The Father Judges Idolatry
Ezekiel prophesies to the mountains of Israel, where the high places and altars stand, and is told the slain will fall among their own idols. Yet a remnant survives among the nations and remembers our Father, loathing themselves for what they did.
6 1 The word of our Father came to me:
2 Son of man, turn and face the mountains of Israel and prophesy against them. 3 Say: Mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Sovereign Father. The Sovereign Father says to the mountains and hills, the ravines and valleys: I am bringing a sword against you and will destroy your high places. a a v3 High places were hilltop shrines where Israel practiced pagan worship. 4 Your altars will be demolished, your incense altars smashed, and I will throw down your slain before your idols. 5 I will lay the corpses of Israel's people before their idols and scatter your bones around your altars. 6 Wherever you live, cities will lie in ruins and high places be demolished, so your altars are ruined and desolate, your idols smashed and destroyed, your incense altars cut down, and all you have made wiped out. 7 People will fall slain among you, and you will know that I am your Father.
8 But I will leave a remnant: some will escape the sword among the nations when you are scattered through the lands. 9 Then your survivors will remember me among the nations where they are taken captive — how I was broken by their unfaithful heart that turned from me, and their eyes that lusted after their idols. They will hate themselves for the evil they've done, for all their detestable practices. b b v9 Our Father says his own heart was broken by his children's unfaithfulness — the judgment here flows from wounded love, not cold rejection. 10 And they will know that I am their Father; I did not threaten this disaster on them for nothing.
11 This is what the Sovereign Father says: Clap your hands, stamp your feet, and cry, 'How terrible!' over all the evil, detestable practices of Israel's house, for they will fall by sword, famine, and plague. 12 Those far off will die by plague, those near will fall by the sword, and any survivor left will die by famine. So I will spend my anger on them. 13 Then you will know I am your Father, when their slain lie among the idols around their altars, on every high hill, all the mountaintops, under every green tree and leafy oak — where they offered fragrant incense to all their idols. 14 I will stretch my hand against them, making the land desolate from the wilderness to Riblah, wherever they live. Then they will know I am their Father.
