Ezekiel 6 The Lord gives Ezekiel an over-view of the sins the Jews are committing against Him and what results his tailored judgements on them will be.
Judgment on Idolatrous Israel
1 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying: 2 “Son of man, set your face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them, 3 and say, ‘O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God! Thus says the Lord God to the mountains, to the hills, to the ravines, and to the valleys: “Indeed I, even I, will bring a sword against you, and I will destroy your high places. 4 Then your altars shall be desolate, your incense altars shall be broken, and I will cast down your slain men before your idols. 5 And I will lay the corpses of the children of Israel before their idols, and I will scatter your bones all around your altars. 6 In all your dwelling places the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate, so that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, your idols may be broken and made to cease, your incense altars may be cut down, and your works may be abolished. 7 The slain shall fall in your midst, and you shall know that I am the Lord.
Now that the Lord has pronounced His judgement of Jerusalem, He turns his attention to the mountains and high places of Israel. Ezekiel is told to set his face in judgement against these. A devastating judgement is coming on these places and especially since these were place associated with God’s presence thus showing that it was bad enough the idolatry being performed but worse still in His face as it were. The Lord will destroy the idolatrous alters, groves with their asherim and any other desecrated areas. Many people will be slain for participating in this pagan worship and once again there will be no doubt that the Lord has instigated this.
8 “Yet I will leave a remnant, so that you may have some who escape the sword among the nations, when you are scattered through the countries. 9 Then those of you who escape will remember Me among the nations where they are carried captive, because I was crushed by their adulterous heart which has departed from Me, and by their eyes which play the harlot after their idols; they will loathe themselves for the evils which they committed in all their abominations. 10 And they shall know that I am the Lord; I have not said in vain that I would bring this calamity upon them.”
Such idolatry has broken God’s heart and his wrath is fast approaching to bring great calamity on the nation yet as ever God chooses to spare a small remnant of His chosen people (as ever).
11 ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Pound your fists and stamp your feet, and say, ‘Alas, for all the evil abominations of the house of Israel! For they shall fall by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. 12 He who is far off shall die by the pestilence, he who is near shall fall by the sword, and he who remains and is besieged shall die by the famine. Thus will I spend My fury upon them. 13 Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when their slain are among their idols all around their altars, on every high hill, on all the mountaintops, under every green tree, and under every thick oak, wherever they offered sweet incense to all their idols. 14 So I will stretch out My hand against them and make the land desolate, yes, more desolate than the wilderness toward Diblah, in all their dwelling places. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.
The Lord instructs the prophet to be very emphatic including his body language when he delivers these messages of the upcoming judgments declaring woe upon all the abominations of Israel. They shall surely die by the sword, famine, or disease. Disease will get those at a distance from Jerusalem, those around the city shall die by the sword and those inside the city will starve to death during the siege. God will make it plain to all that He has instigated all these severe judgements.
Those idolaters on the mountains and high grounds will fall at the very places of their pagan worship where they offered sacrifices to their idols. When the Lord kills them all this will make the land desolate thus suggestions that all the local populations had participated in the various forms of idolatry. Everyone will know sadly too late that this is from God.