What is the meaning of Ezekiel 20:27? Therefore, son of man • The word “Therefore” ties this verse to the long recounting of Israel’s rebellion in the earlier part of the chapter (Ezekiel 20:5-26). Judgment is not random; it flows from a settled record of disobedience. • “Son of man” reminds Ezekiel of his role: a mortal messenger standing before the eternal God (see Ezekiel 2:1-3; 3:17). • God still speaks through chosen servants today, calling each generation to account just as He did through Ezekiel. Speak to the house of Israel • The audience is covenant people who should know better—those redeemed from Egypt, entrusted with the law, yet repeatedly wayward (Romans 9:4-5). • God’s warnings are family conversations, not distant pronouncements. Compare His command to Moses, “Say to the Israelites…” (Exodus 3:15) and Jeremiah’s commission to “Stand in the gate of the house of the LORD and there proclaim this message” (Jeremiah 7:2). • Even when sin is centuries deep, God still addresses His people by name, offering opportunity to hear and repent. And tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says • The prophet’s authority rests wholly on “the Lord GOD.” These are not Ezekiel’s opinions; they are divine verdicts (Isaiah 1:2). • True preaching today carries the same pattern: “Thus says the Lord,” never “Thus says me.” As 2 Peter 1:21 affirms, “Men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” • The phrase underlines God’s covenant lordship (YHWH) and sovereign rule (Adonai), demanding humble hearing. In this way also your fathers blasphemed Me • Blasphemy here is not mere speech but lifestyle that misrepresents God’s holiness. Their idolatry slandered His name among the nations (see 2 Kings 17:16-17; Psalm 106:19-21). • “Also” links past and present: the current generation is repeating ancestral sins. Ezekiel has already cataloged this cycle in verses 13 and 21. • Sin’s generational momentum warns us that tradition is no shield; only obedience is. By their unfaithfulness against Me • Unfaithfulness (literally “breaking faith”) pictures a spouse’s betrayal, echoing Hosea’s marriage imagery (Hosea 6:7). • The offense is “against Me”—personal, relational, covenantal. Idols steal affection that belongs to God alone (Exodus 20:3-5). • Every compromise—whether open idolatry or subtle worldliness (James 4:4)—is ultimately directed at God Himself. summary Ezekiel 20:27 charges Israel with a lineage of covenant betrayal. God instructs Ezekiel to confront His people, reminding them that: • The indictment is grounded in history—“therefore.” • The message targets God’s own household—“house of Israel.” • The words carry divine, not human, authority—“this is what the Lord GOD says.” • Their ancestors slandered God’s reputation through idolatry—“blasphemed Me.” • The heart of the charge is relational treachery—“unfaithfulness against Me.” The verse calls every generation to break the cycle by turning from inherited rebellion to faithful obedience, honoring the holy name of the Lord. |
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