Ezekiel 6
Reading Time: 3 minutes Listen
And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them,
3 And say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God; 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.
4 And your altars shall be desolate, and your images shall be broken: and I will cast down your slain men before your idols.
5 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.
6 In all your dwellingplaces the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate; that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, and your idols may be broken and cease, and your images may be cut down, and your works may be abolished.
7 And the slain shall fall in the midst of you, and ye shall know that I am the Lord.
8 Yet will I leave a remnant, that ye may have some that shall escape the sword among the nations, when ye shall be scattered through the countries.
9 And they that escape of you shall remember me among the nations whither they shall be carried captives, because I am broken with their whorish heart, which hath departed from me, and with their eyes, which go a whoring after their idols: and they shall lothe themselves for the evils which they have committed in all their abominations.
10 And they shall know that I am the Lord, and that I have not said in vain that I would do this evil unto them.
11 Thus saith the Lord God; Smite with thine hand, and stamp with thy foot, and say, Alas for all the evil abominations of the house of Israel! for they shall fall by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence.
12 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: thus will I accomplish my fury upon them.
13 Then shall ye know that I am the Lord, when their slain men shall be among their idols round about their altars, upon every high hill, in all the tops of the mountains, and under every green tree, and under every thick oak, the place where they did offer sweet savour to all their idols.
14 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: and they shall know that I am the Lord.
Public Domain KJV text from Wordproject.org
ESV Bible text displayed through the American Bible Society's Global Bible Widget
NIV Bible text displayed through the American Bible Society's Global Bible Widget
Commentary
God had set up Jerusalem as a light of truth while surrounded by idolatrous nations. Jerusalem had been commissioned to share the good news about God to those living around them. Their nation had been blessed with God's holy law which clearly stated how idolatry is a grievous sin to God. But God’s people profaned His temple and God's judgment would cut to the bone.
Do we have strongholds of idolatry in today’s society? Our bodies are the Temple of the Living God. Are there things in our life dominating our time; strongholds that should be broken down? Seek God while He may be found. Turn to Him and repent. Lean into Jesus. Ask Him to fit you for heaven, then trust Him to see you through.
“Lord Jesus I long to be perfectly whole; I want Thee forever to live in my soul; Break down every idol, cast out every foe. Now wash me and I shall be whiter that snow. Whiter than snow, yes, whiter than snow. Now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.”
Cheri Holmes
Emergency Room RN, Lynden, Washington USA
