Israel’s behavior was no worse than that of its neighbors—and certainly not worse than that of the Assyrians or Babylonians, the two superpowers that threatened the Middle East during the time of the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel.
Nor was their behavior any better than that of the previously mentioned nations.
The issue was that they were God’s chosen people, called to reflect His character of justice and righteousness to the world. When they failed in this, God was justified to call them to account.
The book of Ezekiel was not written in a vacuum, only to be discovered by an old Baptist preacher in 2024.
Ezekiel had an audience. It would not surprise me if his audience argued with him about some of the things he was saying. They probably believed that they had every right to challenge God and the judgment that was coming.
In chapter 20, Ezekiel recounts their history to remind them that God had repeatedly given them chances to change, yet they continually refused.
Some of my friends often say, “If he knew better, he would do better.” Israel knew better but didn’t act accordingly.
This pattern began in Egypt, continued in the wilderness, and even the second generation in the wilderness knew better—yet they still refused to do better.
Second Generation Rebellion
The children who survived their parents in the wilderness were given the gift of how to live the best life possible.
I said to their children in the wilderness, “Do not follow the statutes of your parents, nor observe their ordinances, nor defile yourselves with their idols.
I the Lord am your God; follow my statutes, be careful to observe my ordinances, and hallow my Sabbaths that they may be a sign between me and you, so that you may know that I the Lord am your God” (Ezekiel 20.18-20).
Like their parents, they refused to follow God’s directions that were intended to promote the best life possible.
But the children rebelled against me; they did not follow my statutes and were not careful to observe my ordinances, by whose observance everyone shall live; they profaned my Sabbaths (Ezekiel 20.21).
God’s Witness to the World
God called Israel to be a people of His own possession, meant to reflect His character and nature to the world (Exodus 19:5-6; Deuteronomy 7:6).
When they fell short in this mission, He chose to discipline them but held back full judgment to protect His reputation among the nations (Ezekiel 20:9, 14).
Then I thought I would pour out my wrath upon them and spend my anger against them in the wilderness.
But I withheld my hand and acted for the sake of my name, so that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I had brought them out (Ezekiel 20.21-22).
The ancient world had heard of how God freed a million Hebrew slaves from Egypt, gave them His law, and called them to represent Him to all nations. If, at this point in history, God had destroyed His people, the surrounding nations would have questioned His very nature.
Instead, He spared them for the sake of His reputation—He wants the world to truly know who He is.
For centuries, Christians have prayed, “Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9-10).
We pray this because it is only by allowing God to reign as our King and by doing His will in our lives that we honor His reputation. This is our prayer to pray, and our life to live.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
Real Voices 