Ezekiel 20:30 Study Bible: "Therefore tell the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Do you pollute yourselves in the way of your fathers? And do you play the prostitute after their abominations?

◄ Ezekiel 20:30 ►

Therefore tell the house of Israel that this is what the Lord GOD says: Will you defile yourselves the way your fathers did, prostituting yourselves with their abominations?

Study Bible

Therefore say to the house of Israel
This phrase begins with a directive from God to the prophet Ezekiel. The word "Therefore" connects this message to the preceding verses, where God recounts Israel's history of rebellion. The "house of Israel" refers to the collective people of Israel, emphasizing their identity as God's chosen people. Historically, this phrase underscores the covenant relationship between God and Israel, reminding them of their unique calling and responsibilities.

This is what the Lord GOD says
The phrase establishes the authority of the message. "The Lord GOD" is a translation of the Hebrew "Adonai Yahweh," signifying God's supreme authority and covenantal name. This introduction is a common prophetic formula, ensuring that the message is not Ezekiel's own but divinely inspired. It serves as a reminder of God's sovereignty and His right to judge and instruct His people.

Will you defile yourselves
The term "defile" in Hebrew is "ṭāmē," which means to make unclean or impure. In the context of Israel's history, defilement often referred to idolatry and the adoption of pagan practices. This rhetorical question challenges the Israelites to reflect on their actions and the spiritual consequences of turning away from God. It calls them to consider the holiness required by their covenant with God.

the way your fathers did
This phrase points to the generational sins of Israel. The "fathers" refers to the ancestors of the Israelites who repeatedly fell into idolatry and disobedience. By highlighting the past, God is urging the current generation to learn from history and break the cycle of rebellion. It serves as a warning and a call to repentance, emphasizing the importance of faithfulness to God's commands.

and lust after their abominations?
"Lust" in this context is a strong desire or craving, often associated with idolatry and moral corruption. The "abominations" refer to detestable practices, particularly those related to idol worship and pagan rituals. In the Hebrew context, these abominations were not just offensive to God but also destructive to the community's spiritual and moral fabric. This phrase challenges the Israelites to examine their hearts and desires, urging them to turn away from anything that leads them away from God.

Persons / Places / Events

1. Ezekiel
A prophet during the Babylonian exile, tasked with delivering God's messages to the Israelites.

2. House of Israel
Refers to the collective people of Israel, who are being addressed by God through Ezekiel.

3. God (Yahweh)
The sovereign Lord who speaks through Ezekiel, calling His people to account for their actions.

4. Fathers/Ancestors
The previous generations of Israelites who engaged in idolatry and disobedience.

5. Abominations
Refers to the idolatrous practices and sins that the Israelites' ancestors committed, which were detestable to God.

Teaching Points

The Danger of Idolatry
Idolatry is not just the worship of physical idols but can also be anything that takes the place of God in our lives. We must examine our hearts for modern-day idols.

Learning from the Past
The history of Israel serves as a warning. We should learn from their mistakes and strive to remain faithful to God.

God's Call to Repentance
God continually calls His people to turn away from sin and return to Him. Repentance is a crucial step in restoring our relationship with God.

Generational Influence
The actions of one generation can impact the next. We must be mindful of the legacy we leave for future generations.

Faithfulness in Worship
True worship involves a heart fully devoted to God, free from the contamination of worldly practices and beliefs.

Bible Study Questions

1. What are some modern-day "abominations" or idols that can distract us from our relationship with God?

2. How can we ensure that we are learning from the mistakes of past generations, both biblically and in our own family histories?

3. In what ways does God call us to repentance today, and how can we respond to that call?

4. How can we guard against the influence of cultural practices that are contrary to our faith?

5. What steps can we take to ensure that our worship remains pure and focused solely on God?

Connections to Other Scriptures

Exodus 20:3-5
The commandment against idolatry, which the Israelites repeatedly violated, leading to God's judgment.

Jeremiah 7:9-10
Highlights the hypocrisy of the Israelites who engaged in idolatry yet claimed to worship God.

1 Corinthians 10:6-11
Paul warns the Corinthians by using the Israelites' history as an example of what not to do, emphasizing the consequences of idolatry and disobedience.

Psalm 106:35-39
Describes the Israelites' mingling with other nations and adopting their idolatrous practices, leading to their downfall.

Sermons

Unacceptable Prayer	J.D. Davies	Ezekiel 20:1-32
The Memory of Offences in the Land of Promise	J.R. Thomson	Ezekiel 20:27-31
God, and Israel in the Then Present	W. Jones	Ezekiel 20:30-32

People

Ezekiel, Israelites, Jacob, Teman

Places

Babylon, Bamah, Egypt, Negeb

Topics

Abominations, Astray, A-whoring, Cause, Commit, Deeds, Defile, Defiled, Detestable, Disgusting, Fathers, Fornication, Harlot, Images, Lewd, Lust, Making, Manner, Play, Pollute, Polluted, Prostitute, Says, Thus, Unclean, Untrue, Vile, Wherefore, Whoredom, Works, Yourselves

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Ezekiel 20:30

6103 abomination
6200 imperfection, influence

Ezekiel 20:1-44

     5325   gifts
     8128   guidance, receiving
     8648   enquiring of God

Ezekiel 20:30-38

8345 servanthood, and worship

Library

Ten Reasons Demonstrating the Commandment of the Sabbath to be Moral.
1. Because all the reasons of this commandment are moral and perpetual; and God has bound us to the obedience of this commandment with more forcible reasons than to any of the rest--First, because he foresaw that irreligious men would either more carelessly neglect, or more boldly break this commandment than any other; secondly, because that in the practice of this commandment the keeping of all the other consists; which makes God so often complain that all his worship is neglected or overthrown, …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

Manner of Covenanting.
Previous to an examination of the manner of engaging in the exercise of Covenanting, the consideration of God's procedure towards his people while performing the service seems to claim regard. Of the manner in which the great Supreme as God acts, as well as of Himself, our knowledge is limited. Yet though even of the effects on creatures of His doings we know little, we have reason to rejoice that, in His word He has informed us, and in His providence illustrated by that word, he has given us to …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Tithing
There are few subjects on which the Lord's own people are more astray than on the subject of giving. They profess to take the Bible as their own rule of faith and practice, and yet in the matter of Christian finance, the vast majority have utterly ignored its plain teachings and have tried every substitute the carnal mind could devise; therefore it is no wonder that the majority of Christian enterprises in the world today are handicapped and crippled through the lack of funds. Is our giving to be …
Arthur W. Pink—Tithing

Questions About the Nature and Perpetuity of the Seventh-Day Sabbath.
AND PROOF, THAT THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK IS THE TRUE CHRISTIAN SABBATH. BY JOHN BUNYAN. 'The Son of man is lord also of the Sabbath day.' London: Printed for Nath, Ponder, at the Peacock in the Poultry, 1685. EDITOR'S ADVERTISEMENT. All our inquiries into divine commands are required to be made personally, solemnly, prayerful. To 'prove all things,' and 'hold fast' and obey 'that which is good,' is a precept, equally binding upon the clown, as it is upon the philosopher. Satisfied from our observations …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Covenanting Sanctioned by the Divine Example.
God's procedure when imitable forms a peculiar argument for duty. That is made known for many reasons; among which must stand this,--that it may be observed and followed as an example. That, being perfect, is a safe and necessary pattern to follow. The law of God proclaims what he wills men as well as angels to do. The purposes of God show what he has resolved to have accomplished. The constitutions of his moral subjects intimate that he has provided that his will shall be voluntarily accomplished …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

The Old Testament Canon from Its Beginning to Its Close.
The first important part of the Old Testament put together as a whole was the Pentateuch, or rather, the five books of Moses and Joshua. This was preceded by smaller documents, which one or more redactors embodied in it. The earliest things committed to writing were probably the ten words proceeding from Moses himself, afterwards enlarged into the ten commandments which exist at present in two recensions (Exod. xx., Deut. v.) It is true that we have the oldest form of the decalogue from the Jehovist …
Samuel Davidson—The Canon of the Bible

A Sermon on Isaiah xxvi. By John Knox.
[In the Prospectus of our Publication it was stated, that one discourse, at least, would be given in each number. A strict adherence to this arrangement, however, it is found, would exclude from our pages some of the most talented discourses of our early Divines; and it is therefore deemed expedient to depart from it as occasion may require. The following Sermon will occupy two numbers, and we hope, that from its intrinsic value, its historical interest, and the illustrious name of its author, it …
John Knox—The Pulpit Of The Reformation, Nos. 1, 2 and 3.

The Covenant of Works
Q-12: I proceed to the next question, WHAT SPECIAL ACT OF PROVIDENCE DID GOD EXERCISE TOWARDS MAN IN THE ESTATE WHEREIN HE WAS CREATED? A: When God had created man, he entered into a covenant of life with him upon condition of perfect obedience, forbidding him to eat of the tree of knowledge upon pain of death. For this, consult with Gen 2:16, 17: And the Lord commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Ezekiel
To a modern taste, Ezekiel does not appeal anything like so powerfully as Isaiah or Jeremiah. He has neither the majesty of the one nor the tenderness and passion of the other. There is much in him that is fantastic, and much that is ritualistic. His imaginations border sometimes on the grotesque and sometimes on the mechanical. Yet he is a historical figure of the first importance; it was very largely from him that Judaism received the ecclesiastical impulse by which for centuries it was powerfully …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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