Yet the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness. They did not follow My statutes and they rejected My ordinances--though the man who does these things will live by them--and they utterly profaned My Sabbaths. Then I resolved to pour out My wrath upon them and put an end to them in the wilderness. Yet the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness.The rebellion of Israel in the wilderness is a recurring theme in the Old Testament, highlighting the Israelites' disobedience and lack of faith despite God's miraculous deliverance from Egypt. This period, lasting 40 years, is marked by numerous instances of rebellion, such as the golden calf incident (Exodus 32) and the refusal to enter the Promised Land (Numbers 14). The wilderness symbolizes a place of testing and purification, where God sought to teach Israel dependence on Him. They did not follow My statutes and they rejected My ordinances—
God's statutes and ordinances were given to Israel as a covenantal framework for living in relationship with Him. These laws, delivered through Moses, were meant to set Israel apart as a holy nation (Leviticus 20:26). The rejection of these laws signifies a deeper spiritual rebellion, as they were not merely legalistic requirements but expressions of God's character and will. though the man who does these things will live by them—
This phrase underscores the life-giving nature of God's commandments. It echoes Leviticus 18:5, which emphasizes that obedience to God's laws leads to life. This principle is reiterated in the New Testament, where Paul references it in Romans 10:5 and Galatians 3:12, contrasting the law's demands with the righteousness that comes by faith in Christ. and they utterly profaned My Sabbaths.
The Sabbath was a sign of the covenant between God and Israel (Exodus 31:13). Profaning the Sabbath was a serious offense, as it represented a rejection of God's provision and rest. The Sabbath also foreshadows the rest found in Christ (Hebrews 4:9-10), making its profanation a type of rejecting the ultimate rest offered through Jesus. Then I resolved to pour out My wrath upon them and put an end to them in the wilderness.
God's wrath is a response to sin and rebellion, demonstrating His holiness and justice. The threat to "put an end to them" recalls the incident at Kadesh Barnea, where God considered destroying Israel after their refusal to enter the Promised Land (Numbers 14:11-12). However, God's mercy prevailed, and He spared the nation, though the rebellious generation perished in the wilderness. This tension between justice and mercy is ultimately resolved in Christ, who bore God's wrath on behalf of humanity (Romans 5:9). Persons / Places / Events 1. House of IsraelRefers to the collective people of Israel, God's chosen nation, who were delivered from Egypt and wandered in the wilderness. 2. WildernessThe desert region where the Israelites wandered for 40 years after their exodus from Egypt, a place of testing and revelation of their faithfulness. 3. God's Statutes and OrdinancesThe laws and commands given by God to the Israelites, intended to guide them in righteous living and maintain their covenant relationship with Him. 4. SabbathsThe holy days of rest instituted by God as a sign of His covenant with Israel, meant to be a time of rest and worship. 5. God's WrathThe righteous anger of God in response to the rebellion and disobedience of His people, demonstrating His justice and holiness. Teaching Points The Seriousness of RebellionRebellion against God is not a trivial matter. It leads to separation from Him and invites His righteous judgment. The Life-Giving Nature of God's LawsGod's statutes and ordinances are designed to bring life and blessing. Obedience is not merely a duty but a pathway to abundant life. The Importance of the SabbathThe Sabbath is a gift from God, a time to rest and refocus on Him. It is a reminder of our dependence on God and His provision. God's Patience and JusticeWhile God is patient and longsuffering, He is also just. Persistent disobedience will ultimately lead to His discipline. Learning from the PastThe history of Israel serves as a warning and a lesson for us today. We are called to learn from their mistakes and walk faithfully with God. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the rebellion of the Israelites in the wilderness reflect our own tendencies to stray from God's commands? 2. In what ways can we ensure that we are not merely hearers of God's statutes but doers who live by them? 3. How can observing a Sabbath rest in our own lives help us to refocus on God and His purposes for us? 4. What are some practical steps we can take to avoid the pitfalls of rebellion and disobedience in our spiritual journey? 5. How does understanding God's response to Israel's rebellion help us appreciate His grace and mercy in our lives today? Connections to Other Scriptures Exodus 16 and 31These chapters provide background on the giving of the Sabbath and its significance as a covenant sign between God and Israel. Numbers 14Describes the rebellion of the Israelites in the wilderness and God's response, highlighting the consequences of disobedience. Deuteronomy 30Emphasizes the blessings of obedience and the curses of disobedience, reinforcing the life-giving nature of God's laws. Hebrews 3-4Discusses the spiritual rest that believers enter through faith in Christ, drawing a parallel to the Sabbath rest and the Israelites' failure to enter God's rest due to unbelief. People Ezekiel, Israelites, Jacob, TemanPlaces Babylon, Bamah, Egypt, NegebTopics Although, Annihilate, Consume, Controlled, Decrees, Desecrated, Desert, Despised, Destroy, Didn't, Follow, Full, Fury, Greatly, Guided, Judgments, Laws, Loose, Obeys, Observance, Observes, Orders, Ordinances, Passion, Polluted, Pour, Profaned, Rebel, Rebelled, Rejected, Resolved, Respect, Rules, Sabbaths, Statutes, Utterly, Walk, Walked, Waste, Wilderness, WrathDictionary of Bible Themes Ezekiel 20:13 6223 rebellion, of Israel
6231 rejection of God
7429 Sabbath, in OT
8703 antinomianism Ezekiel 20:1-44 7348 defilement Ezekiel 20:13-44 8807 profanity Library Ten Reasons Demonstrating the Commandment of the Sabbath to be Moral.
1. Because all the reasons of this commandment are moral and perpetual; and God has bound us to the obedience of this commandment with more forcible reasons than to any of the rest--First, because he foresaw that irreligious men would either more carelessly neglect, or more boldly break this commandment than any other; secondly, because that in the practice of this commandment the keeping of all the other consists; which makes God so often complain that all his worship is neglected or overthrown, …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of PietyManner of Covenanting.
Previous to an examination of the manner of engaging in the exercise of Covenanting, the consideration of God's procedure towards his people while performing the service seems to claim regard. Of the manner in which the great Supreme as God acts, as well as of Himself, our knowledge is limited. Yet though even of the effects on creatures of His doings we know little, we have reason to rejoice that, in His word He has informed us, and in His providence illustrated by that word, he has given us to …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting Tithing
There are few subjects on which the Lord's own people are more astray than on the subject of giving. They profess to take the Bible as their own rule of faith and practice, and yet in the matter of Christian finance, the vast majority have utterly ignored its plain teachings and have tried every substitute the carnal mind could devise; therefore it is no wonder that the majority of Christian enterprises in the world today are handicapped and crippled through the lack of funds. Is our giving to be …
Arthur W. Pink—Tithing Questions About the Nature and Perpetuity of the Seventh-Day Sabbath.
AND PROOF, THAT THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK IS THE TRUE CHRISTIAN SABBATH. BY JOHN BUNYAN. 'The Son of man is lord also of the Sabbath day.' London: Printed for Nath, Ponder, at the Peacock in the Poultry, 1685. EDITOR'S ADVERTISEMENT. All our inquiries into divine commands are required to be made personally, solemnly, prayerful. To 'prove all things,' and 'hold fast' and obey 'that which is good,' is a precept, equally binding upon the clown, as it is upon the philosopher. Satisfied from our observations …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 Covenanting Sanctioned by the Divine Example.
God's procedure when imitable forms a peculiar argument for duty. That is made known for many reasons; among which must stand this,--that it may be observed and followed as an example. That, being perfect, is a safe and necessary pattern to follow. The law of God proclaims what he wills men as well as angels to do. The purposes of God show what he has resolved to have accomplished. The constitutions of his moral subjects intimate that he has provided that his will shall be voluntarily accomplished …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting The Old Testament Canon from Its Beginning to Its Close.
The first important part of the Old Testament put together as a whole was the Pentateuch, or rather, the five books of Moses and Joshua. This was preceded by smaller documents, which one or more redactors embodied in it. The earliest things committed to writing were probably the ten words proceeding from Moses himself, afterwards enlarged into the ten commandments which exist at present in two recensions (Exod. xx., Deut. v.) It is true that we have the oldest form of the decalogue from the Jehovist …
Samuel Davidson—The Canon of the Bible A Sermon on Isaiah xxvi. By John Knox.
[In the Prospectus of our Publication it was stated, that one discourse, at least, would be given in each number. A strict adherence to this arrangement, however, it is found, would exclude from our pages some of the most talented discourses of our early Divines; and it is therefore deemed expedient to depart from it as occasion may require. The following Sermon will occupy two numbers, and we hope, that from its intrinsic value, its historical interest, and the illustrious name of its author, it …
John Knox—The Pulpit Of The Reformation, Nos. 1, 2 and 3. The Covenant of Works
Q-12: I proceed to the next question, WHAT SPECIAL ACT OF PROVIDENCE DID GOD EXERCISE TOWARDS MAN IN THE ESTATE WHEREIN HE WAS CREATED? A: When God had created man, he entered into a covenant of life with him upon condition of perfect obedience, forbidding him to eat of the tree of knowledge upon pain of death. For this, consult with Gen 2:16, 17: And the Lord commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity Ezekiel
To a modern taste, Ezekiel does not appeal anything like so powerfully as Isaiah or Jeremiah. He has neither the majesty of the one nor the tenderness and passion of the other. There is much in him that is fantastic, and much that is ritualistic. His imaginations border sometimes on the grotesque and sometimes on the mechanical. Yet he is a historical figure of the first importance; it was very largely from him that Judaism received the ecclesiastical impulse by which for centuries it was powerfully …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Ezekiel 20:13 NIVEzekiel 20:13 NLTEzekiel 20:13 ESVEzekiel 20:13 NASBEzekiel 20:13 KJV
Ezekiel 20:13 Commentaries
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