Ezekiel 20:16 Study Bible: because they rejected my ordinances, and didn't walk in my statutes, and profaned my Sabbaths: for their heart went after their idols.

◄ Ezekiel 20:16 ►

because they kept rejecting My ordinances, refusing to walk in My statutes, and profaning My Sabbaths; for their hearts continually went after their idols.

Study Bible

because they rejected My ordinances
The Hebrew word for "rejected" is "מאסו" (ma'asu), which conveys a strong sense of despising or casting away. This rejection is not merely passive but an active decision to turn away from God's established laws. In the historical context, the Israelites were given ordinances as a covenantal framework to live by, reflecting God's holiness and justice. Their rejection signifies a breach of this covenant, highlighting a deep-seated rebellion against divine authority. This phrase serves as a reminder of the importance of valuing and adhering to God's commands as expressions of His will and character.

refused to walk in My statutes
The term "refused" in Hebrew is "לא אבו" (lo avu), indicating a deliberate unwillingness or stubbornness. "Walk" (הלך, halak) is often used metaphorically in the Bible to describe one's conduct or way of life. "Statutes" (חקותי, chukotai) refers to decrees or laws that are meant to guide the moral and spiritual life of the community. The refusal to walk in God's statutes suggests a conscious choice to live contrary to His guidance, reflecting a heart that is resistant to divine instruction. This phrase underscores the necessity of aligning one's life with God's statutes to maintain a relationship with Him.

and profaned My Sabbaths
The word "profaned" comes from the Hebrew "חללו" (chalalu), meaning to defile or treat something sacred with irreverence. The Sabbath was a sign of the covenant between God and Israel, a day set apart for rest and worship. By profaning the Sabbath, the Israelites were not only breaking a commandment but also disregarding the sanctity of their relationship with God. This act of desecration reveals a deeper spiritual malaise, where the sacred is treated as common. The phrase calls believers to honor the Sabbath as a time to renew their commitment to God and to rest in His presence.

For their hearts continually went after their idols
The "heart" (לב, lev) in Hebrew culture is the center of one's being, encompassing mind, will, and emotions. The phrase "continually went after" suggests a persistent and habitual pursuit. "Idols" (גלוליהם, giluleihem) are not just physical objects but represent anything that takes the place of God in one's life. Historically, Israel's idolatry was a recurring issue, leading them away from the true worship of Yahweh. This phrase highlights the danger of allowing anything to capture our hearts more than God, urging believers to examine their own lives for modern-day idols that may hinder their relationship with Him.

Persons / Places / Events

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

2. Israelites
The people of God who were in rebellion against Him, leading to their exile.

3. Babylonian Exile
The period when the Israelites were taken captive by Babylon as a consequence of their disobedience.

4. God's Ordinances and Statutes
The laws and commands given by God to guide the Israelites in righteous living.

5. Idolatry
The worship of idols, which was a significant sin among the Israelites, leading them away from God.

Teaching Points

The Importance of Obedience
God's ordinances and statutes are given for our benefit and protection. Disobedience leads to spiritual and sometimes physical consequences.

The Sacredness of the Sabbath
Observing the Sabbath is a sign of our covenant with God and a reminder of His creation and redemption.

Guarding Our Hearts Against Idolatry
Idolatry is not just the worship of physical idols but can be anything that takes precedence over God in our lives.

The Consequences of Rebellion
The Israelites' exile serves as a warning of the consequences of turning away from God.

The Call to Repentance
Despite their rebellion, God continually calls His people to return to Him, offering forgiveness and restoration.

Bible Study Questions

1. What are some modern-day "idols" that can distract us from following God's statutes, and how can we guard against them?

2. How can we practically observe the Sabbath in today's fast-paced world, and why is it important to do so?

3. In what ways can we ensure that our hearts are aligned with God's ordinances rather than our own desires?

4. Reflect on a time when disobedience to God's commands led to negative consequences in your life. What did you learn from that experience?

5. How can the account of the Israelites' rebellion and exile serve as a lesson for us in our personal walk with God?

Connections to Other Scriptures

Exodus 20:8-11
This passage provides the commandment to keep the Sabbath holy, which the Israelites profaned, as mentioned in Ezekiel 20:16.

Deuteronomy 5:32-33
These verses emphasize the importance of walking in God's statutes, which the Israelites refused to do.

Jeremiah 7:23-24
This passage highlights the Israelites' disobedience and their tendency to follow their own hearts rather than God's commands.

Psalm 106:35-39
These verses recount the Israelites' idolatry and its consequences, similar to the issues addressed in Ezekiel 20:16.

Sermons

Unacceptable Prayer	J.D. Davies	Ezekiel 20:1-32
The Memory of the Wilderness of Sinai	J.R. Thomson	Ezekiel 20:10-17
God, and Israel in the Wilderness	W. Jones	Ezekiel 20:10-26

People

Ezekiel, Israelites, Jacob, Teman

Places

Babylon, Bamah, Egypt, Negeb

Topics

Continually, Decrees, Desecrated, Despised, Devoted, Didn't, Follow, Guided, Heart, Hearts, Idols, Images, Judgments, Kick, Laws, Orders, Ordinances, Polluted, Profaned, Rejected, Respect, Rules, Sabbaths, Statutes, Walk, Walked

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Ezekiel 20:16

6231 rejection of God

Ezekiel 20:1-44

5764 attitudes, negative to God

Ezekiel 20:15-17

1055 God, grace and mercy

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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