Warning! Graphic Material - Part III
This is the third part of a four-part series from Ezekiel 16. To remind people, I chose this passage because it is rarely quoted (especially the whole thing) because of the subject material, but also has great teaching points.
So far we have seen God rescue Israel from her pitiful state. In turn we saw Israel respond by prostituting herself. This post shows the response of God (viz. His anger).
In yesterday's post I asked you to see yourself in the place of Israel. If you have done that then view this response as the response you deserve to hear.
35Therefore, O harlot, hear the word of the LORD.
36Thus says the Lord GOD, "Because your lewdness was poured out and your nakedness uncovered through your harlotries with your lovers and with all your detestable idols, and because of the blood of your sons which you gave to idols,
37therefore, behold, I will gather all your lovers with whom you took pleasure, even all those whom you loved and all those whom you hated So I will gather them against you from every direction and expose your nakedness to them that they may see all your nakedness.
38"Thus I will judge you like women who commit adultery or shed blood are judged; and I will bring on you the blood of wrath and jealousy.
39"I will also give you into the hands of your lovers, and they will tear down your shrines, demolish your high places, strip you of your clothing, take away your jewels, and will leave you naked and bare.
40"They will incite a crowd against you and they will stone you and cut you to pieces with their swords.
41"They will burn your houses with fire and execute judgments on you in the sight of many women Then I will stop you from playing the harlot, and you will also no longer pay your lovers.
42"So I will calm My fury against you and My jealousy will depart from you, and I will be pacified and angry no more.
43"Because you have not remembered the days of your youth but have enraged Me by all these things, behold, I in turn will bring your conduct down on your own head," declares the Lord GOD, "so that you will not commit this lewdness on top of all your other abominations.
44"Behold, everyone who quotes proverbs will quote this proverb concerning you, saying, 'Like mother, like daughter.'
45"You are the daughter of your mother, who loathed her husband and children. You are also the sister of your sisters, who loathed their husbands and children. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite.
46"Now your older sister is Samaria, who lives north of you with her daughters; and your younger sister, who lives south of you, is Sodom with her daughters.
47"Yet you have not merely walked in their ways or done according to their abominations; but, as if that were too little, you acted more corruptly in all your conduct than they.
48"As I live," declares the Lord GOD, "Sodom, your sister and her daughters have not done as you and your daughters have done.
49"Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy.
50"Thus they were haughty and committed abominations before Me Therefore I removed them when I saw it.
51"Furthermore, Samaria did not commit half of your sins, for you have multiplied your abominations more than they. Thus you have made your sisters appear righteous by all your abominations which you have committed.
52"Also bear your disgrace in that you have made judgment favorable for your sisters. Because of your sins in which you acted more abominably than they, they are more in the right than you. Yes, be also ashamed and bear your disgrace, in that you made your sisters appear righteous.
53"Nevertheless, I will restore their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, and along with them your own captivity,
54in order that you may bear your humiliation and feel ashamed for all that you have done when you become a consolation to them.
55"Your sisters, Sodom with her daughters and Samaria with her daughters, will return to their former state, and you with your daughters will also return to your former state.
56"As the name of your sister Sodom was not heard from your lips in your day of pride,
57before your wickedness was uncovered, so now you have become the reproach of the daughters of Edom and of all who are around her, of the daughters of the Philistines--those surrounding you who despise you.
58"You have borne the penalty of your lewdness and abominations," the LORD declares.
59For thus says the Lord GOD, "I will also do with you as you have done, you who have despised the oath by breaking the covenant.
Your sin is not a minor indiscretion and is not an accident. It is rebellion against the Lord on High who created you for His glory. He takes your sin personally and you deserve the same fate as Israel (as do I). If you think that this is an over-reaction then your view of Sin and your view of God are too small. If you have an infinite view of God then you must view your transgressions against Him as infinitely heinous.
Tomorrow, in light of all of this, we will see God's response. From what we have seen so far, Israel (and you with her) ought to be cast into hell forever. This passage leaves us with a covenant that we have broken. There is absolutely nothing, at this point, that we can do to fix this. Furthermore, we have no desire to fix it as we love the idea of playing the harlot. However, we have a great God who can solve our greatest problem. Tomorrow we will consider the promise of our Lord.
In Christ alone,
mike
So far we have seen God rescue Israel from her pitiful state. In turn we saw Israel respond by prostituting herself. This post shows the response of God (viz. His anger).
In yesterday's post I asked you to see yourself in the place of Israel. If you have done that then view this response as the response you deserve to hear.
35Therefore, O harlot, hear the word of the LORD.
36Thus says the Lord GOD, "Because your lewdness was poured out and your nakedness uncovered through your harlotries with your lovers and with all your detestable idols, and because of the blood of your sons which you gave to idols,
37therefore, behold, I will gather all your lovers with whom you took pleasure, even all those whom you loved and all those whom you hated So I will gather them against you from every direction and expose your nakedness to them that they may see all your nakedness.
38"Thus I will judge you like women who commit adultery or shed blood are judged; and I will bring on you the blood of wrath and jealousy.
39"I will also give you into the hands of your lovers, and they will tear down your shrines, demolish your high places, strip you of your clothing, take away your jewels, and will leave you naked and bare.
40"They will incite a crowd against you and they will stone you and cut you to pieces with their swords.
41"They will burn your houses with fire and execute judgments on you in the sight of many women Then I will stop you from playing the harlot, and you will also no longer pay your lovers.
42"So I will calm My fury against you and My jealousy will depart from you, and I will be pacified and angry no more.
43"Because you have not remembered the days of your youth but have enraged Me by all these things, behold, I in turn will bring your conduct down on your own head," declares the Lord GOD, "so that you will not commit this lewdness on top of all your other abominations.
44"Behold, everyone who quotes proverbs will quote this proverb concerning you, saying, 'Like mother, like daughter.'
45"You are the daughter of your mother, who loathed her husband and children. You are also the sister of your sisters, who loathed their husbands and children. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite.
46"Now your older sister is Samaria, who lives north of you with her daughters; and your younger sister, who lives south of you, is Sodom with her daughters.
47"Yet you have not merely walked in their ways or done according to their abominations; but, as if that were too little, you acted more corruptly in all your conduct than they.
48"As I live," declares the Lord GOD, "Sodom, your sister and her daughters have not done as you and your daughters have done.
49"Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy.
50"Thus they were haughty and committed abominations before Me Therefore I removed them when I saw it.
51"Furthermore, Samaria did not commit half of your sins, for you have multiplied your abominations more than they. Thus you have made your sisters appear righteous by all your abominations which you have committed.
52"Also bear your disgrace in that you have made judgment favorable for your sisters. Because of your sins in which you acted more abominably than they, they are more in the right than you. Yes, be also ashamed and bear your disgrace, in that you made your sisters appear righteous.
53"Nevertheless, I will restore their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, and along with them your own captivity,
54in order that you may bear your humiliation and feel ashamed for all that you have done when you become a consolation to them.
55"Your sisters, Sodom with her daughters and Samaria with her daughters, will return to their former state, and you with your daughters will also return to your former state.
56"As the name of your sister Sodom was not heard from your lips in your day of pride,
57before your wickedness was uncovered, so now you have become the reproach of the daughters of Edom and of all who are around her, of the daughters of the Philistines--those surrounding you who despise you.
58"You have borne the penalty of your lewdness and abominations," the LORD declares.
59For thus says the Lord GOD, "I will also do with you as you have done, you who have despised the oath by breaking the covenant.
Your sin is not a minor indiscretion and is not an accident. It is rebellion against the Lord on High who created you for His glory. He takes your sin personally and you deserve the same fate as Israel (as do I). If you think that this is an over-reaction then your view of Sin and your view of God are too small. If you have an infinite view of God then you must view your transgressions against Him as infinitely heinous.
Tomorrow, in light of all of this, we will see God's response. From what we have seen so far, Israel (and you with her) ought to be cast into hell forever. This passage leaves us with a covenant that we have broken. There is absolutely nothing, at this point, that we can do to fix this. Furthermore, we have no desire to fix it as we love the idea of playing the harlot. However, we have a great God who can solve our greatest problem. Tomorrow we will consider the promise of our Lord.
In Christ alone,
mike
posted by Mike | 12:10 AM
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