This chapter talks about two women, Oholah who represents Samaria and Oholibah who represents Jerusalem (v4). Both prostitutes with Egypt and Assyrians. The Lord turned them over to the Babylonian for punishment (v24).

This is how to Lord see His people when they choose to love the world. When we love the world, in the eyes of the Lord, we are prostitutes! The world has many things that entice our lust. These things are sex, power, fame, wealth, and anything that occupy our soul in place of Christ.

We are called to be lovers of our Lord. The church is His bride. But how many Christians choose to be prostitutes of the world, instead of a virgin for the Lord? Which is the better choice? To the Christians who have their spiritual eyes blinded, being a prostitute of the world is what they choose! They love the world, they live like the world live, and they continue to claim that they are Christians, they are children of God. The Lord is deeply sadden by that, in fact, the Lord is anger by that. Just imagine your wife choosed to prostitute with other men, how would you feel? That is how the Lord feel, only thousand times greater, because He loves us many times more than we love our wife. He died for us. How many of us have died for our wife? The Lord loves us. He desires us to love Him back.

God’s people, come back to the Lord. He will purify you and let you be a virgin again, reserved for Him only.

Everybody love peace. Even if he is an evil person like Hitler, who liked destruction for others, but he still like peace for himself. Therefore a message of peace is a very welcome message. You almost cannot go wrong to preach on the message of peace, if you want to please the listeners.

However, God denounced the false prophets in Israel that they were preaching the message of peace, when there is no peace (v10). They were lying to God’s people, who unfortunately were very keen on listening to lies like this (v19), a lie of peace. They claimed that they saw vision of peace for Jerusalem when there was no peace (v16).

These are false prophets. They prophesy out of their own imagination (v2) and followed their own spirit (v3). Their visions are false and their divinations a lie (v6).

The lie continues till today. There are many false preachers who only preach on the message of peace, they never talked about sins, repentance, or the cross. They preach about prosperity, blessings, things that are pleasing to the ears. Many people like these messages, they are attracted to the false message of peace, while living a sinful lifestyle.

Don’t get me wrong. I believe in peace. The Lord told us He has given peace to those who put their faith on Him. However the peace is not the same as the peace given by the world (John 14:27). We are warned not to be like the false prophets of Israel, who preached peace when there was no peace. We are not to preach peace only but omit messages about sanctify life, holy living, the cross, repentance, the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and judgement.

Their eyes have lusted after their idols

God would punish Israel with sword, famine and plague (v11) because their eyes have lusted after their idols (v10). God love them, and desire them to love Him back. He wanted them to know He is Yahweh, the God who rescue them out of Egypt.  Any other gods are idols.

Now examine ourselves, in which area in our life where our eyes are lusting after our idols? Are we trying to satisfy our soul by lusting after of the world?

“When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus” (Matt 17:8). Let’s turn our eyes away from our idols, and look up to Jesus and Jesus only. There is no way to know Jesus if we spend our time and our thought lusting after the world. Come to Him today, He alone will truly satisfy all our deepest, inner needs.

Where is Christ in Ezekiel 4?

I was searching for my Lord Jesus in Ezekiel 4. I couldn’t find Him. It were some weird stuffs that God asked Ezekiel to do. To lay down, bare arm, on his left side, tied up with robes, for 390 days! Ezekiel was given food and drink, however not a a whole lot, just 20 shekels of grains, which is about 8 ounces and a hin of water, which is about 0.6 liter everyday. The food is not bad really, multi-grain bread. However, he needs to bake the multi-grain bread with human excrement! What was God thinking? I didn’t get it. Ezekiel might be thinking whose dung should I use? My own or someone else?

And then Ezekiel bargained with God, and God had mercy, and allowed him to use cow manure! Is it better or worse then human excrement? You be the judged. I am not sure.

I am still searching for Christ, and I couldn’t find Him.

Why did God ask Ezekiel to do go through this? It was because of the sins of His people, one day for each year, for a total of 390 days for Israel and 40 days for Judah. Ezekiel had to go through this for other people sins? It is not fair! He had never had defiled food in his life, and now he had to eat cow manure baked multi-grain bread for 430 days!

And then, suddenly I get it. I found Jesus! Ezekiel is a type of Christ! Ezekiel bore the sin of the house of Israel (4:5), it is a symbol of our Lord Jesus who bore the sins of this world! Jesus was innocent, He had never sins, just like Ezekiel never had defiled food. And God told Jesus, go to the Cross I have prepared for You, to bear the sins of mankind. To redeem mankind from sins, and give them new hope, give them your life. It is not fair to the Lord Jesus, to bear the sins of mankind!

I praise You Lord Jesus, for You and You alone are worthy of all praises! You bore my sins on the Cross, Your blood has purified me from all sins (1 John 1:7). You had never been defiled, You are Holy, You are righteous, and You are completely obedience to God the Father. Thank you for Your love, I praise You.

Key Theme

Showing reverence for the name and glory of God

Key verse: 6:7

“… you will know that I am the LORD”.

This verse appears 70 times in Ezekiel

Outline of the book

1. The prophets call (ch 1-3)
   1. Seeing God’s glory (1)
   2. Hearing God’s word (2)
   3. Becoming God’s watchman (3)
2. The fall of Jerusalem (ch 4-24)
   1. The judgment predicted (4-7)
   2. God’s glory departs (8-11)
   3. Godless leaders exposes (12-17)
   4. God’s justice defended (18-21)
   5. The end of the city (22-24)
3. The nations judged (ch 25-32)
   1. Ammon
   2. Moab
   3. Edom
   4. Philistia
   5. Tyre
   6. Sidon
   7. Egypt
4. The glorious Future of Israel (33-48)
   1. The city of Jerusalem restored (33-34)
   2. The land of Israel renewed (35-36)
   3. The nation of Israel resurrected and reunited (37-39)
   4. The temple and the priesthood reestablished (40-48)