What actions lead God to "scatter you among the nations" in Ezekiel 22:15? Background of Ezekiel 22 • Jerusalem is called “the city of bloodshed” (Ezekiel 22:2). • God lists specific sins before declaring, “I will disperse you among the nations and scatter you throughout the lands; I will purge your uncleanness” (Ezekiel 22:15). Catalog of Offenses That Provoked the Scattering 1. Shedding Innocent Blood • “A city shedding blood in her midst” (22:3). • “Every prince of Israel within you has used his power to shed blood” (22:6). 2. Idolatry • “She makes idols to defile herself” (22:3). • “You are defiled by the idols you have made” (22:4). 3. Contempt for Parents and Authority • “Father and mother are despised within you” (22:7). 4. Oppressing the Vulnerable • “The foreign resident is oppressed; the fatherless and the widow are mistreated” (22:7; cf. Deuteronomy 27:19). 5. Profaning the Holy • “You have despised My holy things and profaned My Sabbaths” (22:8; cf. Exodus 31:13). 6. Slander and False Accusations • “Among you are slanderous men bent on shedding blood” (22:9). 7. Immoral Worship Practices • “Within you are those who eat at the mountain shrines and commit lewd acts” (22:9). 8. Sexual Perversion • Exposing a father’s nakedness (22:10). • Violating women during their impurity (22:10). • Adultery, incest, and other forbidden unions (22:11; cf. Leviticus 18). 9. Corruption, Bribery, and Economic Exploitation • “In you they accept bribes to shed blood” (22:12). • “You take interest and profit on a loan and extort neighbors by violence” (22:12; cf. Deuteronomy 23:19–20). 10. Spiritual Amnesia • “You have forgotten Me, declares the Lord GOD” (22:12; cf. Jeremiah 2:32). Divine Verdict • Because of these actions God says, “I will scatter you among the nations” (22:15; cf. Leviticus 26:33; Deuteronomy 28:64). • The scattering is both judgment and purification: “I will purge your uncleanness” (22:15). Takeaway for Today • God’s character has not changed (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8). • The listed sins—bloodshed, idolatry, oppression, immorality, corruption, forgetfulness of God—still invite His discipline. • Obedience, justice, and wholehearted devotion remain the path to blessing and fellowship with the Lord (Deuteronomy 10:12–13; John 14:15). |
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