Ez 21:1-17

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Babylon’s terrifying attack (Eze 20:45-21:17)

The usual way to travel from Babylon to Jerusalem was by a semi-circular route that avoided the Arabian desert by following the Euphrates River to the north-west then turning south towards Judah. (See map ‘Near East in the time of Jeremiah.) Ezekiel put himself in the position of the Babylonian army as it moved south into Judah, overrunning and destroying the country as an uncontrollable bushfire. None would escape its terror (Eze 20:45-48).

But the people did not understand Ezekiel’s message (Eze 20:49).

Ezekiel therefore changed his symbol of God’s judgment from fire to a sword. This sword would bring slaughter, not just to Jerusalem but to the whole land of Judah (Eze 21:1-5).

Ezekiel’s display of bitter grief showed his hearers how frightening this coming judgment would be (Eze 21:6-7).

To emphasize his message and illustrate its urgency, Ezekiel gave a dramatic demonstration of a swordsman cutting down his enemy. The Judeans had not heeded when God used a stick to discipline them. He would therefore use the sharpened sword of Babylon to slay them (Eze 21:8-13).

While acting the part of a swordsman, Ezekiel also acted the part of the onlookers, by occasionally clapping his hands at the swordsman’s display. In this way he indicated God’s approval of Judah’s destruction (Eze 21:14-17).