Ezekiel 22: Group Study Handout

How to use: read Ezekiel 22 aloud together, then take the questions in order. One page is enough for an evening.

Overview

Yahweh commands the son of man to judge Jerusalem for her bloodshed and abominations (vv. 1-4). The city is guilty of violence and has made idols to defile herself.

Key verse

“I sought for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I would not destroy it; but I found no one.”
Ezekiel 22:30 (WEB)

Outline

Ezekiel 22:1–4 Judgment Against Jerusalem's Bloodshed
Ezekiel 22:5–12 Accusations of Corruption and Violence
Ezekiel 22:13–16 Consequences of Israel's Sin
Ezekiel 22:17–22 Metaphor of Dross and Melting
Ezekiel 22:23–29 Corruption Among Leaders and Prophets
Ezekiel 22:30–31 The Absence of Righteousness

Discussion questions

In v4, what does God call Jerusalem for shedding blood and making idols?
What does God say will happen to Jerusalem in v15 when He scatters them?
In v30, why does God lament that He found no one to stand in the gap?
Why does God compare the leaders to 'wolves ravening the prey' in v27?
When have you felt like you were part of a 'bloody city' in your own community?

Go deeper

Passages that echo Ezekiel 22: Jeremiah 5, Isaiah 59, Ezekiel 13.

Before next time: read Ezekiel 23.