Eze 6-7 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Ezek 6:1-14: 6:1-14 The two oracles of judgment in this chapter (6:2-10 and 6:11-14 ) present two alternatives—a positive future through repentance, or continued rebellion and a dark future of total annihilation. Either way, the Lord’s power and holiness would be manifested. Summary for Ezek 6:1-3: 6:1-3 The circle of judgment broadened out from Jerusalem to include the mountains of Israel , which were Israel’s political heartland. This territory had belonged to Israel continuously since the time of Joshua, and it had been infected by idolatry. The hill country had become home to many pagan shrines (literally high places )—raised stone platforms that often housed idols or became the location for sacrifices and pagan festivities. Most predated Israel’s entry into the land, and God had commanded Israel to destroy them (Deut 12:2-3 ). However, in many cases, the Israelites had permitted them to remain in place, and the political and religious leaders had ignored or even encouraged those who worshiped there.

Summary for Ezek 6:1-14: 6:1-14 ^a The two oracles of judgment in this chapter (6:2-10 ^b and 6:11-14 ^c) present two alternatives—a positive future through repentance, or continued rebellion and a dark future of total annihilation. Either way, the Lord’s power and holiness would be manifested.
Summary for Ezek 6:1-3: 6:1-3 ^d The circle of judgment broadened out from Jerusalem to include the mountains of Israel, which were Israel’s political heartland. This territory had belonged to Israel continuously since the time of Joshua, and it had been infected by idolatry. The hill country had become home to many pagan shrines (literally high places)—raised stone platforms that often housed idols or became the location for sacrifices and pagan festivities. Most predated Israel’s entry into the land, and God had commanded Israel to destroy them (Deut 12:2-3 ^e). However, in many cases, the Israelites had permitted them to remain in place, and the political and religious leaders had ignored or even encouraged those who worshiped there.
Summary for Ezek 6:4-7: 6:4-7 ^f The corpses and bones of the dead worshipers scattered around an altar would defile the altar and make it unfit for use.

• idols: The Hebrew term for idols (literally round things) probably alludes to dung; when used in this way, it is a term of strong derision.
Summary for Ezek 6:8-10: 6:8-10 ^g A remnant would be scattered among the nations of the world to bear witness to God’s faithfulness to his covenant. They would recognize the reality of their own unfaithful hearts and hate themselves for all their detestable sins, and they will know that God’s threat of calamity on covenant breakers was absolutely serious. Some of those who know that I alone am the Lord might even experience the other side of God’s faithfulness: his swiftness to forgive those who repent. In the book of Exodus, Israel came to know that God is the Lord through his mighty acts of rescue (see Exod 6:7 ^h). Unfortunately, Israel’s behavior throughout their history showed that they had forgotten. They would come again to that knowledge through God’s acts of judgment.
6:11 ⁱ Ezekiel’s message did not end on the encouraging thought of possible repentance. He returned to the theme of judgment with its three-fold calamity of war and famine and disease.
6:12 ^j anyone who survives: See 5:3-4 ^k.
Summary for Ezek 6:13-14: 6:13-14 ^l Riblah was located on the northern border of Israel and is well known from other biblical books. At Riblah, Nebuchadnezzar set up his tribunal and executed the sons of Zedekiah and many other leading citizens of Judah (2 Kgs 25:6 ^m, 21 ⁿ).

‏ Ezekiel 7

Summary for Ezek 7:1-27: 7:1-27 ^o Ezekiel 7 ^p contains three messages of doom (7:3-4 ^q, 5-9 ^r, 10-27 ^s). They reminded Judah that their forthcoming destruction was not a random twist of fate but an act of the Lord’s judgment.
Summary for Ezek 7:1-2: 7:1-2 ^t As the prophet unfolded his message, the scope of the threatened judgment kept increasing, like ripples spreading outward from a stone dropped into a pond. Now the judgment he announced was not just for Israel, as in ch 6 ^u, but against the whole land, east, west, north, or south. This global judgment upon God’s people would be tantamount to the end of the world. Judgment was no longer imminent, as in the previous oracles; it had arrived.
Summary for Ezek 7:3-4: 7:3-4 ^v There was no hope that God would change his mind.

• Then you will know that I am the Lord: When they received exactly what they deserved, the people would recognize the Lord’s power and holiness.
Summary for Ezek 7:5-9: 7:5-9 ^w A second message reiterates the personal nature of the coming judgment. The people would not simply know that God is the Lord, as in 7:4 ^x. The Lord, who once showed himself to his people as “the Lord who heals you” (Exod 15:26 ^y), had now become “the Lord who strikes you.” The day of the Lord had come (Joel 1:15 ^z; Amos 5:18-20 ^aa).
7:10 ^ab blossomed to full flower: In their wickedness and pride, the people of Israel were ripe to be plucked (cp. Amos 8:1-2 ^ac).
7:11 ^ad Their violence has grown into a rod that will beat them: God would use their own violence to punish them by giving them over to internal strife and conflict (cp. Prov 6:27 ^ae). Wealth and prestige could not save them against the coming torrent of destruction.
Summary for Ezek 7:12-27: 7:12-27 ^af Comprehensive judgment is depicted in two parallel panels, 7:12-18 ^ag and 7:19-27 ^ah. Each begins with the futility of material gain in view of this impending judgment and moves through the arrival of war and its associated horrors to a declaration of universal ineffectiveness, terror, and mourning.
Summary for Ezek 7:12-13: 7:12-13 ^ai Commercial transactions would lose their meaning. There would be no such thing as a good deal or a bad deal; buyers and sellers alike would face God’s terrible anger.
7:14 ^aj When Israel sounded the trumpet in holy war, the troops would not rally and the enemy would not be terrified, as in the past (see Num 10:9 ^ak; Josh 6:4-20 ^al; Judg 6:34 ^am; 7:16-22 ^an; Neh 4:18-20 ^ao).
7:19 ^ap Even silver and gold, the traditional last resorts in times of crisis, would be unable to save or satisfy their owners. They would dispose of them like worthless trash (literally impurity), something hateful and disgusting that they could not wait to be rid of.
Summary for Ezek 7:20-22: 7:20-22 ^aq Their formerly precious objects were contaminated and contaminating because they were used to make detestable idols and vile images.

• God would hand over his treasured land, the home of his sanctuary (Deut 12:5 ^ar, 11 ^as), to brutal and ruthless pagans. Since Israel had repeatedly failed to distinguish between true and false places of worship, continued in pagan worship at the high places, and even brought idols into the Temple (Ezek 8 ^at), God would destroy the pagan centers of worship in the land and even in the Temple in Jerusalem. In the past God had defended Jerusalem against overwhelming odds (see 2 Kgs 18:1–19:37 ^au), but now he would abandon her to her well-deserved fate.
Summary for Ezek 7:23-27: 7:23-27 ^av Neither religious authorities (prophets and priests) nor civil leaders (king or prince) could bring the peace the people were looking for. High-born and low-born alike would be helpless in facing their judgment. In the complete absence of guidance and direction, no hope would be left for the people.