The Daddy Made Me Do It (Ezekiel 18:1-32)

It’s just about time for “Don’t Blame Me” bumper stickers.

It doesn’t matter whether things improve or worsen. There’s a strange sense of catharsis in declaring that despite your candidate’s loss, you remain unwavering.

“Don’t Blame Me I Voted For Harris” stickers are available now for $5.95 on amazon.

The 6^th century Jews had a “don’t blame me” proverb. It’s quoted here, in verse two, and in the prophecies of Jeremiah. ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, And the children’s teeth are set on edge.”

It was a protest proverb. The generation of Jews in Judah were soon to be overpowered by the Babylonian empire. They put the blame on their parents.

The LORD stepped in, saying, “You shall no longer use this proverb in Israel” (v3). The LORD holds each person responsible for the way they live their life.

Human beings have been passing the fig ever since Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the serpent. God held all three responsible.

I’ll organize my comments around two points: #1 Accept Your Responsibility & Walk Righteously, and #2 Admit Your Responsibility And Repent For Walking Unrighteously.

#1 Accept Your Responsibility & Walk Righteously (v1-24)

We must address an important question: Do the terms righteousness, unrighteousness, life, and death in this chapter pertain to eternal life, or do they focus on our earthly, temporal existence?

• We immediately think of eternal life at any mention of righteousness. We can’t say enough about the Lord declaring us righteous when we believe in Jesus Christ.
• A Jew reading this would immediately think of righteousness as the practical, daily keeping of God’s Law.

These verses, this chapter, describes how Israel was expected to live on Earth.

In His covenants with Israel, the LORD promised to physically & materially bless the Israelites for obedience, but punish them for disobedience:

• Blessings for obedience included material prosperity, fruitful harvests, protection from enemies, and health.^[1]
• Penalties for disobedience included famine, defeat by enemies, disease, and exile from the Land.^[2]

The Church is nowhere promised physical & material blessings while in our corruptible bodies.

In fact, the apostle Paul makes it clear in Ephesians that we are promised spiritual blessings in heavenly places.

Ezk 18:1  The word of the LORD came to me again, saying,

Ezk 18:2  “What do you mean when you use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying: ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, And the children’s teeth are set on edge’?

Cultural proverbs do not need to make sense, they only need to convey a singular idea. The Jews in Judah were facing a third incursion from King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. They blamed their predicament on the decisions of their parents.

Ezk 18:3  “As I live,” says the Lord GOD, “you shall no longer use this proverb in Israel.

The LORD interrupts and says, “No, nope, no way, absolutely not, not a chance, under no circumstances, never in a million years!”

Ezk 18:4  “Behold, all souls are Mine; The soul of the father As well as the soul of the son is Mine; The soul who sins shall die.

The Titanic sank and 1,514 souls were lost. Maritime and aviation disasters use the word ‘souls’ to be sure everyone is counted, e.g., passengers, crew, etc. The LORD uses ‘souls’ in that same way here. It means people; it means everyone.

From here all the way through verse nineteen the LORD repeats the works of righteousness and the works of unrighteousness that reveal whether a person is obeying or disobeying God’s Law.

Characteristics of the righteous souls include:

• Doing what is lawful and right.
• Not eating on the mountains. (This is referring to attending feasts to pagan gods of nature).
• Not lifting up eyes to the idols of the house of Israel.
• Not defiling your neighbor’s wife.
• Not approaching a woman during her impurity.
• Not oppressing anyone, but restoring to the debtor his pledge.
• Robbing no one by violence, but giving bread to the hungry and covering the naked with clothing.
• Not exacting usury nor taking any increase.
• Withdrawing your hand from iniquity and executing true judgment between man and man.
• Walking in God’s statutes and keeping His judgments faithfully.

Characteristics of the unrighteous person include:

• Eating on the mountains.
• Defiling your neighbor’s wife.
• Oppressing the poor and needy.
• Robbing by violence.
• Not restoring the pledge.
• Lifting your eyes to the idols.
• Committing abomination.
• Exacting usury and taking increase.

The LORD illustrates using the example of a father, his son, and the grandson.

1. God introduces the obedient father (v5-9). His daily walk and work are righteous, resulting in physical and material blessings.
2. His son, however, engages in sin and will face consequences for his own actions, regardless of his father’s righteousness (v10-13).
3. The wicked son’s son observes his father’s sins but chooses righteousness and obedience to God’s Law.

The argument ends where it began. Each individual is accountable for their own actions; righteousness leads to life/blessing while wickedness leads to death/punishment (v14-19).

There is a near-perfect example. Less than 150 years earlier, Judah experienced a succession of kings:

1. King Hezekiah was obedient, walking in righteousness.
2. His son was Manasseh, Israel’s worst king.
3. Manasseh fathered Josiah. He was a great & godly king

This succession of kings serves as a clear refutation of the proverb about sour grapes, demonstrating that each individual is accountable for their own actions.

Ezk 18:20  The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.

Jim Gaffigan usually does a bit in his stand-up comedy where he acknowledges that the audience is probably wondering how many jokes he has on a certain topic. This chapter is more tragedy than comedy, but at some point, we start to wonder how many times God is going to say pretty much the same thing. You are responsible for your own deeds and decisions.

Ezk 18:21  “But if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die.

Ezk 18:22  None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him; because of the righteousness which he has done, he shall live.

If someone makes a mistake, we say he needs to “own” it. If the “wicked” unrighteous person owns his or her sin, they repent and are restored to being blessed by God.

One eye-opening realization is that God holds “all souls” on Earth responsible to obey His Law.

Christians are adept at pointing out that no one can perfectly keep God’s Law. We use it to evangelize because God’s Law condemns us as sinners in need of a Savior. Is God being unfair? Is He asking us to do what we cannot do?

Jesus emphatically said, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till Heaven and Earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled” (Matthew 5:17-18).

Heaven & Earth won’t “pass away” until after Jesus’ Second Coming, and after the one-thousand year Kingdom of God on Earth. We are going to be surprised later in the Book of Ezekiel to learn that human beings will be offering sacrifices in the Millennial Temple.

Jesus equated anger with murder in the heart (Matthew 5:21-22). This reveals our sinful nature and the impossibility of fully keeping God’s Law, highlighting our need for a new heart, as the human heart is deceitful and desperately wicked.

God’s Law reveals our sinfulness, showing that we must repent and believe to be saved, as we cannot keep the Law to secure salvation. Yet, sitting here now, we trust others to obey the law and do not expect to be murdered.

For God to hold us personally responsible for our actions, we must possess free will. As A.W. Tozer stated, “God sovereignly decreed that man should be free to exercise moral choice, and man from the beginning has fulfilled that decree by making his choice between good and evil. When he chooses to do evil, he does not thereby countervail the sovereign will of God but fulfills it, inasmuch as the eternal decree decided not which choice the man should make but that he should be free to make it. If in His absolute freedom God has willed to give man limited freedom, who is there to stay His hand or say, ‘What doest thou?’ Man’s will is free because God is sovereign. A God less than sovereign could not bestow moral freedom upon His creatures. He would be afraid to do so.”

#2 Admit Your Responsibility & Repent For Walking Unrighteously (v23-32)

The Jews were attacking God’s character as someone who takes pleasure in treating people unfairly. Truth is, God treats everyone equally, and is constantly seeking to draw all men to Himself so they might be saved.

• Verse twenty-three: “Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?” says the Lord GOD, “and not that he should turn from his ways and live?
• Verse thirty-two: For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord GOD. “Therefore turn and live!”

Ezk 18:24  “But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? All the righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; because of the unfaithfulness of which he is guilty and the sin which he has committed, because of them he shall die.

The main takeaway here: The righteous man who sins knew the possible consequences and did it anyway.

The consequences of your parents decisions and deeds certainly do affect your life. Some of us has a better upbringing than did others. But you are not determined by it. You choose.

Ezk 18:25  “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ Hear now, O house of Israel, is it not My way which is fair, and your ways which are not fair?

Ezk 18:26  When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity, and dies in it, it is because of the iniquity which he has done that he dies.

Ezk 18:27  Again, when a wicked man turns away from the wickedness which he committed, and does what is lawful and right, he preserves himself alive.

Ezk 18:28  Because he considers and turns away from all the transgressions which he committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die.

Ezk 18:29  Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ O house of Israel, is it not My ways which are fair, and your ways which are not fair?

If parents are to blame for the decisions and deeds of their children, then God is unfair. He he would be holding the sons responsible for things they could not do.

Ezk 18:30  “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways,” says the Lord GOD. “Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin.

Ezk 18:31  Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel?

Ezk 18:32  For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord GOD. “Therefore turn and live!”

Ezekiel looks to Israel’s future, echoing God’s promise through Jeremiah of a New Covenant: His Law written on hearts, forgiveness, and sins remembered no more.

Jesus revealed the New Covenant at the Last Supper, saying, “This cup… is the New Covenant in my blood” (Luke 22:20), signifying His sacrifice would establish it.

Israel’s rejection of Jesus delayed their full participation in the New Covenant. In the mean time the Church enjoys partial participation through the Holy Spirit’s indwelling. God has not forsaken Israel; all Israel will be saved at the end of the Great Tribulation.

There’s one more thing I want to draw from this incredible text.

I am hoping it will be a word of encouragement to many who hear it. For sure you are going to want to highlight it and save it as a favorite.

The righteous father has an unrighteous son; and the unrighteous son has a righteous son.

It is not a hypothetical. It was acted out in the succession of Judah’s Kings.

Many believers endure the deep sorrow of having a prodigal son or daughter.

Part of the heartache is the inevitable, incessant blaming of yourself. You become inconsolable.

Jesus says to you, “The father [shall not] bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.”

We wait in hope that our prodigals would turn & return.

Riddle Me This, Riddle Me That, The Eagle You Picked Does Not Have Your Back (Ezekiel 17)

What do they call pastors in Germany?
German shepherds

What kind of lighting did Noah use on the Ark?
Floodlights

Before Boaz married, what kind of man was he?
He was Ruth-less

I am taken from a mine, and shut up in a wooden case, from which I am never released, and yet I am used by almost everybody.
What am I? Pencil Lead

The LORD tells Ezekiel to pose a rare riddle to the nation of Judah. He had tried many other methods to communicate that their idolatry was ruining them. Maybe this would be their “Aha!” moment.

I’ll organize my comments around two points: #1 Babylon Is Not So Bad When The Lord Wants You Discipled There, and #2 Egypt Is Always Bad Because The Lord Delivered You From There.

#1 Babylon Is Not So Bad

When The Lord Wants You Discipled There (v1-21)

If I said that I went to the University of Babylon, what would you think? Besides Iraq, there’s a Babylon in Illinois, and two in New York.

Ah, but I’m a Christian trying to be clever. What I mean to convey by saying ‘Babylon’ is that my university is not Christian, but worldly.

• Historically, Babylon is the ancient city and world empire that conquered Judah and destroyed Jerusalem in 586BC.
• Biblically, Babylon is synonymous with human pride, idolatry, and the pursuit of power apart from God.
• Spiritually, Babylon is often used as a metaphor for all worldly systems, e.g., its religions, politics, philosophies, psychologies, etc.

Anywhere a believer finds him or herself this side of eternity is Babylon.

Alistair Begg writes we must “realize that the place we are living is less and less like Jerusalem, and more and more like Babylon.”

To understand why Ezekiel’s message isn’t so dire, we look back to the prophet Habakkuk. He recognized Israel’s idolatry and cried out for God’s discipline. God’s response – that He would use the Babylonians to punish Judah – stunned him.

Discipline was well underway when Ezekiel wrote. King Nebuchadnezzar had come twice already to Jerusalem, taking captives.

With that brief background we can ‘riddle me this.’

Ezk 17:1  And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

Ezk 17:2  “Son of man, pose a riddle, and speak a parable to the house of Israel,

The Bible contains many genres: Historical narrative, law, wisdom literature, poetry, songs, prophecy, sermons, speeches, epistles (letters), Gospels, genealogies, covenants, etc. Add to that parables and add to that riddle parables!

Why so many types of literature?

The Creator and Sustainer of life desires to converse with you in every way that might draw you deeper in a relationship with Him.

If singing isn’t your preference, explore historical narratives in the Bible. If Proverbs are challenging, perhaps delve into prophecy. While we should engage with the whole of God’s Word, it’s natural to have personal preferences for certain sections.

A riddle must be heard or read all at once.

Ezk 17:3  and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “A great eagle with large wings and long pinions, Full of feathers of various colors, Came to Lebanon And took from the cedar the highest branch.

Ezk 17:4  He cropped off its topmost young twig And carried it to a land of trade; He set it in a city of merchants.

Ezk 17:5  Then he took some of the seed of the land And planted it in a fertile field; He placed it by abundant waters And set it like a willow tree.

Ezk 17:6  And it grew and became a spreading vine of low stature; Its branches turned toward him, But its roots were under it. So it became a vine, Brought forth branches, And put forth shoots.

Ezk 17:7  “But there was another great eagle with large wings and many feathers; And behold, this vine bent its roots toward him, And stretched its branches toward him, From the garden terrace where it had been planted, That he might water it.

Ezk 17:8  It was planted in good soil by many waters, To bring forth branches, bear fruit, And become a majestic vine.” ’

Ezk 17:9  “Say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Will it thrive? Will he not pull up its roots, Cut off its fruit, And leave it to wither? All of its spring leaves will wither, And no great power or many people Will be needed to pluck it up by its roots.

Ezk 17:10  Behold, it is planted, Will it thrive? Will it not utterly wither when the east wind touches it? It will wither in the garden terrace where it grew.” ’ ”

The legend of characters is thus:

• The first eagle is Babylon, “the city of merchants” (v4).
• The cedar tree and the vine represent the nation of Judah.
• The top of the cedar represents Judah’s king, Jeconiah.
• The seed the first eagle plants is Zedekiah. He was put in charge when King Jeconiah was deposed.
• The second eagle is Egypt.

The first eagle takes the top of the cedar tree and plants it in a foreign land. Babylon exiled Judah’s King Jehoiachin.

The first eagle plants a seed in fertile soil. Nebuchadnezzar replaced King Jehoiachin with his uncle, Zedekiah.

The vine grows but later seeks help from

another eagle. Zedekiah secretly approached Egypt to form an alliance against Babylon.

This disloyalty enraged Nebuchadnezzar. He conquered Egypt, then came the third time to Jerusalem, leveling it.

In verses eleven through twenty-one, the LORD reveals the decision that amped-up His discipline.

Listen for two words, one repeated four times and the other six times.

Ezk 17:11  Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

Ezk 17:12  “Say now to the rebellious house: ‘Do you not know what these things mean?’ Tell them, ‘Indeed the king of Babylon went to Jerusalem and took its king and princes, and led them with him to Babylon.

Ezk 17:13  And he took the king’s offspring, made a covenant with him, and put him under oath. He also took away the mighty of the land,

Ezk 17:14  that the kingdom might be brought low and not lift itself up, but that by keeping his covenant it might stand.

Ezk 17:15  But he rebelled against him by sending his ambassadors to Egypt, that they might give him horses and many people. Will he prosper? Will he who does such things escape? Can he break a covenant and still be delivered?

Ezk 17:16  ‘As I live,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘surely in the place where the king dwells who made him king, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke – with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die.

Ezk 17:17  Nor will Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company do anything in the war, when they heap up a siege mound and build a wall to cut off many persons.

Ezk 17:18  Since he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, and in fact gave his hand and still did all these things, he shall not escape.’ ”

Ezk 17:19  Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “As I live, surely My oath which he despised, and My covenant which he broke, I will recompense on his own head.

Ezk 17:20  I will spread My net over him, and he shall be taken in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon and try him there for the treason which he committed against Me.

Ezk 17:21  All his fugitives with all his troops shall fall by the sword, and those who remain shall be scattered to every wind; and you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken.”

“Covenant” (6x) & “oath” (4x) dominate these verses. Zedekiah swore in God’s name to serve Babylon in peace. He “despised the oath” he had made. He broke it.

The LORD called it “My oath which he despised, and My covenant which he broke…” God rules over the nations. He gives nations delegated authority to act freely. Nebuchadnezzar was appointed by God. He had the authority to depose Jehoiachin and to appoint Zedekiah. It was wrong to break the covenant.

Nebuchadnezzar “took away the mighty of the land, that the kingdom might be brought low and not lift itself up, but that by keeping His covenant it might stand.”

The 6^th century Jews were in danger of extinction. They would not stop sinning without an intervention.  God intervened. As a vassal to Babylon they would enjoy its protection. They would learn humility. They would repent and ultimately return.

Despite his cruelty and temper, King Nebuchadnezzar appointed a Jew, Zedekiah, as governor over Judah, intending to maintain peace with the region.

Zedekiah broke the oath, driven to do so only by a desire to maintain their independence from God.

The Jerusalem Jews were supposed to submit to Babylon, even to exile, as an appropriate and deserved discipline. It was the LORD’s way of preserving them. They instead added oath breaking to their rebellion by seeking an alliance with Egypt.

In Jeremiah 29:1-8, Jeremiah urged them to settle down, build homes, marry, and seek the welfare of the city where they’ve been exiled.

We live in Babylon. Another Jeremiah, David Jeremiah, said, “We live in a world that is becoming more like Babylon every day – a world that is self-absorbed, materialistic, and hostile to the ways of God.”

The Church will live in spiritual Babylon until the resurrection and rapture, after which our forever home, the New Jerusalem, will appear.

Living in Babylon means being thrown into fiery furnaces and spending nights with lions, but also experiencing the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit.

We all know enough about Daniel to know that he bore abundant fruit for the Lord. He was taken captive in the first of Babylon’s incursions. When we first meet him, Daniel is in his teen years.

We don’t see him demanding his rights, wanting to be transferred to another group of Magi, or taking advantage of situations for his own advancement. He makes no escape attempts. Babylon was where the LORD had placed him. It was God’s will.

Remember what we learned in Ezekiel 16. The spiritual fruit of love requires adversity. You will never know self control unless you are in situations where you might lose control. That’s Babylon.

Kirk Lazarus wisely warned, “You never go full idolater.” God protected His nation. Don’t argue with where God places you – it may be to save you from sin.

#2 Egypt Is Always Bad
Because The Lord Delivered You From There (v22-24)

Egypt illustrates the flesh. The “flesh” refers to the inherent human inclination toward sin and opposition to God’s will. When you believe Jesus for your salvation, you receive a new spirit and the permanent indwelling of God the Holy Spirit. However, your new spirit and the Holy Spirit dwell within your earthly physical body. You quickly find that “the good that [you] will to do, [you] do not do; but the evil [you] will not to do, that [you] practice.”

We will struggle with the flesh daily until the Lord takes us home or returns to give us new, heavenly bodies and end sin forever.

The closing verses give us a glimpse of future glory.

Ezk 17:22  Thus says the Lord GOD: “I will take also one of the highest branches of the high cedar and set it out. I will crop off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and will plant it on a high and prominent mountain.

Ezk 17:23  On the mountain height of Israel I will plant it; and it will bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a majestic cedar. Under it will dwell birds of every sort; in the shadow of its branches they will dwell.

In the riddle, the highest branch represents the king, and the “prominent mountain” refers to the hill where Jerusalem stands. This is the future reign of the Messiah, who we know is Jesus.

Ezk 17:24  And all the trees of the field shall know that I, the LORD, have brought down the high tree and exalted the low tree, dried up the green tree and made the dry tree flourish; I, the LORD, have spoken and have done it.”

It reminds me of the Christmas story, The Three Trees. Though humbled when they were not crafted into anything grand, they were later exalted as the wood for the manger, the fishing boat of Galilee, and the Cross.

Humility is a theme running all through the story of Jesus:

• He humbled Himself in the Garden of Eden, promising to be the Seed of the woman who would redeem Creation & Created.
• He humbled Himself in coming as a man who will remain fully God and fully man for all eternity.
• Ultimately He humbled Himself by dying on the Cross for our sins.

From eternity to eternity, Jesus is humble. When I’m not humble, I’m not like Jesus. When something or someone lacks humility, that’s not Jesus.

Egypt beckons. It’s like the sirens in mythology whose enchanting singing lured sailors to shipwreck & death.

We are always on the verge of “adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like…” (Galatians 5:19-21).

Christian recording artist Keith Green asked, “So you wanna go back to Egypt?”

We all do from time-to-time. There is no religion, or psychology, or politics, or philosophy, that is at all helpful in your Christian walk. Our help comes from the Lord. He goes to great lengths to design our circumstances so that we might be planted there and bear fruit by abiding there. Not so we can turn aside and become shipwrecked.

We can finish with this quote from Edwin Lutzer:

“Christians today are faced with at least three ways to respond: (1) Assimilate the secular culture, (2) Isolate from the secular culture, or (3) Engage the secular culture. In light of the Gospel, the only choice for the Christ follower is to engage.”

Substitute the word abide for engage and get to bearing fruit where you’re planted.

You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby, But Harlot, Look At You Now (Ezekiel 16:1-63)

“From rags to riches.”

It’s a genre beloved by every generation and culture that values great storytelling.

Cinderella immediately comes to mind. But which version? There are at least 345 variants of the story in Europe. The Brothers Grimm version is dark. To fit into the slipper, one stepsister cuts off her toes, and the other cuts off her heel. Both are exposed when the birds alert the prince to the blood in the shoe.

Israel is a rags to riches story told by the LORD.

The LORD found an abandoned baby, saved her life, and gave her a future. As she grew into a beautiful young woman, they became betrothed and later married.

Finish this sentence: “So they lived ___________ .”

Here is how it is finished in Ezekiel. “So they were married and Israel proved herself to be an insatiable idolater, an adulterous wife, a brazen harlot, and a murderer of her own children.”

Would the Babylonian invasion be the stoning she deserved for being caught in her adultery?

Israel was faithless but God remains faithful to keep His promises. In verse sixty we read, “Nevertheless I will remember My covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you.”

• We’ll start with the baby, in verses 1-6.
• Next Israel is betrothed, in verses 7&8.
• Next, Israel is the LORD’s bride, in verses 9-11.
• Next, she is His wife, in verses 12-14.
• After that the once beautiful bride is a “brazen harlot,” and a “sister” to the city of “Sodom.”

Ezk 16:1  Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

Ezk 16:2  “Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations,

Captain America calls SpiderMan “Queens” because that is where he is from. Throughout this chapter Ezekiel addresses Israel, all 12 tribes, as “Jerusalem.”

This story is about Israel, and that ain’t us. But does the Lord love us any less? Are not you & I chosen by Him? Do we not start-out being born again, as babes in Jesus Christ? Are we not betrothed?

And, regrettably, are we not capable of spiritual adultery & harlotry?

Ezk 16:3  and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD to Jerusalem: “Your birth and your nativity are from the land of Canaan; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite.

Jerusalem was a Canaanite city in the Promised Land. The Israelites could not capture it until David came along.

Jesus, the greater son of David, will establish Jerusalem as the world’s capital during the Millennial Kingdom and into eternity. The “New Jerusalem” is the heavenly city we should anticipate along our pilgrim journey home.

Ezk 16:4  As for your nativity, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed in water to cleanse you; you were not rubbed with salt nor wrapped in swaddling cloths.

Ezk 16:5  No eye pitied you, to do any of these things for you, to have compassion on you; but you were thrown out into the open field, when you yourself were loathed on the day you were born.

Some birth customs are listed. This isn’t a class on 6^th century Bible Manners & Customs. It is a poignant plea for God’s beloved to repent and return.

Has anyone here, maybe a fire-fighter, found an abandoned baby? What would it be like? In a word, it would be emotional.

It’s important to avoid attributing unbiblical traits to God, but we shouldn’t be so cautious that we overlook God’s emotional depth. The narrative begins with a vulnerable infant that affected the LORD. It is intended to tug at our heartstrings.

Ezk 16:6  “And when I passed by you and saw you struggling in your own blood, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ Yes, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’

In the story, this two-fold exclamation to “Live!” is a shout expressing a two-fold commitment to provide life, and to provide a life for this baby.

Humans are born physically alive but spiritually dead due to sin. God offers spiritual life through Jesus Christ, who lived, died, and rose again to bring many to glory.

The baby to whom the LORD gave life grew and was betrothed to Him.

Ezk 16:7  I made you thrive like a plant in the field; and you grew, matured, and became very beautiful. Your breasts were formed, your hair grew, but you were naked and bare.

Israel was “naked and bare” as the baby. The LORD had taken her in to grow into this beautiful woman.

Ezk 16:8  “When I passed by you again and looked upon you, indeed your time was the time of love; so I spread My wing over you and covered your nakedness. Yes, I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine,” says the Lord GOD.

In the Bible, the act of spreading one’s garment over another symbolizes a legal engagement. Ruth asked Boaz to take her under his wing, requesting him to marry her.

Couples still try for outrageous marriage proposals. You can forget scuba diving and skydiving. Russian Alexey Bykov staged his own death to propose to his girlfriend, Irena. He hired a film director and stuntman to orchestrate a fake car accident, complete with an ambulance. When Irena arrived and believed he had died, Alexey emerged to propose. She said “Yes!”

Here comes the bride!

Ezk 16:9  “Then I washed you in water; yes, I thoroughly washed off your blood, and I anointed you with oil.

Ezk 16:10  I clothed you in embroidered cloth and gave you sandals of badger skin; I clothed you with fine linen and covered you with silk.

Ezk 16:11  I adorned you with ornaments, put bracelets on your wrists, and a chain on your neck.

• If you are a believer, you are “cleansed with the washing of water by the word, that Jesus might present you to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that you should be holy and without blemish (Ephesians 5:26-27). Charles Swindoll writes, “Just as clear, fresh water cleanses our bodies, God’s written Word washes us clean deep down inside our souls. It purifies our thoughts, scrubs our motives, and cleans our conscience as we absorb it and obey its truths.”
• You have been “anointed” by receiving the permanent indwelling of God the Holy Spirit. You are a light to the world that can never exhaust its supply of oil.

• You have been clothed with a robe of righteousness. You receive it by grace at the Cross. The Lord gives you this robe in exchange for the filthy garments you wear. The Lord then adorns your robe with the good works He performs through you (Revelation 19:8).

Ezk 16:12  And I put a jewel in your nose, earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head.

Body piercings are biblical!

Ezk 16:13  Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth. You ate pastry of fine flour, honey, and oil. You were exceedingly beautiful, and succeeded to royalty.

Ezk 16:14  Your fame went out among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through My splendor which I had bestowed on you,” says the Lord GOD.

Wow! Talk about an extreme makeover! What more could the LORD have done?

What more could Jesus do for you than He has already done?

Ephesians 1:1-14 lists numerous spiritual blessings Christians have in Christ:

• From God the Father (v3-6) we are chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world (v4); holy and blameless in His sight (v4); predestined for adoption as His children through Jesus Christ (v5); grace freely given in the Beloved (v6).

• Through Jesus Christ (v7-12) we have redemption through His blood (v7); forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace (v7); the mystery of His will revealed to believers (v9); all things united in Christ, both in Heaven and on Earth (v10); and an inheritance as God’s people (v11).

• By the Holy Spirit (v13-14) we are sealed with the Holy Spirit, guaranteeing salvation (v13); a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until redemption (14).

From here on is about a 15 minute read. We’ll need to summarize. Two scathing descriptions of Jerusalem dominate the verses:

1. From verses 15 through 41 the LORD calls His wife a “harlot” ten times.
2. The cities of Samaria & Sodom are called Jerusalem’s mother & sister from verse 46 through verse 55.

Drop down to verses 20&21. We see the depth and depravity of Israel’s whoredoms.

Ezk 16:20  “Moreover you took your sons and your daughters, whom you bore to Me, and these you sacrificed to them to be devoured. Were your acts of harlotry a small matter,

Ezk 16:21  that you have slain My children and offered them up to them by causing them to pass through the fire?

We’ve discussed infant sacrifice. Molech’s idol had outstretched, red-hot arms where babies were placed to burn. There was no wriggling, no screaming. The parents first killed their baby, probably by slitting his or her throat.

Why would someone kill a baby? Why would they celebrate killing a baby as a right? Why would a society allow it to happen?

Shouldn’t God do something about it?

The LORD delineates Israel’s whoredoms from verse 22 through verse 43.

God condemns sexual sin and judges it. The narrative here is not about a judge but a husband whose spouse is unfaithful. He reveals the profound emotional pain caused by her betrayal.

Adultery is a profoundly injurious sin. So grievous is its impact that Jesus acknowledged it as providing biblical grounds for divorce, despite God’s deep hatred of divorce.

Drop way down to v44… In the next long section, through verse fifty-eight, the LORD calls the cities of Samaria and Sodom Jerusalem’s “mother” and “sisters.”

It’s common to rank cities, e.g., best and worst places to live. I’ve previously mentioned that my hometown, San Bernardino, is currently considered the worst city in California.

Jerusalem held that honor and was worse even than Samaria & Sodom.

What was so bad about Samaria? When Israel split and became two nations, King Ahab established Baal worship in Samaria.

God prescribed the way He was to be worshiped in the Old Testament. We have great freedom in the New Testament, seeing how our physical bodies are the Temple of the Holy Spirit. But the gathered church is also the Temple of the Holy Spirit. We must be mindful to worship Him in spirit and in truth.

A megachurch pastor put on a Die Hard themed Christmas service where he reenacted a famous scene. Dressed as John McClane, he emerged from an air duct and lit a cigarette.

Drop down to verses 49&50…

Ezk 16:49  Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.

Wait… I thought that homosexuality was the cause of Sodom’s destruction? Folks who think homosexuality is not condemned in the Bible use this verse. Keep reading!

Ezk 16:50  And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit.

The Hebrew word translated abomination is the same word that appears in Leviticus 19:22, where it most definitely is homosexuality.

Biblical marriage is a covenant of companionship between one biological man and one biological woman in a monogamous, heterosexual relationship intended to last a lifetime. This union is characterized by mutual submission to God and to each other in their respective biblically defined roles as husband and wife. Sexual activity is to occur exclusively within this marital relationship.

Verse 53…

Ezk 16:53  “When I bring back their captives, the captives of Sodom and her daughters, and the captives of Samaria and her daughters, then I will also bring back the captives of your captivity among them,

Sodom & Samaria will be restored when Israel is restored in the Kingdom of God on Earth.

A material Kingdom, ruled by Jesus after His Second Coming, with Jerusalem as its capital, is going to be established for one thousand years.

Verse 60…

Ezk 16:60  “Nevertheless I will remember My covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you.

Ezk 16:61  Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed, when you receive your older and your younger sisters; for I will give them to you for daughters, but not because of My covenant with you.

Ezk 16:62  And I will establish My covenant with you. Then you shall know that I am the LORD,

Ezk 16:63  that you may remember and be ashamed, and never open your mouth anymore because of your shame, when I provide you an atonement for all you have done,” says the Lord GOD.’ ”

Despite their unfaithfulness, God will keep His unconditional promises. During the final days of the Great Tribulation, two-thirds of the Jews will perish, and the surviving third will hide. On the brink of extermination, they cry out to the Lord. Jesus comes, glorified and glorious, and saves them as they receive Him.

We want our judges to be impartial & unemotional in applying the law. God is more than Judge. The Father is husband to Israel, and Jesus the Bridegroom to the Church.

When we yield to sin, we break God’s Law; Do we not also ‘break’ God’s heart?