Ezekiel 21:17
I too will strike My hands together, and I will satisfy My wrath.' I, the LORD, have spoken."
I too will strike My hands together,

The Lord’s own gesture answers the violence, idolatry, and rebellion that had filled Jerusalem. God had commanded Ezekiel to clap his hands as a sign that Babylon’s sword would be sharpened and multiplied against the people (Ezekiel 21:14). Now the Lord declares that He Himself will act with settled determination. The coming invasion would not be an accident of history or merely Babylonian ambition; it would be God’s righteous judgment upon His covenant people.

Ezk 22:13 Now look, I strike My hands together against your unjust…
Ezk 6:11 This is what the Lord GOD says: Clap your hands,…
Ezk 25:6 For this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because you clapped…

and I will satisfy My wrath.’

God’s anger would run its appointed course because Judah had persistently despised His law and profaned His worship. His wrath is holy opposition to sin, never uncontrolled passion or injustice. Jerusalem’s fall in 586 BC demonstrated that covenant privilege did not excuse covenant rebellion. Yet judgment did not cancel God’s purposes for His people; through exile He preserved a remnant and prepared the way for future restoration. God’s final provision for sinners is found in Christ, who bore judgment for all who trust in Him.

Ezk 16:42 So I will lay to rest My wrath against you,…
Ezk 24:13 Because of the indecency of your uncleanness…
Ezk 5:13 And when My anger is spent and I have vented My wrath…

I, the LORD, have spoken.”

The covenant God bound His name to the warning, making its fulfillment certain. No political alliance, military defense, or religious ritual could overturn what the Lord had decreed. His word stands over kings and nations, both in judgment and in mercy.

Ezk 24:14 I, the LORD, have spoken; the time is coming…
Ezk 17:24 Then all the trees of the field will know…
Ezk 36:36 Then the nations around you that remain will know…

Persons / Places / Events
1. Ezekiel
A prophet called by God to deliver His messages to the Israelites during their exile in Babylon. He is known for his vivid visions and symbolic actions.

2. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant God of Israel, who is speaking through Ezekiel. He is expressing His judgment and eventual subsiding of wrath.

3. Israel
The nation to whom Ezekiel is prophesying. They are in exile due to their disobedience and idolatry.

4. Babylon
The empire that has taken Israel into captivity. It serves as the instrument of God's judgment against Israel.

5. Judgment
The event of God's wrath being executed upon Israel for their sins, as well as the eventual cessation of that wrath.
Teaching Points
God's Sovereignty in Judgment
God is in control of all events, including the execution and cessation of His wrath. His actions are purposeful and just.

The Seriousness of Sin
Sin provokes God's wrath, and His judgment is a response to human disobedience. This should lead us to repentance and a desire to live righteously.

The Hope of Mercy
Even in judgment, there is hope. God's wrath subsiding indicates His willingness to restore and forgive those who turn back to Him.

The Certainty of God's Word
When God speaks, it is certain to come to pass. His declarations through the prophets are trustworthy and should be heeded.

The Role of Prophets
Prophets like Ezekiel are God's messengers, delivering His word to guide, warn, and encourage His people. We should value and study their messages.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does understanding God's sovereignty in judgment affect your view of current world events?

2. In what ways can you identify with Israel's disobedience, and how can you seek repentance in your own life?

3. How does the concept of God's wrath subsiding give you hope in your personal spiritual journey?

4. What steps can you take to ensure that you are heeding God's word as delivered through the prophets and scripture?

5. How can you apply the lessons from Ezekiel 21:17 to encourage others in their faith, especially those who may feel under God's judgment?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Isaiah 48:9
This verse speaks of God deferring His anger for His name's sake, similar to the subsiding of wrath mentioned in Ezekiel 21:17.

Psalm 78:38
Highlights God's compassion and His tendency to restrain His anger, which parallels the idea of God's wrath subsiding.

Revelation 15:1
Discusses the completion of God's wrath, providing a New Testament perspective on the fulfillment of divine judgment.
Irresistible SlaughterJ.D. Davies Ezekiel 21:1-17
The Sacred Song of the SwordW. Jones Ezekiel 21:8-17
The SwordJ.R. Thomson Ezekiel 21:8-17
People
Ammonites, Ezekiel
Places
Babylon, Jerusalem, Negeb, Rabbah
Topics
Appease, Cause, Caused, Clap, Fury, Hands, Loud, Myself, Rest, Satisfy, Smite, Spoken, Strike, Subside, Wrath
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Ezekiel 21:15

     4838   lightning
     5323   gate

Library
Scriptures Showing the Sin and Danger of Joining with Wicked and Ungodly Men.
Scriptures Showing The Sin And Danger Of Joining With Wicked And Ungodly Men. When the Lord is punishing such a people against whom he hath a controversy, and a notable controversy, every one that is found shall be thrust through: and every one joined with them shall fall, Isa. xiii. 15. They partake in their judgment, not only because in a common calamity all shares, (as in Ezek. xxi. 3.) but chiefly because joined with and partakers with these whom God is pursuing; even as the strangers that join
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Light for them that Sit in Darkness;
OR, A DISCOURSE OF JESUS CHRIST: AND THAT HE UNDERTOOK TO ACCOMPLISH BY HIMSELF THE ETERNAL REDEMPTION OF SINNERS: ALSO, HOW THE LORD JESUS ADDRESSED HIMSELF TO THIS WORK; WITH UNDENIABLE DEMONSTRATIONS THAT HE PERFORMED THE SAME. OBJECTIONS TO THE CONTRARY ANSWERED. 'Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us.'--Galatians 3:13. by John Bunyan--1674 ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. This solemn and searching treatise was first published in 1674, a copy of which is in
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Sundry Sharp Reproofs
This doctrine draws up a charge against several sorts: 1 Those that think themselves good Christians, yet have not learned this art of holy mourning. Luther calls mourning a rare herb'. Men have tears to shed for other things, but have none to spare for their sins. There are many murmurers, but few mourners. Most are like the stony ground which lacked moisture' (Luke 8:6). We have many cry out of hard times, but they are not sensible of hard hearts. Hot and dry is the worst temper of the body. Sure
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12

Saurin -- Paul Before Felix and Drusilla
Jacques Saurin, the famous French Protestant preacher of the seventeenth century, was born at Nismes in 1677. He studied at Geneva and was appointed to the Walloon Church in London in 1701. The scene of his great life work was, however, the Hague, where he settled in 1705. He has been compared with Bossuet, tho he never attained the graceful style and subtilty which characterize the "Eagle of Meaux." The story is told of the famous scholar Le Clerc that he long refused to hear Saurin preach, on the
Grenville Kleiser—The world's great sermons, Volume 3

Ezekiel
To a modern taste, Ezekiel does not appeal anything like so powerfully as Isaiah or Jeremiah. He has neither the majesty of the one nor the tenderness and passion of the other. There is much in him that is fantastic, and much that is ritualistic. His imaginations border sometimes on the grotesque and sometimes on the mechanical. Yet he is a historical figure of the first importance; it was very largely from him that Judaism received the ecclesiastical impulse by which for centuries it was powerfully
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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