6 Generations of Israel in Ezekiel 20 & Psalm 106

Here's an inter-textual reading of Ezekiel chapter 20 (excerpts; TLV)
 and Psalm 106 (excerpts, Voice). For each of the six pairings of call and response, the Ezekiel passage is in plain type, and the Psalm portion is in boldface.

Tree of Life Version (TLV) (© 2014 by the Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society) has these advantages for Ezekiel 20: v.26 retains the literal meaning of the original; v.44 ends the chapter, whereas most translations add five more verses.

The Voice translation (© 2012 Thomas Nelson) is my preferred translation for Psalm 106. I've altered v.7 to read “Gulf of Suez”: My translation (as opposed to “Red Sea” or “Sea of Reeds”) is based on Maurice Copisarow’s 1962 article “Ancient Egyptian, Greek and Hebrew Concept of the Gulf of Suez” in Vetus Testamentum, and Bernard Batto’s 1983 article “The Reed Sea: Requiescat in Pace” in Journal of Biblical Literature, and A Handbook on The Book of Psalms by Robert G. Bratcher and William D. Reyburn (United Bible Societies 1991); cf. the note on Exodus 13.18 in The ESV Study Bible ed. by Lane T. Dennis and Wayne Grudem (Crossway 2008).

For both Ezekiel 20 and Psalm 106, Yahweh or Yah will be used as the Divine name appears in the Hebrew.

1st Generation: In the Nation of Idolatry

4b “Make them know the detestable practices of their fathers. . . . 7 I said to them, ‘Each of you must throw away every detestable thing from his eyes, and not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am Yahweh your God.’ 8 But they rebelled against Me and were unwilling to listen to Me. None of them cast away the detestable things that were before their eyes, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. So I resolved to pour out My fury upon them, to expend My anger upon them in the midst of the land of Egypt. 9 But I acted, for the sake of My Name, to keep it from being profaned in the eyes of the nations, where they were, in whose sight I made Myself known to them, to bring them out from the land of Egypt.
6 Like our ancestors, we have sinned; we have done wicked things.
7 When our ancestors were leaving Egypt, they did not consider Your marvelous acts. They forgot Your overwhelming kindness to them, and instead rebelled at the Gulf of Suez.
8 Nevertheless, God saved them for the honor of His name, so He could show His power to the world.

2nd Generation: Adults in the Wilderness

10 So I led them out from the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness. . . . 13 But the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness. They did not walk in My statutes. They rejected My judgments, which if a man does, he will live by them. They greatly profaned My Sabbath. Then I resolved to pour out My fury on them in the wilderness to consume them. 14 But for the sake of My Name I did what would keep it from being profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. 15 Yet I also lifted My hand to them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the splendor of all lands.
13 It didn’t take long for them to forget what He had done. . . .
19 The people made a golden calf in Horeb and bowed to worship an image they had made.
20 They traded the glory of God for the likeness of an ox that eats grass.
21 They forgot about God, their True Savior, who had done great things for them in Egypt . . .
24 At the edge of the beautiful land God had promised them,
 they didn’t trust His words, so they refused to enter. . . .
26 Because of their attitude, He swore, “I’ll leave you where you fall in the desert.”


3rd Generation: Children in the Wilderness

18 “I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, do not keep their ordinances, do not defile yourselves with their idols. . . . 21 But the children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes. They did not keep My ordinances to do them, which if a man does, he will live by them; they profaned My Sabbath. Then I resolved to pour out My fury on them, to expend My anger on them in the wilderness. 22 Nevertheless, I withheld My hand. For the sake of My Name I did what would keep it from being profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. . . . 26 I let them become polluted in their own gifts, when they offered up all that opened the womb to pass through the fire, so that I might make them desolate, so that they would know that I am Yahweh.
28 They ate sacrifices that had been made to lifeless gods. . . .
32 Again they stirred up His anger at the waters of Meribah . . .


4th Generation: In the Promised Land

28 When I brought them into the land, which I lifted up My hand to give to them, they saw every high hill and every leafy tree. There they slaughtered their sacrifices and presented their offensive offering. There they made their soothing aroma and poured out their drink offerings.
37 They even offered their sons and daughters as sacrifices to the demons.
38 The promised land was corrupted by the innocent blood they offered to the idols of Canaan, 
the blood of their very own sons and daughters. 

39 . . . they prostituted themselves to other gods.

5th Generation: In Exile

30 “Will you pollute yourselves after the manner of your fathers and go after their abominations? . . . 32 You say, ‘Let us be like the nations, like the families of the countries, worshiping wood and stone.’ 33 . . . I will be king over you. 34 I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered . . . 36 Just as I judged your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will judge you.” . . . 38 I will purge out the rebels from among you and those who transgress against Me. I will bring them out from the land where they dwell, but they will not enter the land of Israel. So you will know that I am Yahweh.”
41 So He handed them over to the control of foreign nations, to be ruled by people who hated them.
42 Their enemies exploited them, victimized them, and restrained them by abusive power.
43 He delivered them over and over again; however, they were slow to learn and deliberately rebelled. Their sins humbled them and nearly destroyed them.

6th Generation: On the Restored Mt. Zion

39 “Yet afterward, you will surely listen to Me. My holy Name you will no longer profane with your gifts and your idols. 40 For in My holy mountain . . . there the whole house of Israel, all of them, will serve Me in the land. There I will take pleasure in them. There I will receive your offerings, the first of your gifts, with all your holy things. 41 With your sweet aroma I will accept you . . . 42 You will know that I am Yahweh, when I bring you into the land of Israel, into the country where I lifted up My hand to give it to your fathers. 43 There you will remember your ways and all your deeds, by which you defiled yourselves. You will loathe yourselves for all your evil that you have done. 44 Then you will know that I am Yahweh, when I deal with you for My Name’s sake and not according to your evil ways and your corrupt deeds, house of Israel.” It is a declaration of Yahweh.
45 He did not forget His covenant promises to them, but reversed their fortune and released them from their punishment because of His loyal love. . . .
47 Save us, O Eternal One our God, and gather us who are scattered among all the nations, That we may give thanks to Your holy name, and celebrate Your amazing greatness with praise.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.