Lectionary Calendar

Thursday, November 21st, 2024
the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33

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Bible Commentaries
Ezekiel 6

EzekielEzk 5 EzekielEzk EzekielEzk 7

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Verses 1-14

Intro:
1. We’ll take both chapters – See 6:1 & 7:1.
CRUSHING THE HEART OF GOD! (6:1-14)
1. SYMBOL – Face Mountain & Prophecy! (1,2)
2. Set your face – Ezekiel uses this 14 times, & it always indicates God’s hostility toward sinful people.
  1. So here the prophet assumes God’s stern stance.
  2. Toward the mountains why? - Because that’s where the idolatrous worship was going on(3).
3. SIGNIFICANCE – Prophecy Destruction! (3-10)
4. (3) High Places – Canaanites worshipped their gods on hilltops. (explain Canaanites)
  1. The chief object of their worship was the sun-god, who was addressed by the general name of Baal, “lord.”
    1. Each locality had its special Baal. (a god made in mans own image!)
  2. God commanded the Israelites when they got into the land to eradicate them. They didn’t.
  3. The ended up often times worshipping these Canaanite gods; Or, they blended using these high places & tried to worship God there.
  4. Q: What direction in your life would God have his prophet face in your life?
  5. Q: Anything not torn down in your life?
  6. Q: What area in your life would you see as “mixed”; i.e. “a little God, a little world?”
5. (7) You shall know that I am the Lord – (6:10,13,14; 7:4,9,27)
  1. Illuminates the “purpose” of the judgments!
  2. It was to bring Israel to repentance & recognition of the Lord’s disciplinary action.
6. (8) God promises to preserve a remnant, 1^st to be scattered, then taken captive to Babylon.
  1. There they would remember their idolatrous practices, recognize they’d sinned, & realize this was God’s judgment.
7. (9) Gods Heart Crushed!
  1. Adulterous Hearts that have departed from God.
  2. Eyes played the harlot after idols.
  3. Note: It’s our heart & eyes that will lead us from God!
8. Isn’t the greatest God heart crush when we as Christians…
  1. Read God’s Word, w/o it reading us?
  2. Go to church, w/o meeting God there.
  3. Sing worship songs, w/o truly worshipping.
  4. Saying prayers, w/o actually praying.
9. The sin that breaks the heart of God, should break our hearts as well!
10. The Holy Spirit is not a mindless power or force, but a person w/feelings. One who could be grieved. [4 reason not to grieve Him]
  1. He is our Leader, our Helper, our Preserver, our Comforter.
11. Our Leader!
  1. We know Eph.4:30 says, “not to grieve the Holy Spirit”, but Paul was probably thinking of Isaiah (63:9,10) when he said, “And He bore them and carried them All the days of old. But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit;”
    1. As He bore Israel & carried them, we are told in the NT that he also leads/guides us “when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth”.
  2. So guiding is a large part of the Holy Spirits ministry to us:
  3. Q: Would you grieve your leader, & be left to travel alone?
  4. Q: Can you find your way w/o Him?
  5. Q: Can you learn w/o this teacher?
12. Our Helper!
  1. So Helping is a part of the Holy Spirits ministry to us:
  2. Q: Would you grieve your Helper & be left to act alone in your work?
  3. Q: Can you worship w/o the preparation of the heart by Him?
  4. Q: Can you know what to pray for as you ought, unless the Holy Spirit helps you?
  5. Q: Do you have power to do any duty, unless you are strengthened with might by the Spirit in the inner man?
    1. You may spread your sails, but He must fill them!
13. Our Preserver!
  1. To Him who is able to Keep you…
  2. So Preserving is a part of the Holy Spirits ministry to us:
  3. Q: Would you grieve your Preserver & be left to contend by yourself against your enemies?
    1. The 1^st temptation that assaults you, as you stand alone, could be your downfall for sinning & falling.
14. Our Comforter!
  1. So Comforting is a part of the Holy Spirits ministry to us:
  2. Q: Would you grieve the One who Comforts you & loose your hold of His promises, be unable to discern right things, & be in bondage to fear & misery.
  3. Q: Can you revive yourself in the midst of trouble?
  4. Q: Can you tell yourself enough times not to worry, & expect that to be of help?
  5. Q: When in deep distress emotionally, who will you cry out to?
15. Have you heard of someone making their heart “Crush-proof”?
  1. It sounds like this…“I was wounded so terribly by him/her that I will never give my heart to another.”
    1. They promise to never open themselves up to love again.
  2. Love necessitates risk! One could never promise, you’ll never be hurt again. Love demands risk!
  3. Q: What if God stopped loving, because He was tired of His heart being Crushed?
    1. Maybe John 3:16 would sound something like… “For God so protected His heart from getting crushed again, that He stopped loving the world, held back giving His only Son, & left man to spiritually fend for himself.”
  4. Love demands risk!
16. Remember Me! - ghfh
17. SYMBOL – Clap Hands, & Stomp Feet! (11)
18. As another visible display of God’s displeasure, Ezekiel clapped his hands & stomped his feet.
  1. Sometimes this is used for Joy(“Let the rivers clap their hands; Let the hills be joyful together before the LORD”); other times (like here) for scorn.
19. SIGNIFICANCE – Predict Disease & Death that Await Israel! (12-14)
20. The people would die by sword & famine, because of their idolatry.
21. From the wilderness to Diblah, or meant the same as “from Dan to Beersheba.”
22. And all would know that God is Lord! (not baal)

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Verses 1-14

Intro:
1. We’ll take both chapters – See 6:1 & 7:1.
CRUSHING THE HEART OF GOD! (6:1-14)
1. SYMBOL – Face Mountain & Prophecy! (1,2)
2. Set your face – Ezekiel uses this 14 times, & it always indicates God’s hostility toward sinful people.
  1. So here the prophet assumes God’s stern stance.
  2. Toward the mountains why? - Because that’s where the idolatrous worship was going on(3).
3. SIGNIFICANCE – Prophecy Destruction! (3-10)
4. (3) High Places – Canaanites worshipped their gods on hilltops. (explain Canaanites)
  1. The chief object of their worship was the sun-god, who was addressed by the general name of Baal, “lord.”
    1. Each locality had its special Baal. (a god made in mans own image!)
  2. God commanded the Israelites when they got into the land to eradicate them. They didn’t.
  3. The ended up often times worshipping these Canaanite gods; Or, they blended using these high places & tried to worship God there.
  4. Q: What direction in your life would God have his prophet face in your life?
  5. Q: Anything not torn down in your life?
  6. Q: What area in your life would you see as “mixed”; i.e. “a little God, a little world?”
5. (7) You shall know that I am the Lord – (6:10,13,14; 7:4,9,27)
  1. Illuminates the “purpose” of the judgments!
  2. It was to bring Israel to repentance & recognition of the Lord’s disciplinary action.
6. (8) God promises to preserve a remnant, 1^st to be scattered, then taken captive to Babylon.
  1. There they would remember their idolatrous practices, recognize they’d sinned, & realize this was God’s judgment.
7. (9) Gods Heart Crushed!
  1. Adulterous Hearts that have departed from God.
  2. Eyes played the harlot after idols.
  3. Note: It’s our heart & eyes that will lead us from God!
8. Isn’t the greatest God heart crush when we as Christians…
  1. Read God’s Word, w/o it reading us?
  2. Go to church, w/o meeting God there.
  3. Sing worship songs, w/o truly worshipping.
  4. Saying prayers, w/o actually praying.
9. The sin that breaks the heart of God, should break our hearts as well!
10. The Holy Spirit is not a mindless power or force, but a person w/feelings. One who could be grieved. [4 reason not to grieve Him]
  1. He is our Leader, our Helper, our Preserver, our Comforter.
11. Our Leader!
  1. We know Eph.4:30 says, “not to grieve the Holy Spirit”, but Paul was probably thinking of Isaiah (63:9,10) when he said, “And He bore them and carried them All the days of old. But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit;”
    1. As He bore Israel & carried them, we are told in the NT that he also leads/guides us “when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth”.
  2. So guiding is a large part of the Holy Spirits ministry to us:
  3. Q: Would you grieve your leader, & be left to travel alone?
  4. Q: Can you find your way w/o Him?
  5. Q: Can you learn w/o this teacher?
12. Our Helper!
  1. So Helping is a part of the Holy Spirits ministry to us:
  2. Q: Would you grieve your Helper & be left to act alone in your work?
  3. Q: Can you worship w/o the preparation of the heart by Him?
  4. Q: Can you know what to pray for as you ought, unless the Holy Spirit helps you?
  5. Q: Do you have power to do any duty, unless you are strengthened with might by the Spirit in the inner man?
    1. You may spread your sails, but He must fill them!
13. Our Preserver!
  1. To Him who is able to Keep you…
  2. So Preserving is a part of the Holy Spirits ministry to us:
  3. Q: Would you grieve your Preserver & be left to contend by yourself against your enemies?
    1. The 1^st temptation that assaults you, as you stand alone, could be your downfall for sinning & falling.
14. Our Comforter!
  1. So Comforting is a part of the Holy Spirits ministry to us:
  2. Q: Would you grieve the One who Comforts you & loose your hold of His promises, be unable to discern right things, & be in bondage to fear & misery.
  3. Q: Can you revive yourself in the midst of trouble?
  4. Q: Can you tell yourself enough times not to worry, & expect that to be of help?
  5. Q: When in deep distress emotionally, who will you cry out to?
15. Have you heard of someone making their heart “Crush-proof”?
  1. It sounds like this…“I was wounded so terribly by him/her that I will never give my heart to another.”
    1. They promise to never open themselves up to love again.
  2. Love necessitates risk! One could never promise, you’ll never be hurt again. Love demands risk!
  3. Q: What if God stopped loving, because He was tired of His heart being Crushed?
    1. Maybe John 3:16 would sound something like… “For God so protected His heart from getting crushed again, that He stopped loving the world, held back giving His only Son, & left man to spiritually fend for himself.”
  4. Love demands risk!
16. Remember Me! - ghfh
17. SYMBOL – Clap Hands, & Stomp Feet! (11)
18. As another visible display of God’s displeasure, Ezekiel clapped his hands & stomped his feet.
  1. Sometimes this is used for Joy(“Let the rivers clap their hands; Let the hills be joyful together before the LORD”); other times (like here) for scorn.
19. SIGNIFICANCE – Predict Disease & Death that Await Israel! (12-14)
20. The people would die by sword & famine, because of their idolatry.
21. From the wilderness to Diblah, or meant the same as “from Dan to Beersheba.”
22. And all would know that God is Lord! (not baal)

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EzekielEzk 5 EzekielEzk EzekielEzk 7

Copyright Statement
These files are the property of Brian Bell.
Text Courtesy of Calvary Chapel of Murrieta. Used by Permission.

Bibliographical Information
Bell, Brian. "Commentary on Ezekiel 6". "Bell's Commentary". https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/cbb/ezekiel-6.html. 2017.

Bible CommentariesEzekiel 6

Bell's Commentary on the BibleBell's Commentary

Verses 1-14

Verses 1-14

Bible Commentaries
Ezekiel 6