people more severely, because they sinned
in full knowledge. They had the law of God. They were not a heathen
nation. For them to worship false gods, was to turn their backs on
their Creator. The countries around her had never had the law of God.
It was more serious for Jerusalem to be involved in spiritual adultery
than the other countries, because of Jerusalem's position with God.

     Ezekiel 5:7 "Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye
multiplied more than the nations that [are] round about you, [and]
have not walked in my statutes, neither have kept my judgments,
neither have done according to the judgments of the nations that [are]
round about you;"

     They were to be a separated people. They represented God to all
the people of the earth. This is very similar to what the Christians
are today to the world. We are Christ's representatives upon the
earth. It is important for believers, then and now, to live above the
sins of society. The wrath God felt was, because those He had trusted
with His law had gone bad.

     Ezekiel 5:8 "Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even
I, [am] against thee, and will execute judgments in the midst of thee
in the sight of the nations."

     "Therefore", connects this Scripture with the Scripture before.
God is very disappointed in their unfaithfulness. He has given them
every opportunity to repent, and they had not. They have been
unfaithful to Him in the presence of the nations. Now, He will bring
judgement on them in the presence of those same nations.

     Ezekiel 5:9 "And I will do in thee that which I have not done,
and whereunto I will not do any more the like, because of all thine
abominations."

     This is when the fury of God has come up in His face. The
destruction will be great, because their abominations were so great.

     Ezekiel 5:10 "Therefore the fathers shall eat the sons in the
midst of thee, and the sons shall eat their fathers; and I will
execute judgments in thee, and the whole remnant of thee will I
scatter into all the winds."

     This speaks of the canniballism that goes on, when the famine
becomes so great in Jerusalem. This is so unusual, because the Hebrews
thought children were one of the greatest blessings from God.  Those
who do not die from the siege, will suffer great trials. Many will go
into captivity. In it all, God will save a remnant.

     Ezekiel 5:11 "Wherefore, [as] I live, saith the Lord GOD; Surely,
because thou hast defiled my sanctuary with all thy detestable things,
and with all thine abominations, therefore will I also diminish
[thee]; neither shall mine eye spare, neither will I have any pity."

     God thinks of them as an adulterous wife. They have embarrassed
Him in front of the nations. They have even carried idols into His
sanctuary. God will not show them any pity, because they chose to
leave Him for false gods. This is worse than the world sinning. They
have polluted their worship services by listening to false prophets.

     Ezekiel 5:12  "A third part of thee shall die with the
pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of
thee: and a third part shall fall by the sword round about thee; and I
will scatter a third part into all the winds, and I will draw out a
sword after them."

     This is the same message as in verse 2 of this lesson. It is
spoken of in the separation of the hair. They will all be punished.
Some will die from the sword, some will die from the famine, and some
will be taken captive.

     Ezekiel 5:13 "Thus shall mine anger be accomplished, and I will
cause my fury to rest upon them, and I will be comforted: and they
shall know that I the LORD have spoken [it] in my zeal, when I have
accomplished my fury in them."

     God will always save a remnant of His people. The punishment will
finally stop, after it has caused some of them to repent and turn back
to Him. The fury will be great, but it will cease. When the punishment
is fulfilled, it will satisfy the righteousness of God. God is
righteous, and He expects His people to be righteous, too.

     Ezekiel 5:14 "Moreover I will make thee waste, and a reproach
among the nations that [are] round about thee, in the sight of all
that pass by."

     We studied about this in Jeremiah. God will allow His holy city,
Jerusalem, to be destroyed, because of the sins of the people. The
temple had been His special place to be present with them. He has no
desire to be with them, because of their sins. He even destroys the
temple. This beautiful city, which all admired, will be destroyed and
become nothing but ruins.

     Ezekiel 5:15 "So it shall be a reproach and a taunt, an
instruction and an astonishment unto the nations that [are] round
about thee, when I shall execute judgments in thee in anger and in
fury and in furious rebukes. I the LORD have spoken [it]."

     The word "taunt" means revilement. God has punished His own,
partly for the instruction of those looking on. Even the Babylonians
made the statement, that Israel's God had caused this great calamity
to come upon them. God had spoken the destruction on them. The
Babylonians were the instrument God used, but the punishment was from
God.  "I the LORD have spoken it" leaves no doubt that the judgement
was from God.

     Ezekiel 5:16 "When I shall send upon them the evil arrows of
famine, which shall be for [their] destruction, [and] which I will
send to destroy you: and I will increase the famine upon you, and will
break your staff of bread:"

     Famine is a punishment that is associated with the worship of
false gods. God will not share our love with false gods. Famine comes
when God shuts off the rain. Wars sometimes, also, cause famine,
because it is impossible to grow a garden in the midst of war. All of
this comes from an angry God. Famine is the cruelest of all deaths,
because it takes so long to die.

     Ezekiel 5:17 "So will I send upon you famine and evil beasts, and
they shall bereave thee; and pestilence and blood shall pass through
thee; and I will bring the sword upon thee. I the LORD have spoken
[it]."

     There is no way to turn this punishment back, because it is
spoken by God, Himself. As if the famine is not bad enough, the beasts
are hungry, too, and they attack the people. This is horror beyond our
wildest imagination. Only hell will be worse.




























                         Ezekiel 5 Questions


1.  What does God call Ezekiel in verse 1?
2.  What does God tell him to do?
3.  What does the razor represent?
4.  Why is the hair divided and weighed?
5.  Who do each of the hairs represent?
6.  What happens to each third of them?
7.  Who do those bound in the skirt represent?
8.  Quote Psalms chapter 91 verse 7.
9.  Why will some of them, that are not destroyed at first, be
    destroyed later?
10. What had the surrounding world thought of Jerusalem?
11. Where does judgement begin?
12. When they worshipped false gods, they had turned their backs on
    _____.
13. Who had the Israelites represented God to?
14. Why was it important for the nations to see God's judgement
    against them?
15. What does "therefore" in verse 8 show us?
16. Why was the destruction so great?
17. What is verse 10 describing?
18. What had the Hebrews thought were one of the greatest blessings
    from God?
19. What had they done to the sanctuary, that angered God so greatly?
20. Verse 12 is the same judgement as what other verse?
21. When will the punishment from God stop?
22. The temple and the city, Jerusalem, will be __________.
23. What does "taunt" mean?
24. What statement leaves no doubt where the destruction comes from?
25. What is the cruelest of all the deaths mentioned here?
26. Why is it the cruelest?
27. What is the only horror worse than this destruction?