Eze 6 | MHM | STEP | The Destruction of Idolatry In this prophecy, God tells Ezekiel to speak against the mountains of Israel. The mountains were once holy, but they became places where people worshipped idols. God’s message is not only for the people, but also for the land itself, as a sign of how serious the coming judgment will be. Even though the people might not listen, God’s word will be heard by all creation. This prophecy warns that both the idols and those who worship them will be destroyed because of their unfaithfulness. v. 1 : God’s word comes to Ezekiel with a new message. And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying .

‏ Ezekiel 6

The Destruction of Idolatry

In this prophecy, God tells Ezekiel to speak against the mountains of Israel. The mountains were once holy, but they became places where people worshipped idols. God’s message is not only for the people, but also for the land itself, as a sign of how serious the coming judgment will be. Even though the people might not listen, God’s word will be heard by all creation. This prophecy warns that both the idols and those who worship them will be destroyed because of their unfaithfulness.

v. 1: God’s word comes to Ezekiel with a new message. And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying .

v. 2: God commands Ezekiel to set his face against the mountains of Israel and prophesy to them. Son of man, set thy face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them . The mountains are called to listen because the people would not.

v. 3: God says He will bring a sword upon the land, and the high places will be destroyed. Thus saith the Lord GOD to the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys; Behold, I, even I, will bring a sword upon you, and I will destroy your high places . The judgment will reach everywhere, not only where idols are worshipped.

v. 4: The altars and idols will be broken and destroyed. Your altars shall be desolate, and your images shall be broken: and I will cast down your slain men before your idols . God will show that idols are powerless by letting their worshippers fall before them.

v. 5: God will scatter the bones of the people around their altars. And I will lay the dead carcases of the children of Israel before their idols; and I will scatter your bones round about your altars . This will make the places of idol worship unclean and shameful.

v. 6: All the places—cities, high places, and altars—will be ruined. In all your dwelling places the cities shall be laid waste... and your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, and your idols may be broken and cease . Nothing will escape God’s judgment.

v. 7: Many will die, and their bodies will lie among their idols. And the slain shall fall in the midst of you, and ye shall know that I am the Lord . This will prove that only the true God has power, and that idols are nothing.

Mercy Promised to the Penitent; Effect of Repentance

Even though God’s judgment is severe, He promises mercy to a remnant. Not everyone will be destroyed. God will save some people, not because they deserve it, but because of His grace. This small group will be changed by their suffering. They will remember God, turn away from their sins, and truly repent. Their story shows how God’s mercy and justice work together.

v. 8: God says He will leave a remnant—some will escape the sword and survive among the nations. Yet will I leave a remnant, that ye may have some that shall escape the sword among the nations . Even in judgment, God remembers mercy and keeps a people for Himself (Isaiah 1:9 ^a).

v. 9: Those who escape will remember God in the countries where they are taken. They that escape of you shall remember me among the nations whither they shall be carried captives . They will see how wrong it was to turn their hearts and eyes away from God to idols. They will realize how deeply their sin has grieved God, like a husband hurt by an unfaithful wife (Psalm 95:10; Jeremiah 3:21 ^b). True repentance starts with remembering God and feeling sorrow for hurting Him.

v. 10: This repentance will make them hate their sins and even loathe themselves for the evil they have done. They shall loathe themselves for the evils which they have committed in all their abominations: and they shall know that I am the Lord . Those who truly repent see sin as disgusting and want to be different. Through this process, they will also realize that God’s warnings were not empty, but true and just.

The Prophet's Lamentation

In this passage, God tells Ezekiel to show his deep sorrow for the sins and coming judgments on Israel. By expressing his grief through actions and words, Ezekiel hopes to help the people understand how serious their situation is. God repeats the warnings of disaster, and Ezekiel is asked to respond with true sadness over both the people’s sins and their punishment. This reminds us that even when we warn others, we should do it with compassion, not coldness.

v. 11: God tells Ezekiel to show his sorrow by clapping his hands and stamping his feet. Smite with thy hand, and stamp with thy foot, and say, Alas for all the evil abominations of the house of Israel! . Ezekiel must show he is truly upset about the people’s sins and the terrible punishments coming—sword, famine, and disease.

v. 12: God warns that no one will escape. He that is far off shall die of the pestilence; and he that is near shall fall by the sword; and he that remaineth and is besieged shall die by the famine . No matter where people try to hide, God’s judgment will find them. In this way, God will carry out His anger as He has promised.

v. 13: The dead will lie among their idols and altars. Then shall ye know that I am the Lord, when their slain men shall be among their idols round about their altars . This shows that idols are powerless and brings shame to false worship.

v. 14: God says He will make the whole land more desolate than the wilderness near Diblath. So will I stretch out my hand upon them, and make the land desolate, yea, more desolate than the wilderness toward Diblath, in all their habitations (Ezekiel 6:14 ^c). The once-beautiful land of Israel will become empty and deserted because of sin. This is a warning that sin always brings destruction.