In his commentary on Ezekiel, Iaian Duguid begins to apply the message of chapter 20 with this observation: “In a world of disposable relationships, it is hard for us to grasp the meaning of a covenant bond. We live increasingly in a culture where people change spouses like former generations used to trade in their cars—whenever they start making noises we don’t care for, or after three to five years, whichever comes sooner.” We are a consumer generation, expecting to have our needs met and desires fulfilled. The one nonnegotiable of our society is the freedom of choice. Even in our understanding of religion, we want to keep our options open, always ready to embrace whatever is working for us at the moment. It’s difficult to imagine an attitude more different from Ezekiel’s! For the prophet, the one nonnegotiable is always God’s choice, not man’s. As God’s chosen people, Israel had a long track record of making dumb choices. Yet despite their unfaithfulness, God would never walk away from Israel. The LORD must remain true to His covenant promises and to His own character. Like Israel, we can choose to rebel against Him, choosing falsehood over truth, facing the consequences of His holy wrath. Nevertheless, God’s kingdom will surely come and His gracious purposes of salvation are forever unshakable. Leaders of the exilic community had come “to inquire of the LORD” through His prophet. But those who truly seek the LORD must seek Him exclusively, and this is what they were failing to do (v 1-4). They were like the generation of Israelites who had defiled themselves with the idols of Egypt (v 5-9). They were like the wilderness generation, refusing to live as God’s distinct people, rejecting the statutes and rules He gave them at Mount Sinai (v 10-26). And they were like generation who lived in the promised land yet worshiped the LORD in their own way rather than submitting to His regulations (v 27-29). In each of these generations, the people of Israel chose death-dealing disobedience rather than obedience to God’s life-giving laws. In each case, they experienced a limited measure of His judgment, but for the sake of His own reputation, God would not destroy them completely (v 9, 14, 22). We too can choose our own idols, if we would rather not listen to God. But the LORD’s purposes will stand. In a second exodus, Israel will be regathered to the land of promise, contrite over their sin. And with the coming of Christ, the second stage will be complete, with pure worship offered by a purified people. Now is the time to seek the true God with all of your heart (v 30-44). For further meditation: