Ezekiel 45:9 - Meaning and Application

Here are general rules of justice for both rulers and people, covering fair treatment in government and in daily trade. Godliness without honesty is only an empty form of religion. It will not please God, and it will not help a nation either.

So God, through the church’s King and Lord, commands this. First, rulers must not oppress their people, but must govern them fairly and faithfully (Ezekiel 45:9). The message is, “Enough of this, you princes of Israel. You have been cruel to the people and grown rich through theft and violence. You have long treated the flock like prey instead of feeding it. From now on, stop.”

Even princes and powerful people who have done wrong for a long time must finally turn from it. They should not excuse themselves by saying they have always done it that way. Long habit does not make a wrong action right. Instead, they should say that the time for such evil has passed, and they must now remove violence and plunder. They should stop unfair demands, cancel harmful customs, and remove from office those who do violence. They should lighten the burdens they have placed on their subjects, and they should carry out justice according to the law, as their office requires.

All rulers are bound to do justice, but especially the princes of Israel, because God says of their people, “They are my people.” That means they rule for God in a special way.

Second, one neighbor must not cheat another in business (Ezekiel 45:10). They must use honest scales for weighing money and goods, an honest ephah for dry goods like grain and flour, and an honest bath for liquids like wine and oil. The ephah and the bath were to be equal, each one-tenth of a homer, or cor (Ezekiel 45:11). The shekel was also fixed here (Ezekiel 45:13) at twenty gerahs, which worked out to a certain standard weight and amount.

From this, the point is clear: God’s people must be careful to deal honestly and fairly in all their business. They must pay what they owe exactly and be very careful not to wrong anyone. Otherwise, they harm both the value of their witness before God and their good name before people.