Ezekiel 22:13
Behold, therefore I have smitten mine hand at thy dishonest gain which thou hast made, and at thy blood which hath been in the midst of thee. Behold, therefore I have smitten mine hand at thy dishonest gain which thou hast made, and at thy blood which hath been in the midst of thee.
Ezekiel 22:13 stands among the prophetic warnings uttered before the destruction of Jerusalem, given for correction, denunciation, and reproof. It belongs to the account of Israel's transgressions that brought the people into exile. It belongs to a section of Ezekiel containing searching moral instruction.
The transgressions it denounces include idolatry and Sabbath desecration, which led to Israel's dispersion. Its context shows the priests carried away by pagan apostasy to violate God's law and profane His Sabbath, continuing sun-worship toward the east with their backs to the temple that led prominent men into worship of Tammuz, since sun-worship brought Sunday as its worship day in place of the Sabbath of Jehovah. That pagan apostasy proves paganism is the first division of Babylon, which compels false worship and persecutes true worshipers. Many of the messages in its section are predictions of the last days.
The chapter describes the professed people of God in the last days, where Israel means the people of God and remnant means the last part. They walk in violation of God's precepts and law, if not outwardly then in thought and motive, for the law reaches to the hidden things of the heart. Their uncircumcised ear means unrighteous and unbelieving. From the least to the greatest everyone is given to covetousness, and from prophet to priest everyone deals falsely.
They heal the hurt or breach of God's people slightly, saying Peace, peace when there is no peace, lulling themselves with the cry of peace and safety. They refuse to stand in the ways and ask for the old paths, which are God's commandments, and to walk in the good way, which is His law, saying We will not walk therein. They refuse to hearken to the watchmen and the sound of the trumpet, have no delight in the word of the Lord, and reject His words and His law. Therefore God will bring evil upon them, even the fruit of their thoughts, and sudden destruction will come upon them and they shall not escape. The verse means sin must be forgiven, or it will be consumed.