Introduction
Please note that Ezekiel 20:45 should be taken up to Ezekiel 21:32.
Feinberg, in his commentary, says the following.
‘In the Hebrew text of Ezekiel, verse 45 of the previous chapter is the beginning of chapter 21, where the connection is clear, and the figure is explained in direct prophetic discourse.’
The burning forest and the sword of the Lord. Ezekiel 20:45-21:32.
The Burning Forest is a fire kindled by the Lord. Ezekiel 20:45-49.
The sword of the Lord. Ezekiel 21:1-32.
Its disastrous effects. Ezekiel 21:1-7.
The sword sharpened for the slaying. Ezekiel 21:8-17.
The sword of the king of Babylon will smite Jerusalem, then smite the Ammonites also. Ezekiel 21:18-23.
The prophecy will appear to Judeans as deceptive but will be verified. Ezekiel 21:24-27.
The overthrow of the Ammonites. Ezekiel 21:28-32.
SUMMARY
Jerusalem will be punished with a flaming sword. Babylon will be God’s executor of judgement. The priestly and kingly authority will be removed from Judah. Ammon will also be judged by God. Because of Israel’s rebellion, judgment has already come against the northern tribes, and God’s vengeance is poised against Judah.
Ezekiel now sees the sword of judgment coming, He turns his face southward and brings still other pronouncements against Judah’s sin. Perhaps the judgements keep coming because, so few people have believed so far in his message.
As Ezekiel complains, they think he is simply bringing nice little parables, and interesting sermons, from which they derive some entertainment. Hence the picture of a sword, perhaps this will get their attention.
THE IMMINENCE OF JERUSALEM’S DESTRUCTION
‘The word of the LORD came to me: ‘Son of man, set your face against Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuary. Prophesy against the land of Israel and say to her: ‘This is what the LORD says: I am against you. I will draw my sword from its sheath and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked. Because I am going to cut off the righteous and the wicked, my sword will be unsheathed against everyone from south to north. Then all people will know that I the LORD have drawn my sword from its sheath; it will not return again.’ ‘Therefore groan, son of man! Groan before them with broken heart and bitter grief. And when they ask you, ‘Why are you groaning?’ you shall say, ‘Because of the news that is coming. Every heart will melt with fear and every hand go limp; every spirit will become faint, and every leg will be wet with urine.’ It is coming! It will surely take place, declares the Sovereign LORD.’ Ezekiel 21:1-7
Here we read of the explanation of the parable of the fire, Ezekiel 20:45-49. The prophet explains one figure with another. The figure changes to a sword, the Lord’s sword. Ezekiel it told to speak a message of judgment against Jerusalem, the sanctuary, and the whole land of Israel, Ezekiel 21:1-2. The land is now specified however, it is not the vague ‘south’, but Jerusalem and the land of Israel, Ezekiel 21:2.
God is now going to turn against them and His sword is drawn from its sheath, ready for action, Ezekiel 21:3. Both the righteous and the wicked throughout the whole land, will be judged, Ezekiel 21:3 / Ezekiel 20:47-48.
Wiersbe, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Unfortunately, some of the righteous would suffer along with the wicked, but this is often the case in times of war.’
So, the sword becomes a picture of the judgement that is coming throughout the whole land, from south to north, Ezekiel 21:4. Everyone is going to suffer the consequences of this judgement, the sword is going to be busy, Ezekiel 21:5 / Ezekiel 20:46-48.
Ellison, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Once the sword of the Lord was drawn it would slay as indiscriminately as a forest fire destroys’.
We can see Ezekiel’s reaction again to the news of judgement and destruction, groaning, heartbreak and grief, Ezekiel 21:6 / Ezekiel 29:7 / Psalm 69:23 / Nahum 2:10.
Although instructed by the Lord to break down emotionally, it seems to me he wouldn’t need much encouragement to cry over his people. When the people asked Ezekiel why he was so upset, he was tell them it was because of the coming judgment, Ezekiel 21:7.
THE SWORD SHARPENED
‘The word of the LORD came to me: ‘Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Lord says: ‘A sword, a sword, sharpened and polished—sharpened for the slaughter, polished to flash like lightning! ‘Shall we rejoice in the sceptre of my royal son? The sword despises every such stick. ‘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. 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. ‘Testing will surely come. And what if even the sceptre, which the sword despises, does not continue? declares the Sovereign LORD.’ ‘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. So that hearts may melt with fear and the fallen be many, I have stationed the sword for slaughter at all their gates. Look! It is forged to strike like lightning, it is grasped for slaughter. Slash to the right, you sword, then to the left, wherever your blade is turned. I too will strike my hands together, and my wrath will subside. I the LORD have spoken.’ Ezekiel 21:8-17
Here is a yet clearer picture of the sword and what is going to happen. Ezekiel is to announce that a sword had been sharpened and polished and was now ready to go to work slaughtering people quickly, Ezekiel 21:8-9. Several times in a testing situation, they are shown the sharpening and the polishing of the sword, Ezekiel 21:10.
Morgan, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The vision of that glittering, furbished, active sword is indeed a terrible one. But it is the Sword of Jehovah. Observe how that fact is kept in mind.’
Block, in his commentary, says the following, concerning the word slaughter, Ezekiel 21:10.
‘In secular usage, tabah normally refers to the slaughtering of domestic animals for consumption, but with humans as objects the term may be applied to bloody massacres, which is what is envisioned here.’
Notice the words, ‘shall we rejoice in the scepter of my royal son?’ Ezekiel 21:10. The KJV SAYS, ‘Or do we make mirth?’. This is no joke. ‘The sword despises every such stick, Ezekiel 21:10, is probably a refence to the nation as a whole of Zedekiah.
Wiersbe, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Despising the king of Judah (Ezekiel 21:13), the sword of Babylon would turn Judah’s scepter into nothing but a stick!’
It is sharpened for one reason, to slaughter better. It is polished to shine like lightning so that it might flash in battle and frighten the enemy, Ezekiel 21:11. God’s sword was Nebuchadnezzar.
Notice what Ezekiel is told to do, he is to cry out, wail and beat his breast, Ezekiel 21:12 / Jeremiah 31:19. The princes, that is the leaders, will die along with the rest of the people, Ezekiel 21:12. This would really test the nation, Ezekiel 21:13. Even Nebuchadnezzar didn’t prevail over Israel, the scepter, that is Messiah would, Ezekiel 21:13.
Ezekiel is also told to clap his hands, Ezekiel 21:14, which symbolised God’s approval, Ezekiel 6:11 / Ezekiel 22:13 / Ezekiel 25:6 / Numbers 24:10 / 2 Kings 11:12 / Job 27:23 / Psalms 47:1 / Isaiah 55:12. Notice the sword was to be struck strike twice, even three times, Ezekiel 21:14.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The sword has been doubled, and it shall come the third time. Nebuchadnezzar came against Judea THRICE. 1. Against Jehoiakim. 2. Against Jeconiah. 3. Against Zedekiah. The sword had already been doubled; it is to come now the third time, i.e., against Zedekiah.’
While clapping his hands, Ezekiel is to continue with the message of God’s coming judgment. The sword would have a devastating effect, people’s hearts would melt with fear and people will die in the gates of the city, Ezekiel 21:15. Nebuchadnezzar was prepared and ready for the lightning-fast slaughter of God’s people, Ezekiel 21:15.
Nebuchadnezzar, under God’s guidance will strike his super sharp sword, right, left and in all directions, killing everyone the sword comes into contact with, Ezekiel 21:16. As he does, God Himself will clap his hands Yahweh would also give His approval by clapping His hands and His wrath would subside, Ezekiel 21:17.
They would not listen to another kind of discipline, for they had ignored them in the past. The sword is not to be used as a rod of discipline, Proverbs 13:24, to spank them on the bottom. This is for judgement. This sword is out to kill, Ezekiel 9:2. This is no warning, no discipline, no testing, it is too late for that.
‘The word of the LORD came to me: ‘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. Mark out one road for the sword to come against Rabbah of the Ammonites and another against Judah and fortified Jerusalem. 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. 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 erect siege works. 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. ‘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.” Ezekiel 21:18-24
Once again, the prophet is active in visual aids. He is to make a representation of two roads coming out of Babylon by which judgment from God would come, He procures a signpost and plants it at a road junction, Ezekiel 21:18-19.
On one part he writes Rabbah and on the other, he writes Jerusalem, Ezekiel 21:20. Here is Nebuchadnezzar coming to deal with two rebellious states, Israel, and Ammon. He is unsure of which one to hit first, so, he does the natural thing and consults the ‘higher’ powers, Ezekiel 21:21 / Isaiah 47:8-15.
Here we see three ways of divination.
1. Casting lots of arrows, Ezekiel 21:21.
The arrow shaking would be similar to dice. Perhaps two with the names of the cities written on them, and if they landed a certain way then that place would be chosen.
Block, in his commentary, says the following.
‘First, he has shaken the arrows, a practice known as belomancy or rhabdomancy. The action consisted of shaking two inscribed arrows and then drawing one as one draws a lot, on the assumption that the gods had determined which one was selected.’
2. Consulting the idols, Ezekiel 21:21.
The idols or teraphim, KJV, are household idols, would seem to be some kind of small images consulted in some way, maybe crystal-ball style.
Poole, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The next way of divining was by asking counsel of his idol, or image, which being made artificially by the skill of their juggling priests and conjurers, with little help they could give answers, and the image spoke aloud what the sorcerer spoke more softly, somewhat like the artificial whispering places which convey the voice, from unseen persons.’
3. Looking at the liver, Ezekiel 21:21.
Looking at the liver involved the liver of a dead animal to make a decision based on their shape, colour, and markings.
Harrison, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The interpretation of omens called for considerable skill on the part of the priests, resulting in the use of divinatory methods such as astrology and hepatoscopy (the examination of post-mortem livers) in an attempt to anticipate the trend of future events.’
The undecided Babylonian thinks his superstitions have brought up Jerusalem, Ezekiel 21:22, but it was God who brought about the decision, Proverbs 16:33 / Proverbs 21:1 / Jeremiah 27:6. Nebuchadnezzar is coming to Jerusalem by the will of God. The result of the divination is seen in Jerusalem in Ezekiel 21:23. The people think that the answer from the divination is a false one, Ezekiel 21:23.
Poole, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Zedekiah, his princes, and nobles, who swore allegiance to the king of Babylon first, and afterward conspired with Egypt, and by new and contrary oaths perjured themselves, provoked as well as dishonoured God, and enraged Nebuchadnezzar to revenge their perfidiousness.’
They thought God would defend them, but oh how wrong they were. He would allow Nebuchadnezzar to capture them. They have sworn victory for the people with the help of the Egyptians if the Babylonians come at all, Ezekiel 21:23.
Jeremiah 37:3-11 shows us two things the people were saying at this time. Babylon will not come to Jerusalem, Jeremiah 37:9. If they do, they will fall into our trap, Jeremiah 37:5. But the false prophecy and counsel were beginning to be shown up hence, uncovered transgressions, and appearing sin, Ezekiel 21:24. This is where the false divination is, the hand of Jehovah is with Nebuchadnezzar.
‘You profane and wicked prince of Israel, whose day has come, whose time of punishment has reached its climax, 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. A ruin! A ruin! I will make it a ruin! The crown will not be restored until he to whom it rightfully belongs shall come; to him I will give it.’ Ezekiel 21:25-27
This concerns the wicked prince of Israel, Zedekiah, Ezekiel 21:25 / Ezekiel 12:10. His description as a profaned, wicked one is an apt one for this weak leader of Judah. His time of punishment is near in this judgement, Ezekiel 21:25. He will be as good as dead when his day of judgment came with the taking of Jerusalem. The removal of the turban and the crown, Ezekiel 21:26 / Exodus 28:37, describes the coming upheaval in the priesthood and the royal family.
Alexander, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The removal of the priesthood and the kingship from Judah were pictured, respectively, in the removal of the high priest’s turban, Exodus 28:4 / Exodus 28:37 / Exodus 28:39 / Exodus 29:6 / Exodus 39:28 / Exodus 39:31 / Leviticus 8:9 / Leviticus 16:4, and the king’s crown, Ezekiel 21:26.’
They are going to be removed and not fully established together until the coming of an individual. Ezekiel 21:27, seems clearly to be a reference to Genesis 49:10, and therefore a Messianic prophecy, Isaiah 2:1-4. So, the kingly authority will be removed from Zedekiah and kept for the Messiah, Psalms 110:2 / Psalms 110:4 / Psalms 72 / Isaiah 9:6 / Jeremiah 23:5 / Jeremiah 33:17 / Zechariah 6:12-13.
Note, Psalm 89. God made a covenant with David, that there would always be a Davidic ruler in Israel. The removal of Zedekiah seemed to break that covenant. For 600 or so years there was no son of David ruling on the throne. This was a punishment on David’s family as had been the division of the kingdom, 1 Kings 11:9-13.
The book of Daniel helped the Jews see that this was so, and that God would rule through the heathen, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. Then the kingdom would be given to a son of David again. This was the kingdom restored to the Jews, the son of David in particular, Daniel 2:36-45 / Micah 3:9-4:8 / Acts 1:6. Jesus of Nazareth took that throne, John 18:33-38 / Acts 17:7.
Alexander, in his commentary, says the following.
‘This was Judah’s only hope in the midst of their current judgment. When Judah would ultimately be purified, then the ‘scepter’ (Messiah) would rule over his people.’
THE JUDGEMENT ON AMMON
‘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! 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. ‘Let the sword return to its sheath. In the place where you were created, in the land of your ancestry, I will judge you. I will pour out my wrath on you and breathe out my fiery anger against you; I will deliver you into the hands of brutal men, men skilled in destruction. 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.’ Ezekiel 21:28-32
Just in case they thought they were getting away with it, God reminds them that the sword wielded by Babylon will come upon them too, Ezekiel 21:28. In 581 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar came against Ammon, Jeremiah 27 / Jeremiah 48-49 / Ezekiel 25:1-7. The sin of the ammonites is here intimated. The reproach that they put on the God of Israel when they triumphed in their afflictions was inhuman, Ezekiel 21:29.
They thought that they were a better people than Israel, being spared when they had been cut off, making them so proud that they even tread on the necks of the Israelites that were slain, Ezekiel 21:29. God resents the indignities and injuries done to His people as done to Himself.
The utter destruction of the Ammonites is threatened. God promised that He will judge the Ammonites with His wrath, and deliver them into the hands of their enemies, Ezekiel 21:30-31. There would be fire and blood everywhere, and the Ammonites would be no more, Ezekiel 21:32.
Taylor, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Their ultimate fate will be worse than Israel’s and worse even than Egypt’s, for they will be no more remembered. To the Semitic mind nothing could be more terrible: no prospect of restoration, no continuance in succeeding generations, no memorial, not even a memory. Oblivion.’
