The Strand Study Bible

EZEKIEL 14:10

EZEKIEL 15:2

1266

10 And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity: the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him; 11 That the house of Israel may go no more astray from me, neither be polluted any more with all their transgressions; but that they may be my people, and I may be their God, saith the Lord GOD. 12 The 1 word of the LORD came again to me, saying, 13 Son of man, when the land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously, 2 then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, and will break the 3 staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon it, and will cut off man and beast from it: P 14 4 Though these three men, 5 Noah, 6 Daniel, and 7 Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls 8 by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD. 15 If I cause 9 noisome beasts to pass through the land, and they spoil it, so that it be desolate, that no man may pass through because of the beasts: 16 Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only shall be delivered, 2 but the land shall be desolate. P 17 Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say, Sword, go through the land; so that I cut off man and beast from it: 18 Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, 2 they shall de- liver neither sons nor daughters, but they only shall be delivered themselves. P

1. Ezk 1:3,24 2. Fulfilled - II Ki 25 (Fall of Judah) 3. Lev 26:26 & Ezk 4:16 4. Jere 15:1 5. Gen 6:8 6. Dan 1:6 7. Job 1:1 8. Prov 11:4 & Ezk 9:4,6 9. Lev 26:22 10. II Sam 24:15 11. Ezk 5:17 12. Ezk 6:8-10 & 12:16 & Jere 44:28 13. Note - Ezekiel’s fifth sermon (Ezk 15) in a new series of sermons aimed at the Jewish captives in Babylon, entitled “The charred vine,” was illustrated by describing a vine (picturing Jerusalem – vs 6) that was charred at both ends and in between (vs 4).

19 Or if I send 10 a pestilence into that land, and pour out my fury upon it in blood, to cut off from it man and beast: 20 Though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, 2 they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness. P 21 For thus saith the Lord GOD; 2 How much more when I send my 11 four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast? P 22 Yet, behold, therein shall be left a 12 remnant that shall be brought forth, both sons and daughters: behold, they shall come forth unto you, and ye shall see their way and their doings: and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, 2 even concerning all that I have brought upon it. P 23 And they shall comfort you, when ye see their ways and their doings: and ye shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, saith the Lord GOD. Ezekiel 15 The parable of the vine tree (Picturing Jerusalem’s utter destruction) Date - 591 BC/AM 3409 1 13 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, What is the vine tree more than any tree, or than a branch which is among the trees of the forest?

14:14 The situation in Judah was so bad that even if the presence of three of history’s most righteous men ( these three men – Noah, Daniel, and Job) were then in the land, the prolonged sin of the land would forbid its being spared judgment. The allusion is to Abraham’s intercession for Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 18. NOTE – Whenever God’s people behave badly, it’s worse in God’s sight than when the world lives badly. Whenever a nation is irreversibly set in a downward spiral, God must flush her down in order to clean her out (vs 10-11). 14:20 Our “ righteousness ” (how we live) may someday deliver us, but it is not enough to deliver those around us. Noah’s righteousness could not deliver his generation from the Flood; Daniel’s righteousness could not deliver his nation from exile; and Job’s righteousness could not save his family from death. A few godly people are not enough to stop the judgment of God. To keep a nation from judgment, the people of that nation must have a change of heart. You do not change a nation by putting the right people in office (you do not change the people by changing the government); you change a nation by putting the HOLY SPIRIT in people (you change the government by changing the people). This is why we must continue to win the lost. Witnessing for CHRIST is the key to changing any nation. 15:2 As a nation, Israel was likened to a “ vine tree ” (vineyard – Psa 80:8-16, Isa 5:1,7 & 27:2-4, Hos 10:1, Jere 2:21 & 12:10 and Ezk 17:6 & 19:10), which is supposed to bear fruit. However, a vine tree that no longer bears fruit is worthless to the one who planted it (Mt 21:33-41). Having failed to fulfill the purpose for which she had been chosen (Psa 126:5-6), Israel (and in particular, Jerusalem) became utterly worthless for anything but fuel (vs 4). Spiritually speaking, there are five different ways to bear fruit: 1. Witnessing (Jn 15:8 and Rom 1:13) 2. Holy Living (Rom 6:22) - 3. Giving (Rom 15:25-28) 4. Good works (Colo 1:10 and Mt 5:16a,b ) - Good works don’t save you; good works show that you’re saved (Jms 2:14) 5. Praising God (Heb 13:15 and Acts 16:25 -33)