The Sins that brought the End

Ezekiel 22:1-31

In chapter 22 of the book of Ezekiel, God declares through His prophet, Ezekiel to reveal the sins of Jerusalem that caused the coming judgement of God.

I. Bloodshed and Idolatry that brought the Judgement of God (1-5)

In Jerusalem (her), they have shed blood and have become defiled by the idols they have made (2, 3,4a). Note that two sins (bloodshed and idolatry (detestable practices)) were pointed out three times in verse 2, 3 and 4a.

Resultant judgement of God:

• Her end has come (4b)
• Becoming an object of scorn (4c)
• Becoming a laughing-stock (4d)
• Becoming an object of mockery (5)

II. The 1st List of Sins that brought the Judgement of God (6-12)

• In this city, princes misuse their power to shed blood (6).
• In this city, they have treated their father and mother with contempt (7a).
• In this city, they have oppressed the foreigner and ill-treated the fatherless and the widow (7b).
• In this city, they have despised God’s holy things and desecrated God's Sabbaths (8).
• In this city are slanderers who are bent on shedding blood (9a).
• In this city are those who eat at the mountain shrines and commit lewd acts (9b).
• In this city are those who dishonour their father’s bed (10a).
• In this city are those who violate women during their period, when they are ceremonially unclean (10b).
• In this city, one man commits a detestable offence with his neighbour’s wife, another shamefully defiles his daughter-in-law, and another violates his sister, his own father’s daughter (11).
• In this city are people who accept bribes to shed blood (12a).
• They take interest and make a profit from the poor (12b).
• They extort unjust gain from their neighbours (12c).
• They have forgotten God (12d).

III. The Exile and the Siege of the City Foretold (13-22)

God foretold the Exile. See v15.

¹⁵ I will disperse you among the nations and scatter you through the countries; and I will put an end to your uncleanness.

Before the Exile took place, Jerusalem had been sieged by Babylon for 1.5 years until all food ran out in the city (Jeremiah 39, 2 Kings 24:10-17). This was foretold in v17-22.

IV. The 2nd List of Sins that brought the Judgement of God (23-29)

More sins in Jerusalem (her) are listed below.

• Sins of Princes: There is a conspiracy of her princes within Jerusalem like a roaring lion tearing its prey; they devour people, take treasures and precious things and make many widows within her (25).
• Sins of Priests: Her priests do violence to God's law and profane God's holy things; they do not distinguish between the holy and the common; they teach that there is no difference between the unclean and the clean; and they shut their eyes to the keeping of God's Sabbaths, so that God is profaned among them (26).
• Sins of Officials: Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey; they shed blood and kill people to make unjust gain (27).
• Sins of Prophets: Her prophets whitewash these deeds for them by false visions and lying divinations. They say, “This is what the Sovereign LORD says”—when the LORD has not spoken (28).
• Sins of People: The people of the land practise extortion and commit robbery; they oppress the poor and needy and ill-treat the foreigner, denying them justice (29).

V. No Mediator Found (30-31)

God considered an alternative to the judgement through a right person. However, when he looked for a mediator, He found none. See v30.

³⁰ ‘I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so that I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one.

So, God went ahead with His judgement as He planned (31).

References
[1] The Holy Bible: New International Version (Anglicised Edition, 2011). (2011). (Revised and updated edition). London: Hodder & Stoughton.