Ezekiel 20:5-6

Ezekiel 20:5-6

[5] And say  the Lord  GOD;  In the day  when I chose  Israel,  and lifted up  mine hand  unto the seed  of the house  of Jacob,  and made myself known  unto them in the land  of Egypt,  when I lifted  up mine hand  unto them, saying,  I am the LORD  your God;  [6] In the day  that I lifted up  mine hand  unto them, to bring them forth  of the land  of Egypt  into a land  that I had espied  for them, flowing  with milk  and honey,  which is the glory  of all lands: 

What does Ezekiel 20:5-6 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The Lord reminded these elders that He had chosen the Israelites, made Himself known to them, and made promises to them when they were slaves in Egypt ( Exodus 6:2-8; Deuteronomy 7:6-11). Leslie Allen observed that this is Ezekiel"s only reference to God"s election of Israel (cf. Deuteronomy 7:7; Deuteronomy 14:2). [1] The prophet began this historical review with Israel"s history as a nation in Exodus , not with her earlier history as the family of Abraham in Genesis. Yahweh had promised to be the Israelites" God and to bring them out of Egypt and into the very best of lands, which He had selected for them to occupy ( Genesis 12:7; Exodus 3:8; Exodus 3:13-18).