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The message of Ezekiel 14

God has directed my attention to Ezekiel 14, an interesting passage which, for various reasons, is largely ignored in churches.

In the past, I have expounded on the first half of this chapter, which tells us that if people inquire of God with idols in their hearts, God will answer them according to their idols. In other words, if men already have decided upon a belief or course of action before inquiring to know what God thinks, then God may well give them the desire of their heart so that they will stumble and fall.

We must learn the art of asking the right questions. It is alright to ponder various questions and even to come to one’s own conclusion before inquiring of God, but if we do so, we must be careful to view our conclusions as mere opinion that may or may not need divine correction. It is often our assumptions that get us into trouble.

The Problem at Gibeah

Recall the story from Judges 18-21. The sin of Gibeah, a town of the tribe of Benjamin, was very real, and the people from the other tribes were rightly incensed that the sin might go unpunished. The tribe of Benjamin rallied to defend the town of Gibeah instead of dispensing justice against its sinners. The result was a civil war.

While most people focus upon the sin of Gibeah, another problem arose. Judges 20:8, 9, 10 says,

⁸ Then all the people arose as one man, saying, “Not one of us will go to his tent, nor will any of us return to his house. ⁹ But now this is the thing which we will do to Gibeah; we will go up against it by lot, ¹⁰ … that they may punish them for all the disgraceful acts that they have committed in Israel.”

Only later did the Israelites inquire of God about the situation. Judges 20:18 says,

¹⁸ Now the sons of Israel arose, went up to Bethel, and inquired of God and said, “Who shall go up FIRST for us to battle against the sons of Benjamin?” Then the Lord said, “Judah shall go up first.”

It seemed right to them to inquire at Bethel (“house of God”). However, they inquired under the assumption that they were to declare war on Benjamin. They forgot to ask God first if they ought to go to war at all. Instead, they asked “who shall go up first?” In other words, who should be the first to fight the battle against the tribe of Benjamin?

God then answered their question: “Judah shall go up first.” The result was that Judah was badly beaten, losing 22,000 men in battle. The people were confused, because they assumed Judah would win the battle—having received specific instructions from God. At this point, they asked the right question in verse 23, “Shall we again draw near for battle against the sons of my brother Benjamin? And the Lord said, “Go up against him.”

Although they asked the right question this time, the war had already begun, and the people had to live with their previous decision. In the second battle, another 18,000 men of Judah died. It was only then that the people asked the right question with the proper heart attitude.

Judges 20:28 says,

²⁸ and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, Aaron’s son, stood before it [the ark at Bethel] to minister in those days, saying, “Shall I yet again go out to battle against the sons of my brother Benjamin, or shall I cease?” And the Lord said, “Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand.”

Here they finally posed the question in a way that they no longer assumed that they should go to war. They had calmed down enough to hear a word that might contradict their assumptions.

God tends to judge the judges before he judges the sinner. The main reason, I believe, is that judges must judge righteously and without bias, rendering their judgments according to the mind of God. They cannot judge by their own assumptions or their own ideas (traditions of men). The standard of righteousness set forth in the law is the very nature of God Himself.

In the above case, it appears that the tribe of Judah was the most zealous of the tribes, taking a leadership role in judging Benjamin. Hence, God brought judgment upon Judah first. We see that 40,000 men died because the heart of the tribe of Judah needed correction.

To put it in Ezekiel’s terms, the leaders of Judah had come with idols in their hearts to inquire of God, so He answered them accordingly. That is why Jesus said in Matthew 7:1, 2,

¹ Do not judge so that you will not be judged. ² For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.

This warning was not to eliminate all judging, for “do you not know that the saints will judge the world?” (1 Corinthians 6:2). Yet they must eliminate heart idols in order to judge righteously. Otherwise, they will judge by some standard of measure that falls short of God’s nature, and they themselves will be judged by that same standard.

This principle is found in the law of equal weights and measures in Leviticus 19:35, 36,

³⁵ You shall do no wrong in judgment, in measurement of weight, or capacity. ³⁶ You shall have just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin…

We cannot judge others by one standard and ourselves by another.

The “elders of Israel” came to the prophet with idols in their hearts. God answered accordingly. God explained the underlying principle of equal weights and measures in Ezekiel 14:8,

⁸ I will set My face against that man and make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from among My people…

The passage goes on to say that God will lead the people into destruction, even as they think that they are following the word of the Lord. This had already occurred some years earlier in the days of King Ahab of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah (1 Kings 22). It happened again in Ezekiel’s time.

God’s Four Great Judgments

The last half of Ezekiel 14 shows how God judged the Israelites. We are given a list of “My four severe judgments against Jerusalem: sword, famine, wild beasts, and plague” (Ezekiel 14:21). In each case, God says, even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in the land, “they could only deliver themselves” (Ezekiel 14:14). The country itself would be judged.

The first great judgment is famine, which, in Ezekiel 14:13, means that God will “destroy its supply of bread.” In the past year, we have seen close to 100 food processing plants destroyed in America. The latest is a flour mill that was destroyed in Oregon.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/fire-burns-through-pendleton-flour-mills/ar-AA10wBHN

It appears that the rulers of Babylon are trying to create food shortages in America. The extent to which they will succeed is yet unknown, but the coming move of the Holy Spirit will cause them to fail in the end.

The second great judgment is wild beasts, which, in Ezekiel 14:15, is a depopulation program. Beasts are not only literal animals but also metaphors for those who live by the carnal mind, the “old man” of Paul’s theology. Hence, the four empires in Daniel 7 are pictured as beasts. In the past century, due to the Laodicean church’s mindset (Revelation 3:15-18), this judgment has been released upon us through wars, abortions, and Big Pharma’s drugs and vaccines.

The third great judgment is a sword, which, in Ezekiel 14:17, speaks of war. Because the world and even large portions of the church, have rejected the sword of God’s word (Ephesians 6:17), God has unleashed the sword of war against us.

The fourth great judgment is a plague, which, in Ezekiel 14:19, is a judgment “in blood.” There are many types of plagues, of course, but in today’s world that plague is the covid-19 genetic experiment mislabeled a “vaccine.” It is a plague on one’s blood, because it creates spike proteins that can kill people—especially athletes and others who exercise strenuously.

Survivors Promised

In Ezekiel 14:22, God promises that we will not destroy ourselves completely.

²² Yet, behold, survivors [peleta, “escapees”] will be left in it who will be brought out, both sons and daughters. Behold, they are going to come forth to you, and you will see their conduct and actions; then you will be comforted for the calamity which I have brought against Jerusalem for everything which I have brought upon it.

 These survivors “will be comforted” (nacham). This is a reference to the great “Comforter,” the Holy Spirit, which will be given to them in the day that God comforts His people (Isaiah 40:1).

These survivors, then, are an extension of the threesome company of Noah, Daniel, and Job—the righteous ones who will escape the judgment while the country as a whole is devastated. It is clear that these three are just righteous examples who represent a larger body who share their faith and who disagree with the corruption and lawlessness of the people around them.

These four great judgments are directed at the country, but not against YOU.