How does Ezekiel 21:21 connect with God's warnings in Deuteronomy 18:10-12? Setting the Stage • Israel is on the verge of exile in Ezekiel’s day. • Centuries earlier, God had warned His people at Sinai: “Do not copy the occult practices of the nations.” (Deuteronomy 18:10-12). • Ezekiel 21 shows Babylon’s king using exactly those practices while marching toward Jerusalem. Deuteronomy 18:10-12 – God’s Unmistakable Warning “Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, practices divination, conjures spells, interprets omens, practices sorcery, casts spells, consults a medium or spiritist, or inquires of the dead. For whoever does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable things the LORD your God is driving them out before you.” Key take-aways • God calls all occult activity “detestable.” • Such practices bring judgment severe enough to expel whole nations. • Israel must stay distinct or share the fate of Canaan’s former occupants. Ezekiel 21:21 – A Picture of Pagan Divination in Action “For the king of Babylon stands at the fork in the road, at the junction of the two roads, to cast lots with arrows, to consult his idols, and to inspect the liver.” What the verse shows • Three classic occult methods named in Deuteronomy: – Casting lots with arrows (divination). – Consulting idols (idolatry/omens). – Inspecting a liver (hepatoscopy, a form of sorcery). • The pagan king relies on them to decide military strategy. • Shockingly, God allows those very practices to point Nebuchadnezzar toward Jerusalem, making the city the target of judgment. Thread that Ties the Texts Together • Deuteronomy lays down the law: occultism brings divine wrath. • Ezekiel records that wrath arriving—through an occult-using invader. • Israel had ignored the ban (cf. 2 Kings 21:6; 2 Chron 33:6). Therefore: 1. God withdraws protection (Ezekiel 21:24). 2. He lets the enemy’s sorcery succeed—not because sorcery has power over Him, but to fulfill His word (Isaiah 46:10-11). • The same occult tools God forbade become instruments of His judgment on the people who flirted with them. Why the Connection Matters for Us • God’s standards never change (Malachi 3:6; James 1:17). What He once called detestable remains detestable. • Flirting with the occult invites bondage and discipline (Acts 19:19-20). • God is so sovereign that He can even bend man’s sinful devices to accomplish His purposes (Proverbs 16:4; Romans 8:28). • Obedience protects; compromise invites consequences. The contrast between Deuteronomy 18 and Ezekiel 21 proves the point in living color. |
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