seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Ezekiel 21:1 [a]The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, set your face against Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuary. Prophesy against the land of Israel 3 and say to her: ‘This is what the Lord says: I am against you. I will draw my sword from its sheath and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked. 4 Because I am going to cut off the righteous and the wicked, my sword will be unsheathed against everyone from south to north. 5 Then all people will know that I the Lord have drawn my sword from its sheath; it will not return again.’
6 “Therefore groan, son of man! Groan before them with broken heart and bitter grief. 7 And when they ask you, ‘Why are you groaning?’ you shall say, ‘Because of the news that is coming. Every heart will melt with fear and every hand go limp; every spirit will become faint and every leg will be wet with urine.’ It is coming! It will surely take place, declares the Sovereign Lord.”
8 The word of the Lord came to me: 9 “Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Lord says:
“‘A sword, a sword,
sharpened and polished—
10 sharpened for the slaughter,
polished to flash like lightning!
sharpened and polished—
10 sharpened for the slaughter,
polished to flash like lightning!
“‘Shall we rejoice in the scepter of my royal son? The sword despises every such stick.
11 “‘The sword is appointed to be polished,
to be grasped with the hand;
it is sharpened and polished,
made ready for the hand of the slayer.
12 Cry out and wail, son of man,
for it is against my people;
it is against all the princes of Israel.
They are thrown to the sword
along with my people.
Therefore beat your breast.
to be grasped with the hand;
it is sharpened and polished,
made ready for the hand of the slayer.
12 Cry out and wail, son of man,
for it is against my people;
it is against all the princes of Israel.
They are thrown to the sword
along with my people.
Therefore beat your breast.
13 “‘Testing will surely come. And what if even the scepter, which the sword despises, does not continue? declares the Sovereign Lord.’
14 “So then, son of man, prophesy
and strike your hands together.
Let the sword strike twice,
even three times.
It is a sword for slaughter—
a sword for great slaughter,
closing in on them from every side.
15 So that hearts may melt with fear
and the fallen be many,
I have stationed the sword for slaughter[b]
at all their gates.
Look! It is forged to strike like lightning,
it is grasped for slaughter.
16 Slash to the right, you sword,
then to the left,
wherever your blade is turned.
17 I too will strike my hands together,
and my wrath will subside.
I the Lord have spoken.”
and strike your hands together.
Let the sword strike twice,
even three times.
It is a sword for slaughter—
a sword for great slaughter,
closing in on them from every side.
15 So that hearts may melt with fear
and the fallen be many,
I have stationed the sword for slaughter[b]
at all their gates.
Look! It is forged to strike like lightning,
it is grasped for slaughter.
16 Slash to the right, you sword,
then to the left,
wherever your blade is turned.
17 I too will strike my hands together,
and my wrath will subside.
I the Lord have spoken.”
18 The word of the Lord came to me: 19 “Son of man, mark out two roads for the sword of the king of Babylon to take, both starting from the same country. Make a signpost where the road branches off to the city. 20 Mark out one road for the sword to come against Rabbah of the Ammonites and another against Judah and fortified Jerusalem. 21 For the king of Babylon will stop at the fork in the road, at the junction of the two roads, to seek an omen: He will cast lots with arrows, he will consult his idols, he will examine the liver. 22 Into his right hand will come the lot for Jerusalem, where he is to set up battering rams, to give the command to slaughter, to sound the battle cry, to set battering rams against the gates, to build a ramp and to erect siege works. 23 It will seem like a false omen to those who have sworn allegiance to him, but he will remind them of their guilt and take them captive.
24 “Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘Because you people have brought to mind your guilt by your open rebellion, revealing your sins in all that you do—because you have done this, you will be taken captive.
25 “‘You profane and wicked prince of Israel, whose day has come, whose time of punishment has reached its climax, 26 this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Take off the turban, remove the crown. It will not be as it was: The lowly will be exalted and the exalted will be brought low. 27 A ruin! A ruin! I will make it a ruin! The crown will not be restored until he to whom it rightfully belongs shall come; to him I will give it.’
28 “And you, son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says about the Ammonites and their insults:
“‘A sword, a sword,
drawn for the slaughter,
polished to consume
and to flash like lightning!
29 Despite false visions concerning you
and lying divinations about you,
it will be laid on the necks
of the wicked who are to be slain,
whose day has come,
whose time of punishment has reached its climax.
drawn for the slaughter,
polished to consume
and to flash like lightning!
29 Despite false visions concerning you
and lying divinations about you,
it will be laid on the necks
of the wicked who are to be slain,
whose day has come,
whose time of punishment has reached its climax.
30 “‘Let the sword return to its sheath.
In the place where you were created,
in the land of your ancestry,
I will judge you.
31 I will pour out my wrath on you
and breathe out my fiery anger against you;
I will deliver you into the hands of brutal men,
men skilled in destruction.
32 You will be fuel for the fire,
your blood will be shed in your land,
you will be remembered no more;
for I the Lord have spoken.’”
In the place where you were created,
in the land of your ancestry,
I will judge you.
31 I will pour out my wrath on you
and breathe out my fiery anger against you;
I will deliver you into the hands of brutal men,
men skilled in destruction.
32 You will be fuel for the fire,
your blood will be shed in your land,
you will be remembered no more;
for I the Lord have spoken.’”
a. Ezekiel 21:1 In Hebrew texts 21:1-32 is numbered 21:6-37.
b. Ezekiel 21:15 Septuagint; the meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain
This is from the easy English site.
Ezekiel drew a map. On it, he showed a road from Babylon. On the map, Ezekiel divided the road into two. The road from Babylon came to a town called Riblah. From there, one road led south-east to Rabbath. This was the chief city in Ammon. The other road led south-west to Jerusalem, the chief city in Judah.
The king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, would come to the place where the road divides. Judah and Ammon had together turned against the rule of Babylon. This happened in the years 593 to 589 BC. That is why Nebuchadnezzar would come with his army. Then he had to decide which city to attack first.
To help him decide, Nebuchadnezzar used three kinds of magic. He shook arrows. Each arrow would have the name of one of these cities on it. Someone would shake the holder that contained the arrows. The first arrow to fall out of the holder would give the answer. Next, he asked his false gods. The priests of the gods had to give him an answer. The third method was to look at the inner parts of a dead animal. The colour and the pattern on these parts gave the answer.
God does not approve of any of these means. But he made them all agree with his decision. God would bring Nebuchadnezzar to fight against Jerusalem. Nebuchadnezzar would act as the sword of God.
The choice of God was Jerusalem. So, King Nebuchadnezzar would attack Jerusalem.
The people in Jerusalem did not believe that this would happen. They had an agreement with God. So, they thought that he would not do this to them. But that agreement ordered them to obey God. If they did not obey God, then this would be the result. And they were not obeying God. Instead, they were actually opposing God.
They also had an agreement with the king of Babylon. But they had not been loyal to him. Then they asked other nations to help them. But these nations did not do so.
The people had not believed the word of their God. Their sins were so great. Everyone could see how bad Judah was. Now God would punish them by means of Nebuchadnezzar. He would defeat them and many of them would die.
The wicked prince of Israel was Zedekiah. The enemy would end his rule in the year 586 BC. ‘Remove the head cover of the priest and the crown of the prince.’ The chief priest would not serve God or the people. There would not be a king in Judah. Until the Messiah comes, no man will have the right to wear the head cover or the crown. The Messiah will be the priest and king of *Israel.
God had sent Nebuchadnezzar to attack Jerusalem first. The Ammonites thought that Nebuchadnezzar had decided not to attack them. So, they helped in the defeat of Judah. They laughed at the people from Judah. And the Ammonites insulted the people from Judah. The Ammonites were happy at the defeat of Jerusalem. Their own prophets had false visions of hope for them. But in time, God would destroy Ammon. And their nation would end completely.
Enduringword.com has a pretty good description of the sign post.Appoint for yourself two ways for the sword of the king of Babylon to go: In a vivid description, God explained to Ezekiel that the sword of the king of Babylon – his army used as the instrument of God’s judgment – stood at a crossroads, deciding to next go to either Rabbah of the Ammonites or to Judah, into fortified Jerusalem.
Make a sign: “The use of yad (lit. “hand”) for signpost suggests a roadsign on which is carved the form of a hand with fingers pointing in the direction specified.” (Block)
Rabbah of the Ammonites: “In Greco-Roman times Rabbath was called Philadelphia; it is the modern Amman in Transjordan, the Old Testament Rabbath-Ammon.” (Feinberg)
I can just see that sign post.... and I can almost hear those Ammonites laughing. I've told it before.... there was a strict rule in our house when I was growing up..... when someone else was getting a spanking..... no one was supposed to laugh. Now sometimes I couldn't help it.... I think my mom knew that..... but I got the spanking anyway.... I think it was a plot.....
Anyway when one of my sisters would get a spanking.... she would hop around trying to avoid the hand, switch, or belt..... it was hilarious to watch. I couldn't help but laugh. It was never worth the spanking I got.... because as soon as I laughed I had to take the rest of her licks and a few for laughing.... but I couldn't help it.
God knew that when He let His temper loose..... there was literally going to be hell to pay. The only laughter He should hear is nervous laughter.... which would only require a sideways glance to halt. God knew those Ammonites would laugh. He controls time.... He knew how all this was going to turn out.... and He's the one who sent the Babylonians from Judah to Ammon to take them out for laughing.
I need a refresher here...... The Ammonites came from Lot's side of the family. Lot was Noah's cousin... who lived in Sodom.... lost his wife in the escape and hid in a cave with his daughters after Sodom was destroyed. While they were hiding in that cave.... Lot's daughters came up with the idea that their father was the only man left alive on earth.... so they got him drunk and well.... Ben-Ammi was born and from little Benny came the Ammonites..... Genesis 19:37-38.
