A faithless generation of people told the prophet Samuel that they wanted to be like the nations that surrounded them.
We are determined to have a king over us, so that we also may be like other nations and that our king may govern us and go out before us and fight our battles (1 Samuel 8.19-20).
The faithless leaders in Ezekiel’s day echoed what was said to Samuel. They said, “Let us be like the nations, like the tribes of the countries, and worship wood and stone” (Ezekiel 20.32).
God declared to His people that He would not allow His beloved to sink to the level of the surrounding nations.
Using language reminiscent of the Exodus, God declares that He will rescue His people from the influences of the surrounding nations.
As I live, says the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out, I will be king over you (Ezekiel 20.33).
One keyword in His description stands out: wrath. This separation from the world would not be without pain.
The Negative Cycle Disrupted
God will break the cycle of their troubled history by gathering His covenant people from the countries where they have been scattered. This act is not merely a story of liberation, as they might have expected from past events, but also a form of judgment on His own people.
I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out (Ezekiel 20.34),
God will confront His people directly to restore them from the harm they have brought upon themselves.
I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will enter into judgment with you face to face (Exodus 20.35).
God will assert His royal authority over His people by reaffirming His covenant with them. As they pass under His rod, He will identify the rebels, separating them from those who remain faithful in their relationship with Him.
As I entered into judgment with your ancestors in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you, says the Lord God.
I will make you pass under the staff and will bring you within the bond of the covenant.
I will purge out the rebels among you and those who transgress against me; I will bring them out of the land where they reside as aliens, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord (Ezekiel 20.36-38).
Another Division
Ezekiel’s imagery is challenging to interpret, and I have relied on commentaries for clarification.
In contrast, Jesus’ imagery of dividing the sheep from the goats is straightforward. It may be difficult to live out, but it is certainly easy to understand.
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory.
All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left.
Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world,
For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,
I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’” (Matthew 25.31-36).
This is one of Jesus’ longest parables, and I’ve included only a small portion of it. In this passage, we see that our care for others reflects our relationship with God—a truth that has been present from the very beginning of God’s relationship with humans.
God has called His people to stand apart from the world, serving as an alternative to its ways. We are to love where there is hate and to do good where others may be indifferent.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I have discussed this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
Real Voices 