Ezekiel 5

Ezekiel 5 describes a prophetic message from God to the prophet Ezekiel about the severe judgment coming upon Jerusalem. Ezekiel is instructed to perform symbolic acts, such as shaving his head and dividing the hair, representing the fate of Jerusalem’s people. Through these signs, God communicates the extent of His wrath due to the people's rebellion and idolatry. The chapter emphasizes the consequences of disobedience and the seriousness of God’s judgment against sin.

Ezekiel 5:1-4 (NKJV)
1 “And you, son of man, take a sharp sword, take it as a barber’s razor, and pass it over your head and your beard; then take scales to weigh and divide the hair.
2 You shall burn with fire one-third in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are finished; then you shall take one-third and strike around it with the sword, and one-third you shall scatter in the wind: I will draw out a sword after them.
3 You shall also take a small number of them and bind them in the edge of your garment.
4 Then take some of them again and throw them into the midst of the fire, and burn them in the fire. From there a fire will go out into all the house of Israel.”

In this passage, God instructs Ezekiel to shave his head and beard—a significant action, as it symbolized shame and mourning in Jewish culture. Ezekiel is then to divide the hair into thirds, each part representing a different fate for the people of Jerusalem: one-third will perish by fire, another by the sword, and the last will be scattered, with some preserved. These symbolic acts illustrate the coming devastation for Jerusalem due to its disobedience, with fire representing judgment, the sword representing violence, and scattering symbolizing exile.

Ezekiel 5:5-6 (NKJV)
5 “Thus says the Lord God: ‘This is Jerusalem; I have set her in the midst of the nations and the countries all around her.
6 She has rebelled against My judgments by doing wickedness more than the nations, and against My statutes more than the countries that are all around her; for they have refused My judgments, and they have not walked in My statutes.’”

God points out that Jerusalem was placed in a central position among nations to be a witness to His truth, yet instead, it rebelled against His commandments. Despite the special covenant and guidance they received, the people of Jerusalem practiced greater wickedness than surrounding nations. This rebellion and failure to follow God’s laws heightens the gravity of their judgment, as they had a greater responsibility to uphold His statutes.

Ezekiel 5:7-10 (NKJV)
7 “Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Because you have multiplied disobedience more than the nations that are all around you, have not walked in My statutes nor kept My judgments, nor even done according to the judgments of the nations that are all around you’—
8 therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Indeed I, even I, am against you and will execute judgments in your midst in the sight of the nations.
9 And I will do among you what I have never done, and the like of which I will never do again, because of all your abominations.
10 Therefore fathers shall eat their sons 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.’”

God declares that His judgment on Jerusalem will be unprecedented, with the people experiencing such distress and desolation that families will be forced into unimaginable acts. This severe consequence highlights the depth of Jerusalem's abominations and God’s response to the gravity of their rebellion. God’s intent to scatter the survivors reinforces the finality of His judgment, as those who remain will be exiled and dispersed among nations.

Ezekiel 5:11-12 (NKJV)
11 “‘Therefore, as I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘surely, because you have defiled My sanctuary with all your detestable things and with all your abominations, therefore I will also diminish you; My eye will not spare, nor will I have any pity.
12 One-third of you shall die of the pestilence, and be consumed with famine in your midst; and one-third shall fall by the sword all around you; and I will scatter another third to all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them.’”

God swears by His own existence, promising that due to the people’s desecration of the temple with idolatry, He will diminish them without sparing or showing pity. He specifies the fates of three groups: one-third will die from famine and disease, another by the sword, and the final third will be scattered, with further threats against those exiled. This reiterates the message of severe and comprehensive judgment that will impact every segment of society.

Ezekiel 5:13-15 (NKJV)
13 “Thus shall My anger be spent, and I will cause My fury to rest upon them, and I will be avenged; and they shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it in My zeal, when I have spent My fury upon them.
14 Moreover I will make you a waste and a reproach among the nations that are all around you, in the sight of all who pass by.
15 So it shall be a reproach, a taunt, a lesson, and an astonishment to the nations that are all around you, when I execute judgments among you in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes. I, the Lord, have spoken.”

God describes the fulfillment of His wrath as an action that will finally satisfy His anger against Jerusalem’s sins. The devastation will leave Jerusalem desolate and serve as a lesson to other nations, showing the consequences of defying God. This judgment is intended to demonstrate God’s sovereignty and justice, warning other nations about the seriousness of His commands.

Ezekiel 5:16-17 (NKJV)
16 “When I send against them the terrible arrows of famine which shall be for destruction, which I will send to destroy you, I will increase the famine upon you and cut off your supply of bread.
17 So I will send against you famine and wild beasts, and they will bereave you. Pestilence and blood shall pass through you, and I will bring the sword against you. I, the Lord, have spoken.’”

The chapter closes with God describing the specific judgments—famine, wild animals, pestilence, and violence—that will devastate the people of Jerusalem. Each form of punishment reinforces the totality of His judgment, as all aspects of life and security are stripped away. God’s declaration emphasizes that these judgments are not random but are directly from His hand due to the people’s repeated defiance.