Ezekiel 20:5-9

Israel’s rebellion in Egypt and God’s grace 20:5-9

The Lord’s history lesson for these elders described Israel in four successive periods: in Egypt (Ezekiel 20:5-9), in the wilderness (Ezekiel 20:10-26), in the Promised Land (Ezekiel 20:27-29), and in the present time (Ezekiel 20:30-38). What the Lord said about Israel’s history in each of these four periods is quite similar. God had been good to His people, but they had rebelled against Him. Consequently judgment followed, but God had also extended His grace. The Lord then repeated the last two points in His summary of each historical period. Psalms 106 contains a similar review of Israel’s history, and Ezekiel 16, 23 describe Israel’s history metaphorically.