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Session 7 Video

This section of the book of Ezekiel is an interlude of sorts since Ezekiel’s mouth is “closed” until the destruction of Jerusalem in terms of his prophecies to Israel. This section contains prophecies to the nations surrounding Israel, their offenses and some lessons from God’s rebuke of these nations.

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This section of the book of Ezekiel is an interlude of sorts since Ezekiel’s mouth is “closed” until the destruction of Jerusalem in terms of his prophecies to Israel. This section contains prophecies to the nations surrounding Israel.

While the message to the nations is a warning for them and prediction of future judgment, it reminds us that God is the God of the whole world. And while God had established a special arrangement with the descendants of Abraham, God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 12 involves blessing the whole world through his family.

**Various offenses by the nations:**

- **Pride** – Tyre even says about itself “I am a god.”
- **Gloating over Israel** – Rather than seeing God’s actions with Israel as discipline, Ammon and Moab see it as a sign God has forgotten them.
- **Treating God’s people poorly**
- **Self-Reliance** – Egypt consider themselves invincible and saw their Nile River as a never-ending supply of sustenance.
- **Idolatry** – They trusted in their own gods instead of the one true God.

**Some lessons from God’s rebuke of these nations:**

- Be careful not to be shaped by the environment more than by God’s Word.
Israel had lost their way because of allowing their surrounding nations to influence them rather than staying faithful to the instructions God had given them. This is a risk for all of us. In Matthew 13:7, 22 Jesus speaks about seed sown among thorns. The worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it out and it does not thrive.

- The unfaithfulness can detract from God’s mission.
Israel was supposed to be a light to these nations. Rather than helping them see God more clearly, they gave into the influence of the culture and religion of those nations. Even now when Christians fail to live according to God’s will, opportunities are missed to be a light to the world.

**Questions for Discussion/Reflection:**

- Though these ancient nations seem distant from us, the types of things that characterized them are just as much a possibility for us today, such as pride, disregard for others, and self-reliance. What are ways that you can identify with the struggles of the nations mentioned in this section?
- What are some ways that your surrounding environment in this season of life could threaten
your faithfulness?
- What is a way you can be a brighter light in your current context to point people toward God?

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