Ezekiel 20:25-26
Moreover, I gave them statutes that were not good and rules by which they could not have life, and I defiled them through their very gifts in their offering up all their firstborn, that I might devastate them. I did it that they might know that I am the LORD.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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God didn't actually give them bad laws; rather, in His justice, He allowed them to follow their own wicked desires, which led them to adopt the destructive practices of surrounding nations. This abandonment to their own sin, meant to be a consequence, ultimately served to reveal God's power and true identity through their eventual desolation.
The prophet Ezekiel is recounting Israel's long history of rebellion against God, specifically detailing their idolatrous practices. This verse comes after God reminds them that He gave them laws and ordinances through which they could truly live, but they refused to obey. Instead, they embraced the corrupt customs of surrounding nations, leading to their eventual judgment and exile.
How can a good God 'give' people bad statutes? This verse sounds like God Himself is the author of their destruction. But what does it really mean for God to 'give' something in this context?
Ezekiel 20:25 presents a profound theological puzzle: how can God 'give' statutes that are 'not good'? The ancient commentaries help us see this isn't about God commanding evil. Instead, it describes God's judicial action in response to persistent rebellion.
The verse contrasts 'statutes that were not good' with the 'judgments whereby they should not live.' This highlights a fundamental difference between God's life-giving commands and the destructive paths humanity can choose.
Ezekiel 20:25 draws a stark contrast between true life from God and the death that comes from following wrong ways.
Understand the original words
ṭāmēʾ · Hebrew Verb
To make ceremonially or ritually impure, unclean, or common, often through sinful actions or contact with idols. It signifies a loss of holiness and separation from God's presence.
mattānāh · Hebrew Noun
Material goods, sacrifices, or acts of service presented to God or an idol. In a covenantal context, these are meant to be expressions of devotion, but they can be corrupted by misplaced worship.
ʿāḇar · Hebrew Verb
The act of passing through fire or slaughtering as an offering; in this context, it refers specifically to the gruesome practice of human sacrifice to false gods, which was strictly forbidden by the Mosaic Law.
YHWH · Hebrew Noun
Ezekiel's prophetic word to the exiles reveals that 'statutes that were not good' were not originally from God, but were the fatal consequences of Israel's repeated rebellion. God 'gave' them up to these destructive practices as a just judgment for their persistent rejection of His life-giving laws.
c. 1400-1200 BC
Early Israelite settlement and legal development
Following their exodus from Egypt, the Israelites received the Mosaic Law, including statutes and judgments meant to guide them toward life and prosperity. Some scholars suggest that early forms of idolatrous practices may have begun to creep in, particularly in the Transjordanian regions.
c. 931 BC
Division of the Kingdom
After Solomon's death, the united kingdom split into the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. This division often led to increased religious syncretism and vulnerability to foreign idolatrous practices in both kingdoms.
722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Assyrian Exile
The Northern Kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrian Empire. This event served as a stark warning to Judah about the consequences of straying from God's covenant, yet idolatry persisted.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon began deporting Jewish elites, including Daniel, to Babylon. This marked the start of the Babylonian exile, a direct consequence of Judah's continued disobedience.
This passage echoes Ezekiel's idea that God can 'give up' people to their sinful desires as a form of judgment, leading them to practices that are destructive and contrary to His will.
Deuteronomy 28:36This verse describes a consequence of disobedience: being taken captive to a foreign land and serving foreign gods, illustrating how straying from God's ways leads to harmful and 'not-good' statutes imposed by others.
Jeremiah 7:31This passage directly condemns the practice of sacrificing children to Molech, which Ezekiel identifies as one of the 'statutes that were not good,' showing God's abhorrence for such practices.
Psalm 81:12This verse speaks of God giving people over to their own stubborn ways when they refuse to listen to Him, mirroring Ezekiel's message that 'giving' can mean allowing people to follow paths that lead to ruin.
ellicottEzekiel 20:25: "Wherefore I gave them also statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby they should not live;"
(25) Statutes that were not good. —In this verse the general statement is made of which a particular instance is given in the next. The “statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby they should not live,” cannot be the same with those described in Ezekiel 20:11 as “judgments which, if a man do, he shall even live in them.” They are not, therefore, to be understood (as many…
bensonEzekiel 20:25: "Wherefore I gave them also statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby they should not live;"
Ezekiel 20:25-26 . Wherefore I gave them statutes that were not good, &c. — This some understand of the ceremonial law, as if it were given purely to be a check and restraint to that perverse people, consisting of numerous rites and observances, many of which had no intrinsic good in them. “But I conceive,” says Lowth, “the statutes here spoken of to be of a different nature from…
God didn't actually give them bad laws; rather, in His justice, He allowed them to follow their own wicked desires, which led them to adopt the destructive practices of surrounding nations. This abandonment to their own sin, meant to be a consequence, ultimately served to reveal God's power and true identity through their eventual desolation.
The prophet Ezekiel is recounting Israel's long history of rebellion against God, specifically detailing their idolatrous practices. This verse comes after God reminds them that He gave them laws and ordinances through which they could truly live, but they refused to obey. Instead, they embraced the corrupt customs of surrounding nations, leading to their eventual judgment and exile.
The prophet Ezekiel is recounting Israel's long history of rebellion against God, specifically detailing their idolatrous practices. This verse comes after God reminds them that He gave them laws and ordinances through which they could truly live, but they refused to obey. Instead, they embraced the corrupt customs of surrounding nations, leading to their eventual judgment and exile.
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The personal name of the God of Israel, YHWH, revealed to Moses; it signifies His eternal, self-existent, and covenant-keeping nature.
597 BC— this verse
Second Deportation to Babylon
More prominent citizens, including the prophet Ezekiel himself, were exiled to Babylon. This period saw a further breakdown of faithfulness to God's covenant.
586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
The Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and its Temple, completing the exile. This catastrophic event underscored the devastating consequences of rejecting God's statutes for corrupt, life-denying practices.
"Moreover, I gave them statutes that were not good and rules by which they could not have life, and I defiled them through their very gifts in their offering up all their firstborn, that I might devastate them. I did it that they might know…" — God didn't actually give them bad laws; rather, in His justice, He allowed them to follow their own wicked desires, which led them to adopt the destructive practices of surrounding nations. This ab…
