Major Prophets · Chapter 22 of 48

Ezekiel 22

God indicts Jerusalem as the bloody city, cataloguing her crimes: bloodshed, idolatry, contempt for parents, oppression of the stranger, fatherless, and widow, profaned sabbaths, extortion, and sexual sin. Prophets, priests, princes, and people all share the guilt. God will melt them in the furnace of judgment. Most poignantly, he sought a man to stand in the gap and found none, so his indignation is poured out.

What happens in Ezekiel 22

The word comes three times in this chapter. First God tells Ezekiel to confront the bloody city with her abominations: shedding blood, making idols, despising holy things, profaning sabbaths, oppressing the vulnerable, and taking bribes and usury. Because of this God will scatter her among the nations. Second, God likens Israel to dross, the worthless residue of silver, and says he will gather them into Jerusalem as into a furnace to melt them in his fury.

Third, he exposes every class of leader: prophets conspire like roaring lions, priests violate the law and blur holy from profane, princes tear like wolves for gain, and the people practice oppression and robbery. Finally God says he sought a man to build the wall and stand in the gap before him for the land, so that he would not destroy it, but found none, and so poured out his indignation.

Ezekiel 22 in context

Part of Ezekiel's pre-fall oracles against Jerusalem, likely around 591 to 588 BC. The chapter is a legal indictment, echoing covenant law from Leviticus and Deuteronomy, especially concern for the stranger, fatherless, and widow.

The furnace and dross imagery draws on metalworking. The stand-in-the-gap language recalls Moses interceding for Israel (Psalm 106:23) and sets up the tragic note that no intercessor could be found among the leaders.

Main themes of Ezekiel 22

Ezekiel 22 (KJV)

1Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2Now, thou son of man, wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge the bloody city? yea, thou shalt shew her all her abominations. 3Then say thou, Thus saith the Lord GOD, The city sheddeth blood in the midst of it, that her time may come, and maketh idols against herself to defile herself. 4Thou art become guilty in thy blood that thou hast shed; and hast defiled thyself in thine idols which thou hast made; and thou hast caused thy days to draw near, and art come even unto thy years: therefore have I made thee a reproach unto the heathen, and a mocking to all countries. 5Those that be near, and those that be far from thee, shall mock thee, which art infamous and much vexed. 6Behold, the princes of Israel, every one were in thee to their power to shed blood. 7In thee have they set light by father and mother: in the midst of thee have they dealt by oppression with the stranger: in thee have they vexed the fatherless and the widow. 8Thou hast despised mine holy things, and hast profaned my sabbaths. 9In thee are men that carry tales to shed blood: and in thee they eat upon the mountains: in the midst of thee they commit lewdness. 10In thee have they discovered their fathers’ nakedness: in thee have they humbled her that was set apart for pollution. 11And one hath committed abomination with his neighbour’s wife; and another hath lewdly defiled his daughter in law; and another in thee hath humbled his sister, his father’s daughter. 12In thee have they taken gifts to shed blood; thou hast taken usury and increase, and thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbours by extortion, and hast forgotten me, saith the Lord GOD. 13Behold, therefore I have smitten mine hand at thy dishonest gain which thou hast made, and at thy blood which hath been in the midst of thee. 14Can thine heart endure, or can thine hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with thee? I the LORD have spoken it, and will do it. 15And I will scatter thee among the heathen, and disperse thee in the countries, and will consume thy filthiness out of thee. 16And thou shalt take thine inheritance in thyself in the sight of the heathen, and thou shalt know that I am the LORD. 17And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 18Son of man, the house of Israel is to me become dross: all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are even the dross of silver. 19Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye are all become dross, behold, therefore I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. 20As they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you. 21Yea, I will gather you, and blow upon you in the fire of my wrath, and ye shall be melted in the midst thereof. 22As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof; and ye shall know that I the LORD have poured out my fury upon you. 23And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 24Son of man, say unto her, Thou art the land that is not cleansed, nor rained upon in the day of indignation. 25There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they have devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and precious things; they have made her many widows in the midst thereof. 26Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them. 27Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain. 28And her prophets have daubed them with untempered morter, seeing vanity, and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus saith the Lord GOD, when the LORD hath not spoken. 29The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully. 30And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none. 31Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord GOD.

Verses to carry from Ezekiel 22

“Now, thou son of man, wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge the bloody city? yea, thou shalt shew her all her abominations.”Ezekiel 22:2

“The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully.”Ezekiel 22:29

“And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.”Ezekiel 22:30

Reflection

God still looks for people willing to stand in the gap, to intercede where others only exploit. This chapter exposes how easily leaders become predators and worship curdles into injustice.

Ask whether you are building the wall or breaking it, and lean on Christ, who stood in the gap when no one else would, and now teaches us to pray for others.

A prayer from Ezekiel 22