Ezekiel 20:1-3 – Are we in the right posture to listen?

Ezekiel is a long book of 48 chapters. Before we get lost in our pursuit to grasp its key messages, it’s necessary to pause for a recapitulation of the book. Essentially, there are three broad sections in this book. Chapters 1-24 deal with the judgment of Judah and Jerusalem; Chapters 25-32 deal with the judgment of foreign nations; and 33-48 deal with the restoration of Israel and the restoration of the temple.

Israel as a nation was divided into two kingdoms after Solomon. His son Rehoboam caused the split. The north comprising of ten tribes of the sons of Israel was referred to as Israel and the south, comprising two tribes, as Judah. Due to their disobedience and unfaithfulness, God used the Assyrians and finished off Israel in 722 BC. Not learning from Israel, Judah was also found to be unfaithful to the Lord, leaving God with no option but to deal with them as well.

The Prophet Ezekiel was God’s messenger to the people of Judah in exile. He was from the priestly line and was at an age that he would have begun his service in the temple. But he was in exile and since there was no temple of the Lord, he was re-directed into the prophetic ministry.  

The book of Ezekiel began with his vision of the throne-chariot of God and the cherubim and wheels in Chebar River. God wanted them to know that His presence was with them even though they were in exile and not in Jerusalem. But God had to deal with the people’s disobedience and unfaithfulness. God’s messages to them were given through a series of Ezekiel dramatizing and acting the messages out, as well as in parables. He was essentially signaling to them the need for God’s judgment and how it would be executed.

As we come to Ezekiel 20-24, these chapters essentially trace the stormy relationship God had with His people since they became a nation. On God’s part grace was extended again and again to His people. Whereas disobedience and unfaithfulness of Israel and Judah seemed to be the way they had chosen to respond to God.  

In the very first verse of Ezekiel 20, we are told that some elders of Judah in exile came and sat before Ezekiel “in the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth of the month…” of Jehoiachin’s capture. They came to inquire of the Lord. But God made clear His sentiment in verse 2 saying he was not going to answer them. He felt that Ezekiel should not waste time answering their questions. 

God knows us through and through. We are flawed beings. Unless we come to Him with an attitude of wanting to obey, it is pointless to go for deeper truth. To be consistent with God, we all need a clear perspective of the crux of the matter. Attitude and posture to learn matters to God.