Ezekiel chapter 20

vs 11

Such a small verse for such a big idea. God created a covenant with a people, calling them his own, giving them a code of laws by which to live. It's a huge thing.

vs 12

As far as I know, no other culture has like a sabbath day. But the reference to sabbaths is probably not just to the day - sabbath rests were had during festival times and other times too, not to mention sabbath years and years of jubilee. These times of distinct separate devotion to God were something that set apart Israel from other nations, it seems. Although festivals were a pretty regular part of the religious scene in the ancient world.

vs 13

He certainly did say that. God doesn't need almost a thousand years of disobedience to punish people for it. He was prepared to punish them within days of handing down his laws.

vs 14

God stayed his hand only to protect his name. After all, he had drawn his people out from Egypt - if he did not to miraculous and great things with them, people were going to think he brought them out into the desert just to kill them. And God would rather be remembered for mercy than wholesale genocide, methinks. Well, mercy and genocide, in fairness.

vs 15

In this way, God could voice his displeasure with them, and kill off a lot of people in the wilderness, without seeming like he had crushed his own people. After all, their survival in the wilderness for a generation is miraculous.

vs 16

So God is able to punish them within the bounds of his blessing. He does not turn his back on his promises to them, but actually withholds the blessings until the fullness of his wrath is meted out. In the case of the wilderness, it takes about 40 years.

vs 17

Pity, mercy - very similar ideas. They were worthy of destruction, but God had bigger plans for them. Besides, his power is made perfect in weakness, and they were obviously pretty weak.

vs 18

If you were to read this out of context, you'd be like, "But aren't their laws God's laws?" The fact is that the laws and ways of their parents were most definitely not God's. They had the laws and statutes of God, but didn't follow them. More fool them.

vs 19

You remember those laws I passed down only a generation ago? Moses is still alive! Go ask him!

vs 20

Ezekiel has obviously chosen this story so that he can harp on Sabbaths. It's the first time they've been mentioned, and obviously Israel's flagrant disregard for them over the last several hundred years is a fly in his ointment. God's laws and his Sabbaths - one will make you holy, and one will act as a sign of the holding of the covenant.

What's interesting, of course, is that the whole idea of temple/tabernacle sacrifice - which I would have thought was the sign between God and his people - is not mentioned here. Maybe this is because they aren't going to be able to do this when they are in exile? But they will be able to keep the Sabbaths. Remember, the exile is where synagogues grew from. It almost sounds to me like God is setting that up here in Ezekiel.