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Babylon, God’s Sword of Judgment Ezekiel 21:1-32

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Babylon, God’s Sword of Judgment Text: Ezekiel 21:1-32, 1. The word of the Lord came to me: 2. “Son of man, set your face against Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuary. Prophesy against the land of Israel 3. and say to her: ‘This is what the Lord says: I am against you. I will draw my sword from its scabbard and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked. 4. Because I am going to cut off the righteous and the wicked, my sword will be unsheathed against everyone from south to north. 5. Then all people will know that I the Lord have drawn my sword from its scabbard; it will not return again.’ 6. “Therefore groan, son of man! Groan before them with broken heart and bitter grief. 7. And when they ask you, ‘Why are you groaning?’ you shall say, ‘Because of the news that is coming. Every heart will melt and every hand go limp; every spirit will become faint and every knee become as weak as water.’ It is coming! It will surely take place, declares the Sovereign Lord.” 8. The word of the Lord came to me: 9. “Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Lord says: “‘A sword, a sword, sharpened and polished—

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10. sharpened for the slaughter, polished to flash like lightning! “‘Shall we rejoice in the scepter of my son Judah? The sword despises every such stick. 11. “‘The sword is appointed to be polished, to be grasped with the hand; it is sharpened and polished, made ready for the hand of the slayer. 12. Cry out and wail, son of man, for it is against my people; it is against all the princes of Israel. They are thrown to the sword along with my people. Therefore beat your breast. 13. “‘Testing will surely come. And what if the scepter of Judah, which the sword despises, does not continue? declares the Sovereign Lord.’ 14. “So then, son of man, prophesy and strike your hands together. Let the sword strike twice, even three times. It is a sword for slaughter—a sword for great slaughter, closing in on them from every side. 15. So that hearts may melt and the fallen be many, I have stationed the sword for slaughter at all their gates. Oh! It is made to flash like lightning, it is grasped for slaughter. 16. O sword, slash to the right, then to the left, wherever your blade is turned. 17. I too will strike my hands together, and my wrath will subside. I the Lord have spoken.” 18. The word of the Lord came to me:

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19. “Son of man, mark out two roads for the sword of the king of Babylon to take, both starting from the same country. Make a signpost where the road branches off to the city. 20. Mark out one road for the sword to come against Rabbah of the Ammonites and another against Judah and fortified Jerusalem. 21. For the king of Babylon will stop at the fork in the road, at the junction of the two roads, to seek an omen: He will cast lots with arrows, he will consult his idols, he will examine the liver. 22. Into his right hand will come the lot for Jerusalem, where he is to set up battering rams, to give the command to slaughter, to sound the battle cry, to set battering rams against the gates, to build a ramp and to erect siege works. 23. It will seem like a false omen to those who have sworn allegiance to him, but he will remind them of their guilt and take them captive. 24. “Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘Because you people have brought to mind your guilt by your open rebellion, revealing your sins in all that you do—because you have done this, you will be taken captive. 25. “‘O profane and wicked prince of Israel, whose day has come, whose time of punishment has reached its climax, 26. this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Take off the turban, remove the crown. It will not be as it was: The lowly will be exalted and the exalted will be brought low. 27. A ruin! A ruin! I will make it a ruin! It will not be restored until he comes to whom it rightfully belongs; to him I will give it.’

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28. “And you, son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says about the Ammonites and their insults: “‘A sword, a sword, drawn for the slaughter, polished to consume and to flash like lightning! 29. Despite false visions concerning you and lying divinations about you, it will be laid on the necks of the wicked who are to be slain, whose day has come, whose time of punishment has reached its climax. 30. Return the sword to its scabbard. In the place where you were created, in the land of your ancestry, I will judge you. 31. I will pour out my wrath upon you and breathe out my fiery anger against you; I will hand you over to brutal men, men skilled in destruction. 32. You will be fuel for the fire, your blood will be shed in your land, you will be remembered no more; for I the Lord have spoken.’” (NIV 1984) Introduction: I. Hamilton wrote that Ezekiel 20:45-21:32 centers thematically around the word “sword” showing a progression from Yahweh’s decision to bring the sword upon Judah, to preparing the sword, to giving it to a slayer, to the slayer’s making ready, to the aftermath. A. Coffman stated the chapter is called by many, “The Song of the Sword,” because the word “sword” occurs thirteen (13) times in thirty-two (32) verses. 1. The “sword” was sharpened, polished, was swift as lightning. (Coffman)

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2. The “sword of the Lord” was to be wielded by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. (Coffman) II. The study of the Book of Ezekiel is very important, according to McGee, because: A. it has long been neglected. B. its contents are the words of the Living God. C. its message was vital to Ezekiel’s age and to us as well. D. The Book of Ezekiel can be understood Commentary: Ezekiel 21:1, The word of the Lord came to me: (NIV 1984) I. The word of the Lord came to me: … A. This exact statement is found three times in this one chapter. 1. Ezekiel had a difficult task; that is, to speak God’s word to a rebellious and hardhearted people. (McGee) 2. Ezekiel’s heart had been deeply touched by God’s message and the plight of his countrymen, his nation, the royal lineage of David and the Aaronic priesthood. (McGee) Ezekiel 21:2, “Son of man, set your face against Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuary. Prophesy against the land of Israel (NIV 1984) I. “Son of man, set your face against Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuary. Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Avenue, Nashville, TN., 37216, John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor

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A. Ezekiel’s prayer that he be permitted to present God’s word in ways other than in parables was granted. (Smith) 1. Ezekiel now preached against Jerusalem and the sanctuary, but especially pagan sanctuaries. (Smith) 2. Ezekiel proclaimed God’s hostility toward the sinful people of Jerusalem. (Smith) 3. Fredenburg explained, Ezekiel “is to set his face against Jerusalem (allegorically, “the south”), preach against the (literally, “their”) sanctuary, temple (allegorically, “south”), and prophesy against the land of Israel (allegorically, “the forest of the southland.”). The fire is Yahweh’s wrath against the people in the land.” 4. Clarke also saw this as a continuation of the prophesy which began at Ezekiel 20:45. a. Here in the plainest language, the meaning of the foregoing metaphors is given, Clarke further stated. b. The exiles could no longer complain about the obscurity of Ezekiel’s parables. II. Prophesy against the land of Israel,… A. Judgment has been determined and cannot be reversed! 1. This judgment was against both the city of Jerusalem and the land of Israel.

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Ezekiel 21:3, and say to her: ‘This is what the Lord says: I am against you. I will draw my sword from its scabbard and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked. (NIV 1984) I. and say to her: ‘This is what the Lord says:… A. Ezekiel made it perfectly clear that he was telling his listeners exactly what God had told him to say. II. I am against you. A. What could be worse than this? God said of Jerusalem, “I am against you!” B. Clarke asked, “When God is against us, who can be for us?” III. I will draw my sword from its scabbard and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked. A. Smith observed that this does not contradict Ezekiel 18:20 which says that only the soul that sins shall die because Ezekiel 18:20 speaks of final judgment while this passage speaks of temporal judgment. 1. In the final judgment, the righteous will not be destroyed along with the wicked. (Smith) 2. In temporal judgments, however, both often suffer equally. (Smith) 3. In this metaphor, Fredenburg explained, “sword” is substituted for “fire” while the green and dry tree are the righteous and the wicked.

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a. Ezekiel 20:45-49, in regard to the consuming fire, is further explained under the figure of the “sword.” b. God will draw forth his sword; that is, God will produce war. 4. The land of Judea will be cut off from its people, both the righteous and the wicked will be slain by the sword, in battle, by pestilence and famine and some will be carried into captivity. (See Clarke.) a. Among the righteous carried into captivity were such men as Daniel and Ezekiel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. (Clarke) Ezekiel 21:4, Because I am going to cut off the righteous and the wicked, my sword will be unsheathed against everyone from south to north. (NIV 1984) I. Because I am going to cut off the righteous and the wicked, my sword will be unsheathed against everyone from south to north. A. War is merciless and consumes the guilty and the innocent. (Fredenburg) B. God had unsheathed his sword and it would not be returned to its scabbard until Jerusalem had been destroyed for its sinfulness. (See Fredenburg.) C. “The whole land (from south to north) would be ravaged from one end to the other,” Clarke wrote. D. Correlate this present passage regarding the deaths of the righteous and the wicked alike with the following passages:

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1. Genesis 18:20-33, Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.” The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord. Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.” Then Abraham spoke up again: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city because of five people?” “If I find forty-five there,” he said, “I will not destroy it.” Once again he spoke to him, “What if only forty are found there?” He said, “For the sake of forty, I will not do it.” Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?” He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” Abraham said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?” He said, “For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.” Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?” He answered, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.” When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home. (NIV 1984)

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2. Job 9:22, It is all the same; that is why I say, ‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’ (NIV 1984) Ezekiel 21:5, Then all people will know that I the Lord have drawn my sword from its scabbard; it will not return again.’ (NIV 1984) I. Then all people will know that I the Lord have drawn my sword from its scabbard; it will not return again.’ A. This must have been a difficult message for Ezekiel to deliver. 1. However, Ezekiel faithfully delivered God’s word as directed. 2. We must obey all of God’s commands, the hard ones as well as the easy ones. 3. We must preach the whole counsel of God, all of it. a. Nothing is to be left out, added or changed! B. The sword was not returned to its scabbard until all the land, south to north, from the Nile River to the Euphrates, had been conquered by Nebuchadnezzar. (See Clarke.) Ezekiel 21:6, “Therefore groan, son of man! Groan before them with broken heart and bitter grief. (NIV 1984) I. “Therefore groan (sigh), son of man! Groan before them with broken heart (the breaking of your loins) and bitter grief. A. Ezekiel was to deeply grieve as would the exiles upon hearing of the destruction of Jerusalem which would occur five years from this time. (Smith)

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B. Coffman wrote, “God’s prophets frequently confirmed the predictive nature of their prophecies by their bizarre behavior at the time of giving the prophecy.” 1. “Isaiah went barefoot for two years; Jeremiah wore an ox yoke to the king’s court; Micah screamed like a jackal and wallowed in the dirt; here Ezekiel sighed and manifested great grief as a man with a broken heart, provoking an inquiry from the people,” Coffman advised, “as to what it all meant.” 2. Some older translations read “breaking of the loins” in place of “broken heart” because in ancient times the loins (kidneys) were thought to be the seat of the emotions. Now we know that it is the heart (brain) that is the seat of the emotions. (Coffman) C. The Pulpit Commentary states that, as in other instances, Ezekiel with sighing, groaning and moaning to dramatize the coming calamity. 1. Ezekiel 4:4, “Then lie on your left side and put the sin of the house of Israel upon yourself. You are to bear their sin for the number of days you lie on your side. (NIV 1984) 2. Ezekiel 5:1-4, “Now, son of man, take a sharp sword and use it as a barber’s razor to shave your head and your beard. Then take a set of scales and divide up the hair. When the days of your siege come to an end, burn a third of the hair with fire inside the city. Take a third and strike it with the sword all around the city. And scatter a third to the wind. For I will pursue them with drawn sword. But take a few strands of hair and tuck them away in the folds of your garment. Again, take a few of these Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Avenue, Nashville, TN., 37216, John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor

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and throw them into the fire and burn them up. A fire will spread from there to the whole house of Israel. (NIV 1984) 3. Nahum 2:1, 10, An attacker advances against you, Nineveh. Guard the fortress, watch the road, brace yourselves, marshal all your strength! (NIV 1984) 4. Isaiah 21:3, At this my body is racked with pain, pangs seize me, like those of a woman in labor; I am staggered by what I hear, I am bewildered by what I see. (NIV 1984) 5. Jeremiah 30:6, Ask and see: Can a man bear children? Then why do I see every strong man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor, every face turned deathly pale? (NIV 1984) Ezekiel 21:7, And when they ask you, ‘Why are you groaning?’ you shall say, ‘Because of the news that is coming. Every heart will melt and every hand go limp; every spirit will become faint and every knee become as weak as water.’ It is coming! It will surely take place, declares the Sovereign Lord.” (NIV 1984) I. And when they ask you, ‘Why are you groaning?’ A. The elders, et. al. to whom Ezekiel was speaking saw and heard his sighing, groaning and moaning and naturally asked what this grieving meant. II. you shall say, ‘Because of the news that is coming. A. The news which was coming was that Jerusalem had been destroyed.

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1. This news came five years after this time. a. Ezekiel 33:21, In the twelfth year of our exile, in the tenth month on the fifth day, a man who had escaped from Jerusalem came to me and said, “The city has fallen!” (NIV 1984) III. Every heart will melt and every hand go limp; every spirit will become faint and every knee will become as weak as water.’ A. The calamitous news will produce signs of the deepest grief and sorrow. 1. Ezekiel 7:17, Every hand will go limp, and every knee will become as weak as water. (NIV 1984) IV. It is coming! It will surely take place, declares the Sovereign Lord.” A. Repent before these events occur because after Jerusalem is destroyed repentance could then have no effect on saving the city and its people. (See Fredenburg.) Ezekiel 21:8, The word of the Lord came to me: (NIV 1984) I. The word of the Lord came to me:… A. The word came again to Ezekiel. It was repeated for emphasis. It was not to be overlooked, ignored, nor forgotten. Ezekiel 21:9, “Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Lord says: “‘A sword, a sword, sharpened and polished— (NIV 1984) I. “Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Lord says:… A. Tell them exactly what the Lord says! Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Avenue, Nashville, TN., 37216, John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor

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1. Ezekiel was to do this and so are we! II. “ ‘A sword, a sword, sharpened and polished – Ezekiel 21:10, sharpened for the slaughter, polished to flash like lightning! “‘Shall we rejoice in the scepter of my son Judah? The sword despises every such stick.(NIV 1984) I. sharpened for the slaughter, polished to flash like lightning! A. Isaiah 66:16, For with fire and with his sword the Lord will execute judgment upon all men, and many will be those slain by the Lord. (NIV 1984) B. Isaiah 24:17, Terror and pit and snare await you, O people of the earth. (NIV 1984) C. Luke 21:26, Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. (NIV 1984) D. Deuteronomy 32:40-41, I lift my hand to heaven and declare: As surely as I live forever, when I sharpen my flashing sword and my hand grasps it in judgment, I will take vengeance on my adversaries and repay those who hate me. (NIV 1984) E. This was not a popular message, but it had to be preached anyway! (See McGee.) II. “ ‘Shall we rejoice in the scepter of my son Judah?

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A. Hamilton wrote that this passage appears to rebuke the exiles for their view that Jerusalem is inviolable because of its Davidic connections. B. Smith explained this question to mean, “Do you think I am joking?” This is no laughing matter. By this sword God would correct the waywardness of God’s people, the people of Israel. C. This sharpened and polished sword would be unleashed against Jerusalem and Judah. D. Coffman explained, “These words were spoken by the people who claimed not to fear the sword of punishment coming upon them, because the scepter of the House of David, whom God recognizes as his son, despises, looks upon all other scepters as mere pieces of wood.” E. The Pulpit Commentary states that this clause is obscure, possibly corrupt, and has received many interpretations. (The Pulpit Commentary favors explanation #1 below.) 1. Shall we rejoice (saying), The Scepter of my son despiseth all woods. a. Here the “rod” is the “scepter” of the tribe of Judah, and the words are supposed to be spoken by those who hear of the destroying sword. b. Genesis 49:10, The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his. (NIV 1984) 2. The sword of Jehovah is no weak weapon such as might be used for the chastisement of a child. Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Avenue, Nashville, TN., 37216, John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor

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a. Proverbs 10:13, Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning, but a rod is for the back of him who lacks judgment. (NIV 1984) b. Proverbs 13:24, He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him. (NIV 1984) 3. The punishment which God appoints for Israel as his son surpasses all others in its severity. 4. The Lord condemns the royal house of Israel as he condemns all other national governments. 5. The sword is for those who murder and plunder, and regard not any strength. III. The sword despises every such stick (tree). A. This passage is most difficult to understand (See Hamilton.), nearly incomprehensible in Hebrew (See Fredenburg.). B. “Literally, it reads,” Fredenburg wrote, “Let us not rejoice scepter of my son despising every tree.” 1. Some commentators understand the expression to refer to the erroneous popular view that God will not let harm befall the throne of David. 2. “Stick” or “tree” would represent a person, perhaps a nation.

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Ezekiel 21:11, “‘The sword is appointed to be polished, to be grasped with the hand; it is sharpened and polished, made ready for the hand of the slayer. (NIV 1984) I. “ ‘The sword is appointed to be polished, to be grasped with the hand; It is sharpened and polished, made ready for the hand of the slayer. A. The slayer is the Babylonian military under the leadership of Nebuchadnezzar. B. The sword is powerful, the Babylonian military invincible! … an unstoppable force, well trained and highly motivated. Ezekiel 21:12, Cry out and wail, son of man, for it is against my people; it is against all the princes of Israel. They are thrown to the sword along with my people. Therefore beat your breast. (NIV 1984) I. Cry out and wail, son of man, for it is against my people; it is against all the princes of Israel. A. “God commanded Ezekiel to manifest the signs of deep mourning,” Smith noted. 1. This behavior, Coffman wrote, “was for the purpose of getting attention and for the purpose of emphasizing the predictive nature of these prophecies.” II. They are thrown to the sword along with my people. A. Zedekiah, the royal house, who despised God’s word, would be deposed and Israel would be left without a king. (Smith) III. Therefore beat your breast.

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A. “Smiting the thigh” or “beating the breast” was an expression of deep grief. (Coffman) 1. Jeremiah 31:19, After I strayed, I repented; after I came to understand, I beat my breast. I was ashamed and humiliated because I bore the disgrace of my youth.’ (NIV 1984) Ezekiel 21:13, “‘Testing will surely come. And what if the scepter of Judah, which the sword despises, does not continue? declares the Sovereign Lord.’ (NIV 1984) I. “ ‘Testing (trials) will surely come. A. Hamilton and The Pulpit Commentary regard this verse as incomprehensible. Smith agrees saying this verse is almost entirely incomprehensible in Hebrew and looks like a group of words randomly thrown together. 1. “The sword has been tested and found ready for use, and Israel and her princes have been tested and found ready for destruction,” Fredenburg wrote. 2. Clarke identified this testing as trials of strength and skill between the Chaldeans and the Jews. II. And what if the scepter of Judah, which the sword despises, does not continue? declares the Sovereign Lord.’ A. This points to the end of the earthly royal house of David. (See Coffman.) Ezekiel 21:14, “So then, son of man, prophesy and strike your hands together. Let the sword strike twice, even three times. It is a sword

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for slaughter—a sword for great slaughter, closing in on them from every side. (NIV 1984) I. “So then, son of man, prophesy and strike your hands together. A. Fredenburg wrote that Ezekiel is to get his audiences’ attention by angrily striking his hands together. 1. Ezekiel 6:11, “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Strike your hands together and stamp your feet and cry out “Alas!” because of all the wicked and detestable practices of the house of Israel, for they will fall by the sword, famine and plague. (NIV 1984) 2. Coffman adds that this is a sign of extreme grief. II. Let the sword strike twice, even three times. A. These repetitions emphasize the completeness of the violence God had decreed against Judah and Jerusalem. (See Hamilton.) 1. When this complete destruction had been accomplished, God’s wrath began to subside. (See Hamilton.) 2. The Lord’s sword was to be brandished three times which may represent the three times Nebuchadnezzar would invade the land of Judah, Smith advised. 3. Threefold repetitions in the Old Testament signified “the most,” Fredenburg advised, as does “Holy, Holy, Holy” meaning the most Holy, the Holiest of all. a. Isaiah 6:3, And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” (NIV 1984) Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Avenue, Nashville, TN., 37216, John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor

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4. The striking of the sword three times may indicate total destruction that no one will escape. a. The power behind this sword which is coming against Jerusalem is here said to be huge in size and power. From this sword there is no escape. (Coffman) 5. Clarke noted that Nebuchadnezzar came against Jerusalem three times, against Jehoakim, against Jeconiah, and against Zedekiah. III. It is a sword for slaughter – a sword for great slaughter, closing in on them from every side. A. Nebuchadnezzar’s army would surround Jerusalem, their swords glistening like lightning and moving with lightning-like speed. (Smith) B. There will be no escaping this deadly onslaught! 1. The King of Babylon would enter Jerusalem and have access to everything in it, even the house of the King Zedekiah. (Coffman) Ezekiel 21:15, So that hearts may melt and the fallen be many, I have stationed the sword for slaughter at all their gates. Oh! It is made to flash like lightning, it is grasped for slaughter. (NIV 1984) I. So that hearts may melt and the fallen be many,… A. Israel’s hearts would fear, lack courage in view of the great numbers of killed and wounded at the hands of the Babylonian army.

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II. I have stationed the sword for slaughter at all their gates. A. Jerusalem was surrounded and all gates so barricaded that there was no way of escape left. 1. Death or surrender were the only choices remaining. III. Oh! It is made to flash like lightning, it is grasped for the slaughter. A. This sword is sharp, the perfect instrument for slaughter. Ezekiel 21:16, O sword, slash to the right, then to the left, wherever your blade is turned. (NIV 1984) I. O sword, slash to the right, then to the left, wherever your blade is turned. A. The Babylonian sword slashed in all directions against Ammon, Judea, Egypt, et. al. B. To the right (south), then to the left (north) covered all of Israel. 1. Regardless of the direction in which people looked, there was only slaughter awaiting them. a. Ezekiel 20:46-48, “Son of man, set your face toward the south; preach against the south and prophesy against the forest of the southland. Say to the southern forest: ‘Hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am about to set fire to you, and it will consume all your trees, both green and dry. The blazing flame will not be quenched, and every face from south to north will be scorched by it. Everyone will see that I the Lord

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have kindled it; it will not be quenched.’” (NIV 1984) 2. Jehovah “would not rest till he had appeased his wrath by letting it work itself out even to the end,” The Pulpit Commentary states. Ezekiel 21:17, I too will strike my hands together, and my wrath will subside. I the Lord have spoken.” (NIV 1984) I. I too will strike my hands together, and my wrath will subside. A. When Divinely decreed punishment had been completed, God’s wrath subsided. B. Barlow via Coffman explained, God’s “Smiting his hands together is an indication of violent grief.” II. I the Lord have spoken. A. The Lord has spoken! That is the end of the matter. There is no appeal to the Lord’s pronouncement. There is no appeal to the Lord’s verdict. Ezekiel 21:18, The word of the Lord came to me: (NIV 1984) I. The word of the Lord came to me:… A. The choice presented here is, “Should Nebuchadnezzar attack Rabbah or Jerusalem?” 1. At this point in Damascus on the main road from Babylon, the road bifurcated, one branch leading to Rabbah, the capital of the Ammonites, the other to Jerusalem. (The Pulpit Commentary) Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Avenue, Nashville, TN., 37216, John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor

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Ezekiel 21:19, “Son of man, mark out two roads for the sword of the king of Babylon to take, both starting from the same country. Make a signpost where the road branches off to the city. (NIV 1984) I. “Son of man, mark out two roads for the sword of the king of Babylon to take, both starting from the same country. A. This references the road Nebuchadnezzar would take as he led his army toward Jerusalem. (Smith) 1. This road forked, one road leading to Rabbah, capital of Ammon, the other leading to Jerusalem, capital of Israel. (Smith) 2. Nebuchadnezzar at the fork would resort to heathen divination rites to decide which road to take. (Smith) 3. At this point the one who would wield the sword is identified; viz., Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. 4. The fork in the road leading to Rabbah of the Ammonites and Jerusalem of the Israelites was located at Damascus, Fredenburg observed. a. “Damascus was the point at which the ancient trade routes separated.” (International Critical Commentary via Coffman) II. Make a signpost where the road branches off to the city. A. This required Ezekiel to go to the place the signpost was to be erected.

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B. Clarke stated that Rabbah, capital of the Ammonites, had been targeted because they and the Moabites had united with Judah against the Babylonians. Later, however, Ammon fought against Judah. 1. Jeremiah 27:3, Then send word to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre and Sidon through the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. (NIV 1984) 2. Ezekiel 7:6, The end has come! The end has come! It has roused itself against you. See, it comes! (NIV 1984) Ezekiel 21:20, Mark out one road for the sword to come against Rabbah of the Ammonites and another against Judah and fortified Jerusalem. (NIV 1984) I. Mark out one road for the sword to come against Rabbah of the Ammonites and another against Judah and fortified Jerusalem. A. Ezekiel marked each road carefully so there would be no mistake in determining where each road went. B. If Ezekiel did this literally, he had quite a journey from Babylon to Damascus and back. 1. The question also presents itself: How did a captive exile like Ezekiel obtain permission to make such a trip. Ezekiel 21:21, For the king of Babylon will stop at the fork in the road, at the junction of the two roads, to seek an omen: He will cast lots with arrows, he will consult his idols, he will examine the liver. (NIV 1984)

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I. For the king of Babylon will stop at the fork in the road, at the junction of the two roads, to seek an omen:… A. Omens were frequently sought in the ancient Near East, and a number of ancient divining manuals are available which provide procedures for discerning good and bad omens. (See Fredenburg.) 1. Divination and necromancy were widely practiced by heathens and, regrettably, by some Israelites as well. 2. This was supposedly a means of foretelling the future, determining a course of action and/or determining the divine will. 3. Regrettably, many today still believe in this kind of thing! 4. Both Judah and Ammon were to be conquered by the Babylonians. a. This question was not which one was to be attacked. b. The question was which was to be attacked first. II. He will cast lots with arrows, he will consult his idols, he will examine the liver. A. “Casting lots with arrows” simply required pulling a premarked arrow from a quiver. (See Hamilton.) 1. This was a technique used by diviners in search of an omen. (See Hamilton.) 2. Two arrows in a quiver were poured out, one marked Ammon and the other marked Jerusalem. The arrow that

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came out first indicated the road Nebuchadnezzar was to take. (Coffman) 3. Verse 22 may indicate the person seeking the omen would reach for the arrows with both hands, as we would draw straws. The one grasped by the right hand indicated the road to be taken. The arrows were labeled Rabbah and Jerusalem. B. “Examining the liver” required a sheep sacrifice, Hamilton noted. 1. The size, shape, color, density, and amount of fat around the liver all required careful interpretation to ascertain the decision of the gods. (Hamilton) C. How idols were consulted, Hamilton wrote, is not stated here. 1. Smith wrote that these were teraphim (household gods). a. Genesis 31:19, 30, When Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s household gods. Now you have gone off because you longed to return to your father’s household. But why did you steal my gods?” (NIV 1984) b. Judges 18:18, When the five men went into Micah’s house and took the idol, the ephod and the household gods, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?” (NIV 1984) c. Hosea 3:4, For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stones, without ephod or household gods. (NIV 1984)

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Ezekiel 21:22, Into his right hand will come the lot for Jerusalem, where he is to set up battering rams, to give the command to slaughter, to sound the battle cry, to set battering rams against the gates, to build a ramp and to erect siege works. (NIV 1984) I. Into his right hand will come the lot for Jerusalem, where he is to set up battering rams, to give the command to slaughter, to sound the battle cry, to set battering rams against the gates, to build a ramp and to erect siege works. A. Nebuchadnezzar’s omen pointed the way to Jerusalem. (See Smith.) 1. This was certainly not left to chance, but God determined the outcome of the divination rituals on this occasion. 2. A devastating, destructive attack would be launched and Jerusalem utterly destroyed! B. The massive attack involved battering rams, battle cries, siege works and ramps by which soldiers could scale the walls and invade the city. (See Fredenburg.) 1. Deuteronomy 28:49-57, The Lord will bring a nation against you from far away, from the ends of the earth, like an eagle swooping down, a nation whose language you will not understand, a fierce-looking nation without respect for the old or pity for the young. They will devour the young of your livestock and the crops of your land until you are destroyed. They will leave you no grain, new wine or olive oil, nor any calves of your herds or lambs of your flocks until you are ruined. They will lay siege to all the cities throughout your land until the high fortified walls in which you trust fall down. They will besiege all the cities throughout the land the Lord your God is giving Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Avenue, Nashville, TN., 37216, John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor

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you. Because of the suffering your enemy will inflict on you during the siege, you will eat the fruit of the womb, the flesh of the sons and daughters the Lord your God has given you. Even the most gentle and sensitive man among you will have no compassion on his own brother or the wife he loves or his surviving children, and he will not give to one of them any of the flesh of his children that he is eating. It will be all he has left because of the suffering your enemy will inflict on you during the siege of all your cities. The most gentle and sensitive woman among you—so sensitive and gentle that she would not venture to touch the ground with the sole of her foot— will begrudge the husband she loves and her own son or daughter the afterbirth from her womb and the children she bears. For in her dire need she intends to eat them secretly because of the suffering your enemy will inflict on you during the siege of your cities. (NIV 1984) 2. Ezekiel 5:8-10, “Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself am against you, Jerusalem, and I will inflict punishment on you in the sight of the nations. Because of all your detestable idols, I will do to you what I have never done before and will never do again. Therefore in your midst parents will eat their children, and children will eat their parents. I will inflict punishment on you and will scatter all your survivors to the winds. (NIV 1984) 3. Ezekiel 4:2, Then lay siege to it: Erect siege works against it, build a ramp up to it, set up camps against it and put battering rams around it. (NIV 1984) 4. Isaiah 37:33, “Therefore this is what the Lord says concerning the king of Assyria: “He will not enter this

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city or shoot an arrow here. He will not come before it with shield or build a siege ramp against it. (NIV 1984) Ezekiel 21:23, It will seem like a false omen to those who have sworn allegiance to him, but he will remind them of their guilt and take them captive. (NIV 1984) I. It will seem like a false omen to those who have sworn allegiance to him, but… A. Jerusalem regarded this as a false alarm believing they would again escape Babylonian vengeance. (See Smith.) 1. But, this time things would certainly be different! 2. God’s will had been revealed in these omen. The message this time was from God. B. Israel had sought and believed omens produced by divination, but now they refused to believe this one as reported by Ezekiel. (See Coffman.) C. Repeatedly the people of Jerusalem and Judah lulled themselves into a false sense of security refusing to believe sign after sign and one word from the Lord after another. 1. Their refusal to believe the truth sealed their doom! 2. Refusing to believe the truth will seal our doom as well! II. he will remind them of their guilt and take them captive. A. “This refers to Nebuchadnezzar, and the iniquity he will call to remembrance is the perjury and treason of the king of Israel, Zedekiah,” Coffman wrote quoting Barlow. Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Avenue, Nashville, TN., 37216, John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor

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Ezekiel 21:24, “Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘Because you people have brought to mind your guilt by your open rebellion, revealing your sins in all that you do—because you have done this, you will be taken captive. (NIV 1984) I. “Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:… A. The decision will be made by Yahweh! (Hamilton) B. He is ready to make his pronouncement! II. ‘Because you people have brought to mind your guilt by your open rebellion, revealing your sins in all that you do – because you have done this, you will be taken captive. A. The people of Jerusalem had no one to blame for their troubles but themselves. B. Their wickedness was responsible for both the Lord’s and Babylon’s determination to destroy them! 1. They were to reap what they had sown. Ezekiel 21:25, “‘O profane and wicked prince of Israel, whose day has come, whose time of punishment has reached its climax, (NIV 1984) I. “ ‘O profane and wicked (sorely smitten) prince of Israel whose day has come, whose time of punishment has reached its climax,… A. The “profane and wicked prince of Israel” was Zedekiah. (Hamilton and Smith)

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1. Zedekiah was the ringleader, chief sinner in this city filled with wicked rebels against God. a. Ezekiel 17:16-21, “‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, he shall die in Babylon, in the land of the king who put him on the throne, whose oath he despised and whose treaty he broke. Pharaoh with his mighty army and great horde will be of no help to him in war, when ramps are built and siege works erected to destroy many lives. He despised the oath by breaking the covenant. Because he had given his hand in pledge and yet did all these things, he shall not escape. “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: As surely as I live, I will repay him for despising my oath and breaking my covenant. I will spread my net for him, and he will be caught in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon and execute judgment on him there because he was unfaithful to me. All his choice troops will fall by the sword, and the survivors will be scattered to the winds. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken. (NIV 1984) B. Zedekiah was profane because he had broken his oath with Nebuchadnezzar and wicked because of his opposition to God and his prophet. (Clarke) C. Zedekiah was carried into exile, sorely smitten by being defeated, deposed from his royal throne and turned into nothing but a prisoner. (See The Pulpit Commentary.) Ezekiel 21:26, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Take off the turban, remove the crown. It will not be as it was: The lowly will be exalted and the exalted will be brought low. (NIV 1984)

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I. this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Take off the turban (mitre), remove the crown. A. Zedekiah will be deposed, punished by Nebuchadnezzar, and his reign ended because of his disloyalty. 1. The turban and crown, insignia of his royal position, would be forcefully removed from him. a. Zedekiah was unfit to rule. 2. Justice would be done! B. The Pulpit Commentary mentioned that this could refer to the high priest and priesthood. 1. Exodus 28:4, Now these are the garments that they are to make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a fitted tunic, a turban, and a sash. They are to make holy garments for your brother Aaron and for his sons, that they may minister as my priests. (NIV 1984) 2. Leviticus 8:9, Finally, he set the turban on his head and attached the gold plate, the holy diadem, to the front of the turban just as the Lord had commanded Moses. (NIV 1984) 3. Leviticus 16:4, He must put on a holy linen tunic, linen leggings are to cover his body, and he is to wrap himself with a linen sash and wrap his head with a linen turban. They are holy garments, so he must bathe his body in water and put them on. (NIV 1984) II. It will not be as it was: The lowly will be exalted and the exalted will be brought low. Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Avenue, Nashville, TN., 37216, John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor

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A. The Israelite world as it was then with its social structure would be turned upside down. (Hamilton) 1. The lowly would be exalted while the high and mighty would be brought low. a. 1 Samuel 2:1-10, Then Hannah prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. “There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. “Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the Lord is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed. “The bows of the warriors are broken, but those who stumbled are armed with strength. Those who were full hire themselves out for food, but those who were hungry hunger no more. She who was barren has borne seven children, but she who has had many sons pines away. “The Lord brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up. The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor. “For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s; upon them he has set the world. He will guard the feet of his saints, but the wicked will be silenced in darkness. “It is not by strength that one prevails; those who oppose the Lord will be shattered. He will thunder against them from heaven; the Lord will judge the ends of the earth. “He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.” (NIV 1984) Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Avenue, Nashville, TN., 37216, John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor

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2. Things would never be as they had been! a. Zedekiah would be abased and Gedaliah would be exalted. Ezekiel 21:27, A ruin! A ruin! I will make it a ruin! It will not be restored until he comes to whom it rightfully belongs; to him I will give it.’ (NIV 1984) I. A ruin! A ruin! I will make it a ruin! It will not be restored until he comes to whom it rightfully belongs; to him I will give it.’ A. Smith well wrote that the one to whom the throne rightfully belongs is Jesus the Christ, the Son of David. 1. Genesis 49:10, The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his. (NIV 1984) 2. Ezekiel 34:23, I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. (NIV 1984) B. Once glorious Jerusalem was in total ruins, utterly destroyed. 1. Jeremiah 4:25-26, I looked, and there were no people; every bird in the sky had flown away. I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert; all its towns lay in ruins before the Lord, before his fierce anger. (NIV 1984) C. Fredenburg wrote that according to the Messianic view of this passage, Israelite society would be “upside-down” until the Messiah came. Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Avenue, Nashville, TN., 37216, John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor

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1. Fredenburg also explained that this verse may be understood to refer to Nebuchadnezzar’s divinely appointed punishment of Jerusalem. D. Israel would be left in total ruins! …until the coming of the Messiah, the son of David. (Coffman) 1. Genesis 49:10, The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his. (NIV 1984) 2. Ezekiel 20:40, For on my holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord, there in the land the entire house of Israel will serve me, and there I will accept them. There I will require your offerings and your choice gifts, along with all your holy sacrifices. (NIV 1984) 3. Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of God and the King of all God’s people will reign! 4. Luke 1:32, He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, (NIV 1984) E. McGee wrote, “Zedekiah is to be brought low, and there will not be another king to sit on the throne of David until Shiloh come; until the Messiah comes.” F. This follows the threefold iteration pattern of the Hebrews: “A ruin! A ruin! I will make it a ruin!” (The Pulpit Commentary)

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1. Isaiah 6:3, And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” (NIV 1984) 2. Jeremiah 22:29, O land, land, land, hear the word of the Lord! (NIV 1984) Note: At this point attention turned from the destruction of Jerusalem to the destruction of Rabbah of the Ammonites. Ezekiel 21:28, “And you, son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says about the Ammonites and their insults: “‘A sword, a sword, drawn for the slaughter, polished to consume and to flash like lightning! (NIV 1984) I. “And you, son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says about the Ammonites and their insults:… A. The Ammonites, who lived on the eastern side of the Jordan River and northeast of Jerusalem, would also be destroyed. (See Smith.) 1. This happened five (5) years after Jerusalem was destroyed. 2. Ezekiel 25:1-7, The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, set your face against the Ammonites and prophesy against them. Say to them, ‘Hear the word of the Sovereign Lord. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you said “Aha!” over my sanctuary when it was desecrated and over the land of Israel when it was laid waste and over the people of Judah when they went into exile, therefore I am going to give you to the people of the East as a possession. They will set up their camps and pitch their tents among you; they will eat your fruit and Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Avenue, Nashville, TN., 37216, John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor

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drink your milk. I will turn Rabbah into a pasture for camels and Ammon into a resting place for sheep. Then you will know that I am the Lord. For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you have clapped your hands and stamped your feet, rejoicing with all the malice of your heart against the land of Israel, therefore I will stretch out my hand against you and give you as plunder to the nations. I will cut you off from the nations and exterminate you from the countries. I will destroy you, and you will know that I am the Lord.’” (NIV 1984) 3. Jeremiah 27:1-22, Early in the reign of Zedekiah son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: This is what the Lord said to me: “Make a yoke out of straps and crossbars and put it on your neck. Then send word to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre and Sidon through the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. Give them a message for their masters and say, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Tell this to your masters: With my great power and outstretched arm I made the earth and its people and the animals that are on it, and I give it to anyone I please. Now I will hand all your countries over to my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; I will make even the wild animals subject to him. All nations will serve him and his son and his grandson until the time for his land comes; then many nations and great kings will subjugate him. “‘“If, however, any nation or kingdom will not serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon or bow its neck under his yoke, I will punish that nation with the sword, famine and plague, declares the Lord, until I destroy it by his hand. So do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your interpreters of dreams, your mediums or your sorcerers who tell you, ‘You will not serve the king of Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Avenue, Nashville, TN., 37216, John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor

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Babylon.’ They prophesy lies to you that will only serve to remove you far from your lands; I will banish you and you will perish. But if any nation will bow its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will let that nation remain in its own land to till it and to live there, declares the Lord.”’” I gave the same message to Zedekiah king of Judah. I said, “Bow your neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon; serve him and his people, and you will live. Why will you and your people die by the sword, famine and plague with which the Lord has threatened any nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? Do not listen to the words of the prophets who say to you, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon,’ for they are prophesying lies to you. ‘I have not sent them,’ declares the Lord. ‘They are prophesying lies in my name. Therefore, I will banish you and you will perish, both you and the prophets who prophesy to you.’” Then I said to the priests and all these people, “This is what the Lord says: Do not listen to the prophets who say, ‘Very soon now the articles from the Lord’s house will be brought back from Babylon.’ They are prophesying lies to you. Do not listen to them. Serve the king of Babylon, and you will live. Why should this city become a ruin? If they are prophets and have the word of the Lord, let them plead with the Lord Almighty that the furnishings remaining in the house of the Lord and in the palace of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem not be taken to Babylon. For this is what the Lord Almighty says about the pillars, the Sea, the movable stands and the other furnishings that are left in this city, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take away when he carried Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, along with all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem— yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says about the things Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Avenue, Nashville, TN., 37216, John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor

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that are left in the house of the Lord and in the palace of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem: ‘They will be taken to Babylon and there they will remain until the day I come for them,’ declares the Lord. ‘Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place.’” (NIV 1984) 4. Their gloating was premature. Destruction awaited them as well. 5. Jeremiah 48:1-47, Concerning Moab: This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Woe to Nebo, for it will be ruined. Kiriathaim will be disgraced and captured; the stronghold will be disgraced and shattered. Moab will be praised no more; in Heshbon men will plot her downfall: ‘Come, let us put an end to that nation.’ You too, O Madmen, will be silenced; the sword will pursue you. Listen to the cries from Horonaim, cries of great havoc and destruction. Moab will be broken; her little ones will cry out. They go up the way to Luhith, weeping bitterly as they go; on the road down to Horonaim anguished cries over the destruction are heard. Flee! Run for your lives; become like a bush in the desert. Since you trust in your deeds and riches, you too will be taken captive, and Chemosh will go into exile, together with his priests and officials. The destroyer will come against every town, and not a town will escape. The valley will be ruined and the plateau destroyed, because the Lord has spoken. Put salt on Moab, for she will be laid waste; her towns will become desolate, with no one to live in them. “A curse on him who is lax in doing the Lord’s work! A curse on him who keeps his sword from bloodshed! “Moab has been at rest from youth, like wine left on its dregs, not poured from one jar to another— she has not gone into exile. So she tastes as she did, and her aroma is unchanged. But days are coming,” declares the Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Avenue, Nashville, TN., 37216, John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor

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Lord, “when I will send men who pour from jars, and they will pour her out; they will empty her jars and smash her jugs. Then Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed when they trusted in Bethel. “How can you say, ‘We are warriors, men valiant in battle’? Moab will be destroyed and her towns invaded; her finest young men will go down in the slaughter,” declares the King, whose name is the Lord Almighty. “The fall of Moab is at hand; her calamity will come quickly. Mourn for her, all who live around her, all who know her fame; say, ‘How broken is the mighty scepter, how broken the glorious staff!’ “Come down from your glory and sit on the parched ground, O inhabitants of the Daughter of Dibon, for he who destroys Moab will come up against you and ruin your fortified cities. Stand by the road and watch, you who live in Aroer. Ask the man fleeing and the woman escaping, ask them, ‘What has happened?’ Moab is disgraced, for she is shattered. Wail and cry out! Announce by the Arnon that Moab is destroyed. Judgment has come to the plateau— to Holon, Jahzah and Mephaath, to Dibon, Nebo and Beth Diblathaim, to Kiriathaim, Beth Gamul and Beth Meon, to Kerioth and Bozrah— to all the towns of Moab, far and near. Moab’s horn is cut off; her arm is broken,” declares the Lord. “Make her drunk, for she has defied the Lord. Let Moab wallow in her vomit; let her be an object of ridicule. Was not Israel the object of your ridicule? Was she caught among thieves, that you shake your head in scorn whenever you speak of her? Abandon your towns and dwell among the rocks, you who live in Moab. Be like a dove that makes its nest at the mouth of a cave. “We have heard of Moab’s pride— her overweening pride and conceit, her pride and arrogance and the haughtiness of her heart. I know her insolence but it is futile,” declares the Lord, “and her boasts accomplish Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Avenue, Nashville, TN., 37216, John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor

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nothing. Therefore I wail over Moab, for all Moab I cry out, I moan for the men of Kir Hareseth. I weep for you, as Jazer weeps, O vines of Sibmah. Your branches spread as far as the sea; they reached as far as the sea of Jazer. The destroyer has fallen on your ripened fruit and grapes. Joy and gladness are gone from the orchards and fields of Moab. I have stopped the flow of wine from the presses; no one treads them with shouts of joy. Although there are shouts, they are not shouts of joy. “The sound of their cry rises from Heshbon to Elealeh and Jahaz, from Zoar as far as Horonaim and Eglath Shelishiyah, for even the waters of Nimrim are dried up. In Moab I will put an end to those who make offerings on the high places and burn incense to their gods,” declares the Lord. “So my heart laments for Moab like a flute; it laments like a flute for the men of Kir Hareseth. The wealth they acquired is gone. Every head is shaved and every beard cut off; every hand is slashed and every waist is covered with sackcloth. On all the roofs in Moab and in the public squares there is nothing but mourning, for I have broken Moab like a jar that no one wants,” declares the Lord. “How shattered she is! How they wail! How Moab turns her back in shame! Moab has become an object of ridicule, an object of horror to all those around her.” This is what the Lord says: “Look! An eagle is swooping down, spreading its wings over Moab. Kerioth will be captured and the strongholds taken. In that day the hearts of Moab’s warriors will be like the heart of a woman in labor. Moab will be destroyed as a nation because she defied the Lord. Terror and pit and snare await you, O people of Moab,” declares the Lord. “Whoever flees from the terror will fall into a pit, whoever climbs out of the pit will be caught in a snare; for I will bring upon Moab the year of her punishment,” declares the Lord. “In the shadow of Heshbon the fugitives stand helpless, for a fire has gone Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Avenue, Nashville, TN., 37216, John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor

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out from Heshbon, a blaze from the midst of Sihon; it burns the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of the noisy boasters. Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh are destroyed; your sons are taken into exile and your daughters into captivity. “Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab in days to come,” declares the Lord. Here ends the judgment on Moab. (NIV 1984) 6. Jeremiah 49:1-39, Concerning the Ammonites: This is what the Lord says: “Has Israel no sons? Has she no heirs? Why then has Molech taken possession of Gad? Why do his people live in its towns? But the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will sound the battle cry against Rabbah of the Ammonites; it will become a mound of ruins, and its surrounding villages will be set on fire. Then Israel will drive out those who drove her out,” says the Lord. “Wail, O Heshbon, for Ai is destroyed! Cry out, O inhabitants of Rabbah! Put on sackcloth and mourn; rush here and there inside the walls, for Molech will go into exile, together with his priests and officials. Why do you boast of your valleys, boast of your valleys so fruitful? O unfaithful daughter, you trust in your riches and say, ‘Who will attack me?’ I will bring terror on you from all those around you,” declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty. “Every one of you will be driven away, and no one will gather the fugitives. “Yet afterward, I will restore the fortunes of the Ammonites,” declares the Lord. Concerning Edom: This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Is there no longer wisdom in Teman? Has counsel perished from the prudent? Has their wisdom decayed? Turn and flee, hide in deep caves, you who live in Dedan, for I will bring disaster on Esau at the time I punish him. If grape pickers came to you, would they not leave a few grapes? If thieves came during the night, would they not steal only as much as they wanted? But I will strip Esau Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Avenue, Nashville, TN., 37216, John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor

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bare; I will uncover his hiding places, so that he cannot conceal himself. His children, relatives and neighbors will perish, and he will be no more. Leave your orphans; I will protect their lives. Your widows too can trust in me.” This is what the Lord says: “If those who do not deserve to drink the cup must drink it, why should you go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, but must drink it. I swear by myself,” declares the Lord, “that Bozrah will become a ruin and an object of horror, of reproach and of cursing; and all its towns will be in ruins forever.” I have heard a message from the Lord: An envoy was sent to the nations to say, “Assemble yourselves to attack it! Rise up for battle!” “Now I will make you small among the nations, despised among men. The terror you inspire and the pride of your heart have deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks, who occupy the heights of the hill. Though you build your nest as high as the eagle’s, from there I will bring you down,” declares the Lord. “Edom will become an object of horror; all who pass by will be appalled and will scoff because of all its wounds. As Sodom and Gomorrah were overthrown, along with their neighboring towns,” says the Lord, “so no one will live there; no man will dwell in it. “Like a lion coming up from Jordan’s thickets to a rich pastureland, I will chase Edom from its land in an instant. Who is the chosen one I will appoint for this? Who is like me and who can challenge me? And what shepherd can stand against me?” Therefore, hear what the Lord has planned against Edom, what he has purposed against those who live in Teman: The young of the flock will be dragged away; he will completely destroy their pasture because of them. At the sound of their fall the earth will tremble; their cry will resound to the Red Sea. Look! An eagle will soar and swoop down, spreading its wings over Bozrah. In that day the hearts of Edom’s warriors will be like the heart of a Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Avenue, Nashville, TN., 37216, John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor

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woman in labor. Concerning Damascus: “Hamath and Arpad are dismayed, for they have heard bad news. They are disheartened, troubled like the restless sea. Damascus has become feeble, she has turned to flee and panic has gripped her; anguish and pain have seized her, pain like that of a woman in labor. Why has the city of renown not been abandoned, the town in which I delight? Surely, her young men will fall in the streets; all her soldiers will be silenced in that day,” declares the Lord Almighty. “I will set fire to the walls of Damascus; it will consume the fortresses of Ben-Hadad.” Concerning Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon attacked: This is what the Lord says: “Arise, and attack Kedar and destroy the people of the East. Their tents and their flocks will be taken; their shelters will be carried off with all their goods and camels. Men will shout to them, ‘Terror on every side!’ “Flee quickly away! Stay in deep caves, you who live in Hazor,” declares the Lord. “Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has plotted against you; he has devised a plan against you. “Arise and attack a nation at ease, which lives in confidence,” declares the Lord, “a nation that has neither gates nor bars; its people live alone. Their camels will become plunder, and their large herds will be booty. I will scatter to the winds those who are in distant places and will bring disaster on them from every side,” declares the Lord. “Hazor will become a haunt of jackals, a desolate place forever. No one will live there; no man will dwell in it.” This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam, early in the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah: This is what the Lord Almighty says: “See, I will break the bow of Elam, the mainstay of their might. I will bring against Elam the four winds from the four quarters of the heavens; I will scatter them to the four winds, and there will not be a nation where Elam’s Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Avenue, Nashville, TN., 37216, John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor

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exiles do not go. I will shatter Elam before their foes, before those who seek their lives; I will bring disaster upon them, even my fierce anger,” declares the Lord. “I will pursue them with the sword until I have made an end of them. I will set my throne in Elam and destroy her king and officials,” declares the Lord. “Yet I will restore the fortunes of Elam in days to come,” declares the Lord. (NIV 1984) B. Coffman wrote, We have no certain word on just why Ammon was singled out here for this special oracle; but it might have pertained to the share they had in the murder of Gedaliah, by the hand of Ishamel.” 1. Zephaniah 2:8, “I have heard the insults of Moab and the taunts of the Ammonites, who insulted my people and made threats against their land. (NIV 1984) II. “ ‘A sword, a sword, drawn for the slaughter, polished to consume and to flash like lightning! A. The Babylonian army (sword) would also later be unleashed against the Ammonites. 1. They will not escape! Ezekiel 21:29, Despite false visions concerning you and lying divinations about you, it will be laid on the necks of the wicked who are to be slain, whose day has come, whose time of punishment has reached its climax. (NIV 1984) I. Despite false visions concerning you and lying divinations about you,…

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A. The Pulpit Commentary states, “The words may possibly refer to Nebuchadnezzar’s diviners in verse 21, but more probably to those whom the Ammonites themselves consulted.” 1. “The result of those who divined falsely was that the sword would be drawn against the necks of the Ammonites and throw them upon the heap of the slaughtered ones. …punishment is decreed, and that punishment will come,” The Pulpit Commentary continued. II. it will be laid on the necks of the wicked who are to be slain, whose day has come, whose time of punishment has reached its climax. A. Despite false visions and lying divinations to the contrary, the wicked will be slain, punished! 1. The time for this punishment is imminent. Ezekiel 21:30, Return the sword to its scabbard. In the place where you were created, in the land of your ancestry, I will judge you. (NIV 1984) I. Return the sword to its scabbard. In the place where you were created, in the land of your ancestry, I will judge you. A. Nebuchadnezzar was told this time to return his sword to its scabbard because his job of punishing Jerusalem had now been completed. (See Hamilton.) 1. This actually, of course, refers to the time five years later when Jerusalem had been destroyed. B. However, The Pulpit Commentary again suggests the possibility that this is addressed to the Ammonites.

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1. They were to sheath their swords as they would be of no benefit against God’s vengeance. Ezekiel 21:31, I will pour out my wrath upon you and breathe out my fiery anger against you; I will hand you over to brutal men, men skilled in destruction. (NIV 1984) I. I will pour out my wrath upon you and breathe out my fiery anger against you;… A. Nebuchadnezzar poured out God’s wrath on Jerusalem. (See Hamilton.) and Ammon was consumed in the fire of God’s judgment. (See Smith.) B. God still works in the affairs of men and of nations. 1. Isaiah 10:5-19, “Woe to the Assyrian, the rod of my anger, in whose hand is the club of my wrath! I send him against a godless nation, I dispatch him against a people who anger me, to seize loot and snatch plunder, and to trample them down like mud in the streets. But this is not what he intends, this is not what he has in mind; his purpose is to destroy, to put an end to many nations. ‘Are not my commanders all kings?’ he says. ‘Has not Calno fared like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad, and Samaria like Damascus? As my hand seized the kingdoms of the idols, kingdoms whose images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria— shall I not deal with Jerusalem and her images as I dealt with Samaria and her idols?’” When the Lord has finished all his work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, he will say, “I will punish the king of Assyria for the willful pride of his heart and the haughty look in his eyes. For he says: “‘By the strength of my hand I have done this, and by my wisdom, because I have understanding. I removed the boundaries of nations, I Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Avenue, Nashville, TN., 37216, John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor

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plundered their treasures; like a mighty one I subdued their kings. As one reaches into a nest, so my hand reached for the wealth of the nations; as men gather abandoned eggs, so I gathered all the countries; not one flapped a wing, or opened its mouth to chirp.’” Does the ax raise itself above him who swings it, or the saw boast against him who uses it? As if a rod were to wield him who lifts it up, or a club brandish him who is not wood! Therefore, the Lord, the Lord Almighty, will send a wasting disease upon his sturdy warriors; under his pomp a fire will be kindled like a blazing flame. The Light of Israel will become a fire, their Holy One a flame; in a single day it will burn and consume his thorns and his briers. The splendor of his forests and fertile fields it will completely destroy, as when a sick man wastes away. And the remaining trees of his forests will be so few that a child could write them down. (NIV 1984) 2. Exodus 9:16, But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. (NIV 1984) 3. Isaiah 44:28, who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please; he will say of Jerusalem, “Let it be rebuilt,” and of the temple, “Let its foundations be laid.”’ (NIV 1984) C. Clarke wrote that this passage seems to refer to Nebuchadnezzar, who, after his return from Jerusalem, became insane, and lived like a beast for seven years; but afterward returned to health. He then acknowledged the Lord. D. “Fire” again takes the place of “sword” both in Ezekiel 20 and 21 representing the coming destruction. (See The Pulpit Commentary.) Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Avenue, Nashville, TN., 37216, John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor

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II. I will hand you over to brutal men, men skilled in destruction. A. Fredenburg explained that this refers to the conquest of Babylon by the Persians under their ruler Nabonidus in 539 B.C. B. “Brutal or brutish men,” are the Chaldean conquerors, according to The Pulpit Commentary. 1. See the following verses that contain the same word as translated “brute” or “brutish” here. a. Psalm 49:10, For all can see that wise men die; the foolish and the senseless alike perish and leave their wealth to others. (NIV 1984) b. Psalm 92:6, The senseless man does not know, fools do not understand, (NIV 1984) 2. In the adjective form this base word can also mean “those that burn.” Ezekiel 21:32, You will be fuel for the fire, your blood will be shed in your land, you will be remembered no more; for I the Lord have spoken.’” (NIV 1984) I. You will be fuel for the fire, your blood will be shed in your land, you will be remembered no more; for I the Lord have spoken.’” A. Ammon “would be remembered no more. For her there was no hope of restoration such as the prophet envisioned for Israel.” B. “Fuel for the fire” was ancient Near Eastern curse language.

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1. Ezekiel 15:4, 6, And after it is thrown on the fire as fuel and the fire burns both ends and chars the middle, is it then useful for anything? “Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: As I have given the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest as fuel for the fire, so will I treat the people living in Jerusalem. (NIV 1984) 2. Their past glories would be remembered no more. a. Jeremiah 11:19, I had been like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter; I did not realize that they had plotted against me, saying, “Let us destroy the tree and its fruit; let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name be remembered no more.” (NIV 1984) b. Zechariah 13:2, “On that day, I will banish the names of the idols from the land, and they will be remembered no more,” declares the Lord Almighty. “I will remove both the prophets and the spirit of impurity from the land. (NIV 1984) c. Psalm 83:5, With one mind they plot together; they form an alliance against you— (NIV 1984) C. This is definite, certain because God has spoken! 1. The Babylonians were defeated by the Persians. 2. Their power destroyed, they were no longer revered, remembered by way of honor. D. The Pulpit Commentary states, “For Ammon there is no hope of a restoration like that which Ezekiel speaks of as possible for Jerusalem, and even for Sodom and Samaria. Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Avenue, Nashville, TN., 37216, John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor

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1. Ezekiel 25:5-7, I will turn Rabbah into a pasture for camels and Ammon into a resting place for sheep. Then you will know that I am the Lord. For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you have clapped your hands and stamped your feet, rejoicing with all the malice of your heart against the land of Israel, therefore I will stretch out my hand against you and give you as plunder to the nations. I will cut you off from the nations and exterminate you from the countries. I will destroy you, and you will know that I am the Lord.’” (NIV 1984) Conclusion: Note: This conclusion to Ezekiel 20:45-21:32 follows the work of Peter C. Craigie in Ezekiel in the Daily Study Bible Series, pp. 153-164. I. The Sword in the South A. God’s judgment, pictured as a fire, would fall upon Judah and Jerusalem, the southland. 1. No one, righteous or wicked, could escape. 2. The fire could not be quenched. B. The exiles to whom Ezekiel spoke evidently didn’t understand what Ezekiel was saying; for example, how could the treeless Negev desert become the site of a forest fire? 1. Ezekiel asked God for permission to speak plainly rather than in parables. a. God granted Ezekiel’s prayer request.

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b. The trees that would be burned in the southland were its people. II. The Sharpened Sword A. The “sword” is the central theme of chapter 21 where the “sword” is presented as synonymous with the previously mentioned “fire”. 1. God’s punishment, under the figure of a “sword,” would be unleashed against Judah-Jerusalem and Ammon. 2. The “sword”, God’s wrath, would be wielded by the Babylonians under the leadership of King Nebuchadnezzar. III. The Sword of the King of Babylon A. In the year 589 B.C. Judah and Ammon signed a treaty of alliance to stand united against the Babylonians. B. For the Babylonions the question was, “Shall we attack Jerusalem of the Jews or Rabbah of the Ammonites first?” 1. This question was decided at Damascus where the road forked by divination techniques. 2. On this occasion, God made his will known by controlling the outcome of the divination procedures. 3. Jerusalem was chosen to be destroyed first, before Rabbah. 4. Ezekiel made it clear that the exiles’ hopes of a soon release from Babylonian captivity, the sparing of Jerusalem, the temple and the royal house of David were totally baseless! Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Avenue, Nashville, TN., 37216, John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor

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C. Nebuchadnezzar was certainly not a faithful servant of the Lord. 1. God simply used his services to punish wicked JudahJerusalem and the Ammonites. D. The Sword Against the Ammonites. 1. God’s vengeance came upon both Jerusalem and its ally, Rabbah of the Ammonites. 2. God’s unlimited power freed Israel from Egypt and soon, because of their wickedness, destroyed Jerusalem and the Ammonites, their ally.

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Questions on Ezekiel 21:1-32 (Questions based on NIV text.) 1. Upon what theme does Ezekiel 20:45 - 21:32 center? How is this theme developed? _________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 2. This chapter is called by many, “The ____________ of the ____________,” because the word “____________” occurs ____________ (____________) times in ____________ ____________ (____________) verses. 3. Describe the “sword” that is discussed in this chapter. ______ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 4. The “____________ of the ____________” was to be wielded by ____________, ____________ of ____________.

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5. Why is the study of the book of Ezekiel important? Give as many reasons as possible? ______________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 6. How did the word of the Lord come to Ezekiel? ___________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 7. ____________’s ____________ had been deeply touched by ____________’s ____________ and the ____________ of his ______________, his ______________, the ______________ ______________ of ______________ and the ______________ ____________. 8. Explain what was involved in Ezekiel’s setting his face against Jerusalem and preaching against the sanctuary. What was his message? _____________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________

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9. What were the results of God’s being against Israel? What are the results of God’s being against us? _____________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 10. How did God punish the righteous and the wicked? ___________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________

11. How does God not punish the righteous and the wicked? ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 12. Give present day examples of the principles covered in questions 10 and 11 above? _____________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Avenue, Nashville, TN., 37216, John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor

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____________________________________________________ 13. When would the sword of the Lord be returned to its scabbard? ___________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 14. Ezekiel 2:5 contains a most difficult message Ezekiel was required to preach. What are some present day difficult messages God requires his ministers to preach? _____________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 15. Ezekiel was told to groan before these to whom he preached with a broken heart and bitter grief. Why was Ezekiel given this command? __________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 16. When have you, your church leaders and minister groaned with a broken heart and bitter grief because of the sins and troubles of others? Explain each circumstance. ______________ Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Avenue, Nashville, TN., 37216, John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor

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____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 17. Give examples of other Old Testament prophets who combined the spoken/written word with related behaviors. ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 18. When asked, “Why are you groaning?”, what was Ezekiel to say? _______________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 19. What was coming? (See verse 7.) _____________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________

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20. What is the significance of the fact that it is said three (3) times in this chapter, “The word of the Lord came to me (Ezekiel)?” __________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 21. What did Ezekiel do with the word of the Lord that came to him? _______________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 22. What does, “Shall we rejoice in the scepter of my son Judah?”, mean? ______________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 23. What does, “The sword despises every such stick,” mean? ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Avenue, Nashville, TN., 37216, John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor

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____________________________________________________ 24. Who was the “slayer” of verse 11 who would grasp the sharpened sword? Who were “all the princes of Israel?” ___________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 25. “After I ____________, I ____________; after I came to _____________, I _____________ my _____________. I was ____________ and ____________ because I ____________ the ____________ of my ____________.” 26. How do your sins affect you emotionally? How seriously do you regard your sins? __________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 27. Why is Ezekiel 21:13 difficult to understand? What does this verse mean? _________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Avenue, Nashville, TN., 37216, John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor

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28. How have you been tested in your lifetime? Did you pass the tests? _______________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 29. Trace the history of the royal house of David from the fall of Jerusalem to the present time. ___________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 30. What was the meaning of Ezekiel’s striking his hands together, the sword being permitted to strike twice, then three times. What did these things indicate? _____________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 31. ______________’s forces came against ______________ ______________ times, against ______________, against ____________, and against ____________.

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32. ____________’s ____________ would ____________ _____________, their _____________ _____________ like ______________ and moving with _______________ like ______________. There will be no _______________ this ______________ ______________! _______________ would ____________ and the ____________ would be ____________. 33. The ____________ ____________ ____________ in all ____________ against ____________, ____________, ____________, et. al. To the ____________ (____________), then to the ____________ (____________) ____________ all of ____________. Regardless of the ____________ in which the ____________ ____________, there was only ____________ awaiting them. ____________ “would not ____________ till he had ____________ his ____________ by ____________ it ____________ itself out even to the ____________.” 34. Why did the Lord strike his hands together? When did God’s wrath subside? _______________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 35. The ______________ has ______________! That is the _______________ of the _______________. There is no ____________ to the ____________’s ____________. There is no ____________ to the ____________’s ____________.

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36. Nebuchadnezzar’s army, as it came to ____________, approached a _____________ in the _____________, one way leading to ______________ and the other leading to ____________. 37. How did Nebuchadnezzar decide which road to take? How do you make decisions in your life? ______________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 38. What part did God have in Nebuchadnezzar’s decision? What part does God have in the important decisions of your life? ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 39. Why did Nebuchadnezzar plan to attack Rabbah as well as Jerusalem? __________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________

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40. Ezekiel went to Damascus and clearly marked each road with the appropriate signs. As you go through life, is your road clearly marked with faith and God’s values? If not, what marks your road through life? _________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 41. Define “omens” and “divination.” _____________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 42. Explain how lots were cast with arrows, how liver was examined and how idols were consulted. __________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________

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43. Some people still believe in omen, fortune telling, astrology and horoscopes. Is there and was there ever any value to these things? If so, what? ___________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 44. Nebuchadnezzar’s ______________ ______________ on ______________ involved ______________ ______________, ____________ ____________, ____________ ____________, and ______________ by which ______________ could _____________ the _____________ and _____________ the _____________. 45. Still Jerusalem and Judah remained deluded holding to the false belief that Jerusalem, the house of David and the priesthood would continue indefinitely. How could they be so stubbornly mistaken? ______________ to ______________ the _______________ will seal our _______________ as well! ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 46. Why was Jerusalem destroyed? Why was Nebuchadnezzar determined to destroy Jerusalem? ________________________ ____________________________________________________ Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Avenue, Nashville, TN., 37216, John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor

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____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 47. Who was to blame for Jerusalem’s problems? Who is to blame for your troubles? _______________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 48. Who was the profane and wicked prince of verse 25? In what ways was it profane and wicked? ____________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 49. To whom, what positions does verse 26b refer? __________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 50. What social upheavals would Jerusalem experience? ______ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Avenue, Nashville, TN., 37216, John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor

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____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 51. When would Jerusalem be restored? To whom does Jerusalem “rightfully belong?” __________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 52. What did the Sovereign Lord say about the Ammonites? ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 53. _____________ _____________ _____________ and ______________ ______________ to the contrary, the ____________ will be ____________, ____________. The time for this ____________ is ____________. 54. To whom is verse 30 addressed? Give reason for your answer? ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Avenue, Nashville, TN., 37216, John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor

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____________________________________________________ 55. When did God pour out his wrath on Jerusalem and Rabbah of the Ammonites? Give dates. __________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 56. To whom does Ezekiel 21:31, 32 refer? Give reasons for your answer. _________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 57. What does Ezekiel 20:45-21:32 say about The Sword In The South? _____________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 58. What does Ezekiel 20:45-21:32 say about the Sharpened Sword? _____________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Avenue, Nashville, TN., 37216, John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor

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____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 59. What does Ezekiel 20:45-21:32 say about the Sword of the King of Babylon? _____________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 60. What does Ezekiel 20:45-21:32 say about The Sword Against The Ammonites. _______________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________

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