Ezekiel 21:26
This is what the Lord GOD says: 'Remove the turban, and take off the crown. Things will not remain as they are: Exalt the lowly and bring low the exalted.
This is what the Lord GOD says:

Ezekiel delivers God’s own judicial decree against Jerusalem and its ruler. The coming judgment rests on the Lord’s authority and will certainly be accomplished.

Ezk 3:11 Go to your people, the exiles; speak to them…
Jer 2:2 “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem……
Isa 7:7 But this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘It will not arise;…

‘Remove the turban, and take off the crown.

The turban and crown represent the priestly and royal order centered in Jerusalem. Zedekiah, Judah’s final king before the Babylonian destruction, would lose his throne, and the nation’s corrupted leadership would be stripped of its honor. Yet God’s covenant promise to David was not cancelled; it awaited the rightful King, Jesus Christ, who unites perfect priesthood and kingship.

Exo 29:6 Put the turban on his head and attach the holy diadem…
Job 19:9 He has stripped me of my honor and removed the crown…
Psa 89:39 You have renounced the covenant with Your servant…

Things will not remain as they are:

The established order in Judah would be overturned through Babylon’s siege and Jerusalem’s fall. Sin had made the nation’s outward religious and political structures empty of faithfulness, and God would bring decisive change.

Dan 2:21 He changes the times and seasons; He removes kings…
Job 12:19 He leads priests away barefoot and overthrows……
1Sa 2:4 The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble…

Exalt the lowly and bring low the exalted.

The Lord judges human pride and raises those who depend upon Him. Jerusalem’s leaders, secure in rank and power, would be humbled, while those brought low would find that God still rules over history. This pattern reaches its fullest revelation in Christ, who humbled Himself in obedience and was exalted by the Father.

Psa 75:7 but it is God who judges; He brings down…
Luk 1:52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones,…
Psa 113:7-8 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy…

Persons / Places / Events
1. Ezekiel
A prophet during the Babylonian exile, Ezekiel is the mouthpiece of God, delivering messages of judgment and restoration to the people of Israel.

2. The Lord GOD
The sovereign God of Israel, who speaks through Ezekiel, declaring His will and judgment upon the nation and its leaders.

3. The Turban and the Crown
Symbols of priestly and kingly authority in Israel. Their removal signifies the end of the current order and the judgment upon the leaders.

4. The Lowly and the Exalted
Represents a reversal of fortunes, where those who are humble and oppressed will be lifted, and those who are proud and powerful will be brought down.

5. Babylonian Exile
The historical context in which Ezekiel prophesied, a time of great upheaval and judgment for Israel due to their disobedience.
Teaching Points
God's Sovereignty in Judgment
God has the authority to remove and establish leaders. We must recognize His ultimate control over earthly powers.

Reversal of Fortunes
God often works in ways that overturn human expectations. We should be prepared for God to act in unexpected ways in our lives.

Humility Before God
The exaltation of the lowly and the humbling of the exalted remind us to live humbly, trusting in God's timing and justice.

Repentance and Restoration
The removal of the turban and crown signifies the need for repentance. True restoration comes when we align ourselves with God's will.

Hope in God's Justice
Even in times of judgment, there is hope for those who remain faithful. God's justice will ultimately prevail.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the removal of the turban and crown in Ezekiel 21:26 symbolize God's judgment on Israel's leadership, and what can we learn about God's view of authority?

2. In what ways does the theme of reversal in Ezekiel 21:26 challenge our understanding of power and humility in our own lives?

3. How can we apply the principle of "exalting the lowly and bringing low the exalted" in our interactions with others, especially in positions of leadership or influence?

4. Reflect on a time when you experienced a reversal of fortunes. How did this experience shape your understanding of God's sovereignty and justice?

5. How do the connections to other scriptures, such as 1 Samuel 2:7-8 and Luke 1:52, enhance our understanding of God's consistent character throughout the Bible?
Connections to Other Scriptures
1 Samuel 2:7-8
This passage speaks of God bringing down the proud and lifting the humble, echoing the theme of reversal found in Ezekiel 21:26.

Luke 1:52
Mary's Magnificat reflects the same principle of God exalting the humble and bringing down rulers, showing the consistency of God's character throughout Scripture.

James 4:10
Encourages believers to humble themselves before the Lord, who will lift them up, aligning with the message of reversal in Ezekiel.
The All-Controlling Providence of GodJ.D. Davies Ezekiel 21:18-27
The Approaching JudgmentW. Jones Ezekiel 21:18-27
The Impartiality of Divine JusticeJ.R. Thomson Ezekiel 21:18-32
National RevolutionsW. Leask.Ezekiel 21:26-27
The Christian Philosophy of RevolutionM. B. Hope, D. D.Ezekiel 21:26-27
The Divine ReversalJ.R. Thomson Ezekiel 21:26, 27
People
Ammonites, Ezekiel
Places
Babylon, Jerusalem, Negeb, Rabbah
Topics
Abase, Abased, Aside, Bear, Crown, Diadem, Exalt, Exalted, Head-dress, Holy, Lifted, Longer, Low, Lowly, Mitre, Remove, Removed, Says, Thus, Turban, Turn
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Ezekiel 21:26

     5280   crown

Ezekiel 21:24-26

     4925   delay, divine

Ezekiel 21:24-27

     8807   profanity

Ezekiel 21:25-26

     5158   head-covering

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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