Sunday: Guilty, Defiled, and Doomed: Ezekiel 22:1-22
In Ezekiel 22:1-12, three grievous sins are named: the shedding of innocent blood, the worship of false gods, and the profaning of that which was sacred (the holy things and the Sabbath). Officials in Jerusalem were accepting bribes, condemning innocent people to death so others could gain their properties. They defiled the temple with false idols, and by worshiping God hypocritically. In Ezekiel 22:9-11, Ezekiel then exposed their immorality. In Ezekiel 22:13-22, God strikes His hands angrily, pronouncing judgment.
Monday: Debased-Deceitful-Disappointing: Ezekiel 22:23-31
All of Judah’s society is shown guilty as the prophet points at the princes (Ezekiel 22:25, 27), the priests (Ezekiel 22:26), the false prophets (Ezekiel 22:28), and the people (Ezekiel 22:29). Why are they guilty? First, they were debased (Ezekiel 22:23-27): sin lowers people to act like beasts (Proverbs 7:21-23). They were also deceitful (Ezekiel 22:28): rather than exposing sin, the religious and political leadership whitewashed it! Third, they were disappointing (Ezekiel 22:30-31): the city would be spared for just one righteous man. There were none.
Tuesday: A Warning Ignored: Ezekiel 23:1-13
For trusting in other nations for their salvation and security, God speaks of two sisters: Oholah (the northern kingdom), and Oholah (the southern kingdom, Judah). Oholah entered into gross sins, and her rejection and ensuing judgment by God stood as testimony to her sister, but Judah ignored the sins of Israel. “Oholah” means “her tent”—the northern kingdom had their own sanctuary and priesthood, and their idols and shrines throughout the land. “Oholibah” means “My tent is in her”—God’s glory still present in the temple in Jerusalem at that time.
Wednesday: More Sin than Samaria: Ezekiel 23:14-21
When “Oholibah” (Judah) witnessed the sins and judgment of “Oholah” (Israel), she should have quickly and fully repented of her terrible sins. What did she do? She sinned even more terribly than her sister! As Israel admired the Assyrian armies that would become their final undoing, so Judah begins to admire and fraternize with the Babylonians (see Hezekiah’s terrible mistake in Isaiah 39). Jehoiakim asked Babylon to help him break Egypt’s power (Ezekiel 23:35-24:7), making Judah a vassal state of Babylon. We must always beware thinking that we will somehow escape deserved judgment.
Thursday: Wrath to Come: Ezekiel 23:22-35
If God has punished the northern kingdom, Israel, for her sins, then Judah must be punished for her even deeper sins. Four oracles are given: (1) God would bring the Babylonians to punish Judah, just as He brought Assyria to punish Israel (Ezekiel 23:22-27); (2) the people were reminded that God’s judgment was just (Ezekiel 23:28-31); (3) the deep cup filled with God’s wrath (Ezekiel 23:32-34); (4) forgetting God (Ezekiel 23:35), leaving Him out of their lives.
Friday: Ending a Delusion: Ezekiel 24:1-14
There would be no relief for Judah. Ezekiel shows the best cuts of meat (Judah) being boiled in a pot (the siege of Jerusalem) with the bones until entirely consumed. The burned mess would be poured out, and then the pot itself burned!
Saturday: Ending a Marriage: Ezekiel 24:15-27
In order to preach this action message, Ezekiel had to see his wife die suddenly, and he was not allowed to show grief over it! He could only groan quietly. This was symbolic of God taking the holy city from the Jews—the loss would be severe.