Ezekiel chapter 20

vs 31

God has a right to be angry at this. The rebellion against his statutes and the lust for idols has continued right up to this day, after all these generations. If you don't listen, why would he bother talking?

vs 32

It will never happen? Okay, I'm intrigued to know why.

vs 33

Oooooh. You see, once you've tried God, you can never go back, apparently. God did not just make an offer of covenant with Israel. He claimed it for his own. They signed up for the blessings and the curses, remember.

vs 34

God will save them, but it may not necessarily be happy about it. It was his wrath that tossed them out to the nations in the first place, but his wrath may just continue to burn when he then has to tear them out of the nations again.

vs 35

This does not sound like happy God.

vs 36

God is planning round two of his judgment of his people, and he sounds angry, and it does not sound like it's going to be pretty.

vs 37

God will force his covenant on them, in effect. Sometimes, even though people agree in principle to a system of punishment, you still have to enforce it. There aren't many people who don't try and talk their way out of being punished.

vs 38

That does sound a lot like what God did in the wilderness - he pulled them out of Egypt, but they didn't all get to Israel. God is saying he will do it again - pulling them out of Israel, wiping out the dissenters, idolators, wicked, and leaving only a small remnant. This is God's pattern - you'll know it's him doing it.

vs 39

When God tells you to sin, you know it's a bad, bad situation.

vs 40

But God still has the hope built into his system. Yes, his people will sin, yes he will punish them, but he will also have a people that will turn to him, come to him, and worship him in the way he demands. Still, the tone of this section is incredibly angry. I can almost imagine Ezekiel shouting it at people, at leaders. Or perhaps that's Rob Turnbull I am imagining - Backyard Bard doing Ezekiel would be awesome... if incredibly long.