Ezekiel 7:19
They will throw their silver into the streets, and their gold will seem unclean. Their silver and gold cannot save them in the day of the wrath of the LORD. They cannot satisfy their appetites or fill their stomachs with wealth, for it became the stumbling block that brought their iniquity.
They will throw their silver into the streets, and their gold will seem unclean.
In ancient times, silver and gold were symbols of wealth and security. The act of throwing them into the streets signifies a complete reversal of their perceived value. This imagery reflects the futility of material wealth in the face of divine judgment. The notion of gold seeming unclean suggests a ritual impurity, indicating that what was once treasured is now considered defiled and worthless. This echoes the prophetic theme found in Zephaniah 1:18, where neither silver nor gold can deliver in the day of the Lord's wrath.

Their silver and gold cannot save them in the day of the wrath of the LORD.
This phrase underscores the impotence of material wealth against divine judgment. The "day of the wrath of the LORD" refers to a time of God's righteous anger and judgment, a recurring theme in prophetic literature. This is reminiscent of Proverbs 11:4, which states that riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. The emphasis is on the spiritual over the material, highlighting the need for repentance and righteousness.

They cannot satisfy their appetites or fill their stomachs with wealth,
Here, the focus shifts to the inability of wealth to provide true satisfaction or sustenance. This reflects a broader biblical principle that material possessions cannot fulfill spiritual needs. Ecclesiastes 5:10 supports this, noting that those who love money will never be satisfied with it. The imagery of unsatisfied appetites and empty stomachs serves as a metaphor for spiritual emptiness and the futility of relying on wealth for fulfillment.

for it became the stumbling block that brought their iniquity.
The term "stumbling block" indicates an obstacle that leads to sin or moral failure. In this context, wealth itself becomes a source of iniquity, leading people away from God. This is consistent with the warnings in 1 Timothy 6:10, where the love of money is described as the root of all kinds of evil. The phrase suggests that the pursuit and reliance on wealth have led to moral and spiritual downfall, emphasizing the need for a heart aligned with God's will rather than material gain.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Ezekiel
A prophet during the Babylonian exile, tasked with delivering God's messages of judgment and hope to the Israelites.

2. Israelites
The people of God who are in exile due to their disobedience and idolatry.

3. Babylonian Exile
The period when the Israelites were taken captive by Babylon, serving as a backdrop for Ezekiel's prophecies.

4. The Day of the Wrath of the LORD
A time of divine judgment against the sins of the people, emphasizing the futility of relying on material wealth.

5. Silver and Gold
Symbols of wealth and material possessions that the Israelites wrongly trusted for security and satisfaction.
Teaching Points
The Futility of Material Wealth
Material possessions cannot provide true security or salvation, especially in times of divine judgment. Believers should prioritize spiritual wealth over material gain.

Idolatry of Wealth
Wealth can become an idol, leading to spiritual downfall. Christians must guard against allowing money to take the place of God in their lives.

True Satisfaction
Only God can truly satisfy the deepest needs of the human heart. Believers should seek fulfillment in their relationship with Him rather than in material possessions.

Preparation for Judgment
The certainty of God's judgment should motivate believers to live righteously and store up treasures in heaven, where they are secure.

Repentance and Trust in God
In light of God's coming judgment, believers are called to repent from trusting in wealth and to place their trust in God alone for salvation and provision.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Ezekiel 7:19 challenge our modern-day perspective on wealth and security?

2. In what ways can material wealth become a stumbling block in our spiritual lives, as mentioned in Ezekiel 7:19?

3. How do the teachings of Jesus in Matthew 6:19-21 relate to the message in Ezekiel 7:19 about storing treasures?

4. What practical steps can we take to ensure that our trust is in God rather than in material possessions?

5. How can the warnings in Ezekiel 7:19 and related scriptures motivate us to live with an eternal perspective?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Proverbs 11:4
This verse highlights that wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, echoing the message in Ezekiel 7:19 about the futility of relying on material riches for salvation.

Zephaniah 1:18
Similar to Ezekiel, Zephaniah warns that neither silver nor gold will deliver people on the day of the LORD's wrath, reinforcing the theme of divine judgment.

Matthew 6:19-21
Jesus teaches about storing treasures in heaven rather than on earth, aligning with Ezekiel's message about the transient nature of earthly wealth.

1 Timothy 6:9-10
Paul warns about the dangers of desiring wealth, which can lead to ruin and destruction, paralleling the stumbling block mentioned in Ezekiel.
The Limitations to the Power of WealthJ.R. Thomson Ezekiel 7:19
The Limitation of the Power of RichesW. Jones Ezekiel 7:12, 13, 19
Fallacious DeliveranceJ.D. Davies Ezekiel 7:16-22
People
Ezekiel
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Abhorrent, Able, Appetite, Becometh, Belly, Block, Bowels, Cast, Cause, Deliver, Desire, Falling, Fill, Fling, Gold, Hunger, Impurity, Iniquity, Lord's, Occasion, Out-places, Removed, Safe, Satisfy, Save, Silver, Sin, Soul, Souls, Stomachs, Streets, Stumble, Stumbling, Stumblingblock, Stumbling-block, Unclean, Wrath
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Ezekiel 7:19

     1025   God, anger of
     4333   gold
     5185   stomach
     5186   stumbling
     5341   hunger
     5839   dissatisfaction
     5939   satisfaction

Ezekiel 7:19-20

     5591   treasure

Library
Motives to Holy Mourning
Let me exhort Christians to holy mourning. I now persuade to such a mourning as will prepare the soul for blessedness. Oh that our hearts were spiritual limbecs, distilling the water of holy tears! Christ's doves weep. They that escape shall be like doves of the valleys, all of them mourning, every one for his iniquity' (Ezekiel 7:16). There are several divine motives to holy mourning: 1 Tears cannot be put to a better use. If you weep for outward losses, you lose your tears. It is like a shower
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12

Healing a Demoniac in a Synagogue.
(at Capernaum.) ^B Mark I. 21-28; ^C Luke . IV. 31-37. ^b 21 And they [Jesus and the four fishermen whom he called] go into { ^c he came down to} Capernaum, a city of Galilee. [Luke has just spoken of Nazareth, and he uses the expression "down to Capernaum" because the latter was on the lake shore while Nazareth was up in the mountains.] And ^b straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue and taught. { ^c was teaching them} ^b 22 And they were astonished at his teaching: for he taught
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Hebrew Sages and their Proverbs
[Sidenote: Role of the sages in Israel's life] In the days of Jeremiah and Ezekiel (Jer. xviii. 18; Ezek. vii. 26) three distinct classes of religious teachers were recognized by the people: the prophets, the priests, and the wise men or sages. From their lips and pens have come practically all the writings of the Old Testament. Of these three classes the wise men or sages are far less prominent or well known. They wrote no history of Israel, they preached no public sermons, nor do they appear
Charles Foster Kent—The Origin & Permanent Value of the Old Testament

"And There is None that Calleth Upon Thy Name, that Stirreth up Himself to Take Hold on Thee,"
Isaiah lxiv. 7.--"And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold on thee," &c. They go on in the confession of their sins. Many a man hath soon done with that a general notion of sin is the highest advancement in repentance that many attain to. You may see here sin and judgment mixed in thorough other(315) in their complaint. They do not so fix their eyes upon their desolate estate of captivity, as to forget their provocations. Many a man would spend more affection,
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Blessed are they that Mourn
Blessed are they that mourn. Matthew 5:4 Here are eight steps leading to true blessedness. They may be compared to Jacob's Ladder, the top whereof reached to heaven. We have already gone over one step, and now let us proceed to the second: Blessed are they that mourn'. We must go through the valley of tears to paradise. Mourning were a sad and unpleasant subject to treat on, were it not that it has blessedness going before, and comfort coming after. Mourning is put here for repentance. It implies
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12

"Thou Shall Keep Him in Perfect Peace, Whose Mind is Stayed on Thee, Because He Trusteth in Thee. "
Isaiah xxvi. 3.--"Thou shall keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee." All men love to have privileges above others. Every one is upon the design and search after some well-being, since Adam lost that which was true happiness. We all agree upon the general notion of it, but presently men divide in the following of particulars. Here all men are united in seeking after some good; something to satisfy their souls, and satiate their desires. Nay, but they
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

There is a Blessedness in Reversion
Blessed are the poor in spirit. Matthew 5:3 Having done with the occasion, I come now to the sermon itself. Blessed are the poor in spirit'. Christ does not begin his Sermon on the Mount as the Law was delivered on the mount, with commands and threatenings, the trumpet sounding, the fire flaming, the earth quaking, and the hearts of the Israelites too for fear; but our Saviour (whose lips dropped as the honeycomb') begins with promises and blessings. So sweet and ravishing was the doctrine of this
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12

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

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