Why did God give statutes that were "not good" in Ezekiel 20:26? Text and Immediate Context “Moreover I gave them statutes that were not good and ordinances by which they could not live. And I defiled them through their gifts—by making all their firstborn pass through the fire—so that I might devastate them, that they would know that I am the LORD.” (Ezekiel 20:25–26) Ezekiel is recounting Israel’s centuries-long rebellion: in Egypt (vv. 5–9), in the wilderness (vv. 10–17), and in Canaan (vv. 18–24). Verse 25 follows God’s repeated statement, “Yet the house of Israel rebelled against Me” (vv. 13, 21). The prophet is explaining why divine judgment—including exile—has fallen. The Goodness of God’s Law Affirmed Elsewhere Scripture consistently calls God’s commandments “good” and “life-giving” (Deuteronomy 4:40; Nehemiah 9:13; Romans 7:12). Jesus upholds every “jot and tittle” (Matthew 5:17-18). Any interpretation that claims God positively legislated evil contradicts the rest of Scripture and must therefore be rejected (John 10:35). The Hebrew Idiom “Gave” (nātan) as Judicial Surrender The verb nātan (“I gave”) often means “hand over, deliver up” in a punitive sense (cf. Genesis 14:20; Exodus 23:31; Psalm 81:12). Thus God “gave them up” to follow the corrupt statutes they themselves desired. The phrase “statutes not good” is therefore ironical: not divine prescriptions, but the degenerate practices He allowed as discipline. Judicial Hardening Explained Throughout Scripture God sometimes withdraws restraining grace, permitting sinners to reap the fruit of their choices: • Psalm 81:11-12—“So I gave them up to their stubborn hearts.” • Acts 7:42—“God turned away and gave them over to worship the host of heaven.” • Romans 1:24-26—“God gave them up in the desires of their hearts…to dishonorable passions.” Ezekiel 20:25-26 is the Old Testament counterpart of this Romans 1 pattern. The “Statutes” Identified: Pagan Child Sacrifice Verse 26 specifies the practice: burning the firstborn. Torah explicitly forbade child sacrifice (Leviticus 18:21; Deuteronomy 12:31). Yet Israel adopted Canaanite-Moloch worship (2 Kings 16:3; Jeremiah 7:31). Archaeological digs at the Topheth in the Hinnom Valley and parallel Phoenician sites (e.g., Carthage) reveal urns containing charred infant bones—grim confirmation of the practice Ezekiel decries. God’s “giving” here is His permitting them to sink into such rites, then judging them for it. Covenant Curses as “Not Good Ordinances” Deuteronomy 28:15-68 outlines covenant curses—disease, famine, exile—which are called “this law” (v. 61). When Israel broke the covenant, those punitive provisions became operative. Hence God “gave” them covenantal consequences “by which they could not live,” i.e., unable to flourish. Ezekiel merges the ideas of (a) being handed over to pagan customs and (b) enduring covenant curses. Both stand under the umbrella of divine justice. God’s Intent: Discipline Leading to Recognition of His Lordship “So that they would know that I am the LORD” (v. 26). The phrase signals purpose: awakening covenant awareness through severe mercy. Divine judgment aims at repentance (Hosea 5:15; Hebrews 12:10-11). Even exile became a crucible through which a remnant returned to genuine Yahweh worship (Ezra 3:2). Harmonizing with God’s Character God cannot author evil (Habakkuk 1:13; James 1:13). Yet He is sovereign over secondary causes, including human choices and demonic deception, to accomplish righteous ends (Genesis 50:20; Acts 2:23). Ezekiel 20 is an instance of providential government whereby God uses even Israel’s self-inflicted corruption to vindicate His holiness. Christological Fulfillment Israel’s failure underscores humanity’s universal need for a sinless covenant-keeper. Jesus keeps the statutes perfectly and bears the covenant curses on the cross (Galatians 3:13). The resurrection, attested by over five hundred eyewitnesses (1 Corinthians 15:6) and conceded by the majority of contemporary historians, validates God’s ultimate “good statute”: salvation by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). Practical Takeaways • Guard against resisting God’s revealed will; persistent rebellion invites divine “giving over.” • Understand discipline as redemptive, designed to bring recognition of the LORD. • Find hope in Christ, who reverses the curse and empowers obedience from the heart (Ezekiel 36:26-27; Romans 8:4). Conclusion Ezekiel 20:26 does not portray God inventing immoral laws. Rather, it reveals His righteous judgment: handing the obstinate over to the destructive ordinances they lusted after and to the covenant curses they invoked, so that His holiness would be vindicated and, ultimately, that repentant hearts might return to Him. |
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