What is the meaning of Ezekiel 22:26? Her priests do violence to My law When God says, “Her priests do violence to My law,” He is exposing leaders who should have cherished His Word yet instead mutilated it. • “Violence” pictures the active tearing‐apart of God’s commands—much more than casual neglect. • The priests were commissioned to teach the law faithfully (Leviticus 10:11; Deuteronomy 33:10), but like the scribes of Jeremiah’s day they turned “the lying pen” on Scripture (Jeremiah 8:8). • Malachi later rebukes the same spirit: “You have turned from the way and by your teaching have caused many to stumble” (Malachi 2:8–9). • Whenever leaders twist the Word, the people drift. Jesus highlights the opposite example: “Whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:19). and profane My holy things “Holy things” include the sanctuary, the sacrifices, and the Name they bore (Leviticus 22:2). Profaning them turns worship into empty ritual. • Eli’s sons modeled this by treating the offering with contempt (1 Samuel 2:12–17). • Isaiah laments, “Your rulers are rebels… they do not bring justice” (Isaiah 1:23), showing how unholy leadership contaminates every sphere. • Hebrews 10:29 warns New-Covenant believers not to “trample the Son of God” in a similar way. God’s things remain holy; treating them lightly insults the Giver. They make no distinction between the holy and the common God created categories so His people would grasp His otherness. When the priests blurred those lines, the people lost sight of God’s character. • Leviticus 10:10 charged priests “to distinguish between the holy and the common.” • In Ezekiel’s future temple vision, faithful priests “shall teach My people the difference” (Ezekiel 44:23), underscoring that this duty is permanent, not optional. • 2 Corinthians 6:17 echoes the call for believers today: “Come out from among them and be separate.” and they fail to distinguish between the clean and the unclean Clean/unclean laws shaped Israel’s daily rhythm, embedding holiness into ordinary life (Leviticus 11–15). Ignoring them flattened moral awareness. • Hosea 4:6 ties it to ignorance: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” • Jesus affirmed the heart behind these distinctions when He cleansed the leper (Mark 1:40–45), showing that purity laws pointed to inner transformation. • When leaders stop naming sin, people stop recognizing it; conscience dulls, and repentance evaporates. They disregard My Sabbaths The Sabbath was a weekly covenant sign (Exodus 31:13) reminding Israel that God, not toil, sustains them. To overlook it was to forget their Redeemer. • Nehemiah confronted merchants who violated the day (Nehemiah 13:15–22), linking Sabbath-breaking to national decline. • Jesus heals on the Sabbath to restore its true intent—refreshment in God’s presence (Mark 2:27). • Hebrews 4:9 teaches that a “Sabbath rest” remains for God’s people, calling us to trust rather than strive. so that I am profaned among them The tragic outcome: God Himself is dragged through the mud before the watching world. • When David sinned, Nathan said, “You have given occasion for the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme” (2 Samuel 12:14). • Romans 2:24 repeats the indictment: “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” • God guards His glory; if leaders misrepresent Him, He will act (Ezekiel 36:23). summary Ezekiel 22:26 exposes spiritual leaders who shredded God’s Word, cheapened holy things, erased moral boundaries, ignored purity, and treated the Sabbath as expendable. The cumulative effect was that God’s own reputation suffered. The verse calls every generation to honor Scripture as unbreakable truth, treasure what God calls holy, draw clear lines between righteousness and sin, practice rhythms of devotion and rest, and so magnify—rather than profane—the Lord before a watching world. |
    |