Page 1145 - The MacArthur Daily Bible

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NOVEMBER 7
Now the word of the LORD came to me,
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6 saying: “Son of man, set your face toward
the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against
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5:1–4 a barber’s razor. The sign in Ezekiel’s them, and say, ‘O mountains of Israel, hear
shaving his hair illustrated the severe humilia- the word of the Lord GOD! Thus says the Lord
tion to come at the hand of enemies, empha- GOD to the mountains, to the hills, to the
sizing calamities to three segments of ravines, and to the valleys: “Indeed I, even I,
Jerusalem due to the Babylonian conquest. will bring a sword against you, and I will
Some were punished by fire, i.e., pestilence destroy your high places. Then your altars
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and famine (v. 12), others died by the enemy’s shall be desolate, your incense altars shall be
sword, and some were dispersed and pursued broken, and I will cast down your slain men
by death (v. 12). A small part of his hair cling- before your idols. And I will lay the corpses of
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ing to his garment (v. 3) depicted a remaining the children of Israel before their idols, and I
remnant, some of whom were subject to fur- will scatter your bones all around your altars.
ther calamity (v. 4; 6:8; Jer. 41–44). 6 In all your dwelling places the cities shall be
laid waste, and the high places shall be deso-
GOD: ‘Indeed I, even I, am against you and will late, so that your altars may be laid waste and
execute judgments in your midst in the sight made desolate, your idols may be broken and
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of the nations. And I will do among you what made to cease, your incense altars may be cut
I have never done, and the like of which I will down, and your works may be abolished. The
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never do again, because of all your abomina- slain shall fall in your midst, and you shall know
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tions. Therefore fathers shall eat their sons that I am the LORD.
in your midst, and sons shall eat their
fathers; and I will execute judgments among
you, and all of you who remain I will scatter
to all the winds.
11 6:7 you shall know that I am the LORD. This
‘Therefore, as I live,’ says the Lord GOD,
‘surely, because you have defiled My sanctu- clause recurs in vv.10,13,14,and 60 times else-
where in the book. It shows that the essential
ary with all your detestable things and with all reason for judgment is the violation of the
your abominations, therefore I will also dimin- character of God. This is repeatedly acknowl-
ish you; My eye will not spare, nor will I have edged in Leviticus 18–26, where the motive
any pity. One-third of you shall die of the for all obedience to God’s law is the fact that
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pestilence, and be consumed with famine in He is the Lord God.
your midst; and one-third shall fall by the
sword all around you; and I will scatter anoth-
er third to all the winds, and I will draw out a 8 “Yet I will leave a remnant, so that you may
sword after them. have some who escape the sword among the
‘Thus shall My anger be spent, and I will nations, when you are scattered through the
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cause My fury to rest upon them, and I will be countries. Then those of you who escape will
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avenged; and they shall know that I, the LORD, remember Me among the nations where they
have spoken it in My zeal, when I have spent are carried captive, because I was crushed by
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My fury upon them. Moreover I will make their adulterous heart which has departed
you a waste and a reproach among the nations from Me, and by their eyes which play the har-
that are all around you, in the sight of all who lot after their idols; they will loathe them-
pass by. selves for the evils which they committed in
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‘So it shall be a reproach, a taunt, a lesson, all their abominations. And they shall know
and an astonishment to the nations that are all that I am the LORD; I have not said in vain that
around you, when I execute judgments among I would bring this calamity upon them.”
you in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes. 11 ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Pound your
I, the LORD, have spoken. When I send fists and stamp your feet, and say, ‘Alas, for all
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against them the terrible arrows of famine the evil abominations of the house of Israel!
which shall be for destruction, which I will For they shall fall by the sword, by famine,
send to destroy you, I will increase the famine and by pestilence. He who is far off shall die
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upon you and cut off your supply of bread. So by the pestilence, he who is near shall fall by
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I will send against you famine and wild beasts, the sword, and he who remains and is
and they will bereave you. Pestilence and blood besieged shall die by the famine. Thus will I
shall pass through you, and I will bring the spend My fury upon them. Then you shall
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sword against you. I, the LORD, have spoken.’ ” know that I am the LORD, when their slain are
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