Read Ezekiel
22-23 & James
2
To discover:
As you read note the sins Samaria
and Jerusalem are condemned for.
To ponder:
The LORD asks
Ezekiel if he will judge Jerusalem
for her bloodshed and detestable idolatry. He is to declare that she is doomed
and will become an object of scorn to the nations because of the guilt this has
led to (22v1-5). The princes in Jerusalem
in particular are denounced for holding their parents in contempt, oppressing
foreigners and the needy, despising the things of the temple, and breaking the
Sabbath. Different categories of men are then condemned: those who shed blood,
those who commit idolatry and immorality in breach of God’s laws on sex, who
take bribes, who engage in extortion and forget God (22v6-12). Signifying his
anger, God says he will clap his hands at the unjust gain and bloodshed, asking
if the people will have sufficient courage to endure the day he deals with
them. He promises to put an end to their uncleanness by scattering them amongst
the nations where they will be defiled – presumably by the nations’
uncleanness. Then, he states, they will know he is the LORD (22v13-16).
He continues that Israel
have become like the dross left in a furnace. So he will deal with them
accordingly - burning them up and melting them in his wrath. He states the land
has experienced a drought in this day of his wrath. He then condemns every
category of person: (1) Israel’s royal princes for devouring people like a
lion, and plundering them; (2) her priests for doing violence (perhaps
twisting) to the law, profaning God’s holy things in the temple (no doubt by
allowing idolatrous practices), teaching no difference between clean and
unclean, and not caring about people keeping God’s Sabbaths; (3) her officials
for killing people for gain; (4) her prophets who justify these practices with
false visions; (5) the people more generally, for exhortation, and oppressing
the needy and foreigners (22v17-29). Using a military metaphor, God declares
that in all this he looked for someone who would build up the people’s broken
walls (their spiritual ruin) and stand in the gap (their lack of godliness) so
that God as the enemy would not be able to break in with his wrath. But he
found none, and so will destroy them. The point is that there was no-one who
could bring the people to true repentance. Of course, this highlights the need
of Christ who both renews our hearts into holiness and takes the full force of
God’s wrath upon himself so that we might be protected from it.
What follows is a story of two
daughters who became prostitutes in Egypt
when young. They are named as Samaria
(the northern capital) and Jerusalem
(the southern), who as the united kingdom
of Israel Egypt
before Moses. Whilst still God’s, Ohalah (Samaria) then lusted after the upper
society of Assyria, no doubt in desiring an alliance and shared culture with
them, and defiling herself with their idols. Therefore, God says, he handed her
over to them so they striped and killed her, taking her children away – into
exile. Despite seeing this however, Oholibah (Jerusalem )
was actually even more depraved, not only prostituting herself to Assyria
in this way, but with the Chaldeans (ie. Babylonians), who then came and
defiled her. She is said to have turned away in disgust – referring to Judah ’s
rebellions (see 2 Kgs 18-24), yet still increased her prostitution, recalling
her idolatry in Egypt .
This is described in the most graphic way to emphasize its depravity and
intensity. And we are told that because of all this, God turned from her in
disgust (23v1-21). There is a sense on the individual level too, that those who
come to belong to God can long for and return to their past sins, bringing
judgement upon themselves.
To Oholibah (Jerusalem )
God promises that in his fury at her sin, he will bring her Babylonian and
Assyrian lovers against her in punishment. The very soldiers she lusted after
will therefore attack her, taking away her children into exile, burning and
plundering those remaining, and leaving Jerusalem
naked, exposed, and shamed for what she has done. The reason seems to be that
by this means God will ensure Jerusalem
will no longer look back to Egypt
or engage in her prostitution (23v22-31). He is prepared to use even the
greatest hardships to draw his people to himself from their sin.
Here God uses the familiar language
of “cup” to describe his judgement. The image stresses the depth of judgement Jerusalem
will drink – so much so that she will smash her cup having drained the dregs.
It also stresses the consequences of the judgement in sorrow and ruin like
those of the drunkard. So Jerusalem
will tear the breasts in mourning that were once fondled in grief. God is
clear, because she thrust him from her she must bear the consequences of her
sin, whereas she might have been forgiven if she had only returned to him. So
Ezekiel is commissioned to confront both Samaria
and Jerusalem for their adultery,
violence, idolatry, child sacrifice, defiling of the Sabbath – and of the
temple by entering it after committing idolatry. 23v40-45 pictures the two
cities sending for the envoys of other lands and preparing themselves like lewd
women to offer them what should be offered to God. It adds that they also
received from them goods, no doubt to give a false sense of commitment by way
of an alliance. But although they entered the relationship like adulteresses,
God then determined that the cities in punishment should be used like
prostitutes, so the nations metaphorically slept with them, gaining from them
what they wanted. Picturing a court in Israel ,
God declares that righteous men will sentence them to the penalty of adultery
and murder – which is death. Perhaps the sense is that the righteous should
recognise the fitness of their destruction. So God calls the mob (ie. the
nations) to stone them and cut them down as would have been done with an
adulterer. And again, as with that punishment, it is so that such lewdness
ceases in the wider land, other women (cities) take warning, and these two
cities know that God is the LORD (23v46-49). It’s a warning against such
practices in our day, and a reminder that the most extreme penalties in Israel
were not vindictive, but intended to ensure purity amongst the people and deter
others from the same acts.
Praying
it home:
Praise God for
sending Christ to stand in the gap. Pray that the church today would learn from
what happened to Jerusalem .
Thinking
further:
None
today.
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