Ezekiel 22:1

LIST OF JERUSALEM'S CURRENT SINS

Whereas the previous chapter gave a record of the historical apostasies of the nation of Israel, this one focuses upon the sins that Jerusalem was then in the act of committing when Ezekiel delivered this chapter, the tremendous implication being that there could no longer be any hope of God's sparing the "bloody city."

Also, the specific enumeration of so many transgressions, "Gives us a true picture of what Ezekiel means by `sins'."[1]

The chapter naturally falls into three divisions, presenting three oracles, each of which begins with the solemn words: "The word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, Son of man ..." (Ezekiel 22:1,17 and Ezekiel 22:23). Only the first of these is directed against Jerusalem, in the words, `the bloody city,'; and Keil objected to applying the last two oracles to Jerusalem only, because they appear to be addressed against "the house of Israel." Nevertheless, Jerusalem as the capital and final remainder of the whole house of Israel would seem to have been the principal addressee of the whole chapter.

Ezekiel 22:1-5

"Moreover the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, And thou, son of man, wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge the bloody city? then cause her to know all her abominations. And thou shalt say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: A city that sheddeth blood in the midst of her, that her time may come, and that maketh idols against herself to defile her. Thou hast become guilty in the blood that thou hast shed, and art defiled in the idols which thou hast made; and thou hast caused thy days to draw near, and art come even unto thy years: therefore have I made thee a reproach among the nations, and a mocking to all the countries. Those that are near, and those that are far from thee, shall mock thee, thou infamous one, and full of tumult."

"Wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge ...?" (Ezekiel 22:2). The repetition indicates the strong emphasis of the command. The word "judge" here is a reference to an arraignment with a statement of the charges, as in the case of a prosecutor in a law suit. God only, in the strictest sense, is the "judge" of all men.

"The bloody city ..." (Ezekiel 22:2). "This epithet applied here to Jerusalem equates the capital of the Once Chosen People with Nineveh, that infamous whore, the savage lion's den, and corrupt center of heathen abominations,"[2] which God also designated with this same eloquent word of shameful guilt (Nahum 3:1), "the bloody city." Note that Jerusalem has already forfeited all of her glorious names, such as "faithful city, and beloved city."

"That her time may come ..." (Ezekiel 22:3). "This means the time of her retribution, the time when God will judge and punish her."[3] God did not punish either individuals or nations until their "iniquity was full," The meaning of this seems to be that, as long as there was hope of a change, God was always willing to spare the punishment a while longer.

"Thou hast caused thy days to come near, and art come even unto thy years . ..." (Ezekiel 22:4). "Thy days" is a reference to the days of Jerusalem's punishment, and "thy years,' speaks of the years of her captivity.

"I have made thee a reproach among the nations ..." (Ezekiel 22:5). This is a prophecy of what will soon happen, as indicated in the future tense used in the next verse, "Those that are near, and those that are far from thee, shall mock thee."

"Thou infamous one, and full of tumult ..." (Ezekiel 22:5). When any civilization reaches the condition in which the whole land is "full of tumult," "violence," and wholesale bloodshed, the end of it cannot be long delayed. It will be remembered that prior to the Great Deluge, the universal bloodshed and violence were cited as the reason for the destruction of the world in the flood. "And God said, The end of all flesh is before me; for the earth is filled with violence." (Genesis 6:13). The near-universal violence of our own times should be a reason for the most acute concern and apprehension on the part of the leaders of our world. Only God, of course, could know at what point the land "is filled" with violence; but when that point is reached, who can doubt that God will terminate it?

Jerusalem had certainly reached such a point, as indicated here. "Manasseh had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood (2 Kings 21:2-15)."[4]