1st January 2025
Pray (ACts) Read (Ezekiel 16 focus 15-58) Message (Alan Burke) This is a long chapter and it begins in a striking fashion with the depiction of an unwanted female child. God had brought his people from a hopeless and hapless situation. Figuratively the Lord is reminding his people what they once were, but how he saw her, adopted her, told her to “live”. He helped her to flourish, she grew, when this child reached maturity he became her husband. No longer was Jerusalem abandoned, unloved, uncared for. Both what God had done in choosing her would have been a striking word picture for all of those in Ezekiel’s day. They would have heard it and understood the grace in what the Lord had shown, how he had not allowed her to die, but more than that, there is much more of the wonder of what the Lord had done for the Lord took him to herself as his wife. The imagery is that of a king taking and preparing the one that he loves, giving her all the best that life has to offer, the clothing that she wore are symbolic of those who served in the temple, he had made her holy, he had set her apart. This is what the Lord had done for his people but as the parable continues we see the ingratitude of his people. They had known the grace of God, but instead of responding with gratitude and relying on him she turned from the Lord, she trusted in her beauty, using what the Lord had given to her to go after idols. The way that the Lord portrays Jerusalem is that she takes everything that she has been given, all that he has lavished upon her and uses it to go after idols, subverting the good gifts. To Jerusalem there was nothing that was sacred not even her children. The depths of idolatry that Jerusalem had sunk was to sacrifice her very children. The corruption, the ingratitude was clear. It had come to this because they had not obeyed the Lord their God, they had not followed the decrees or commands that he had given them. As a result the Lord had brought his judgement upon them. He had already shown forth his judgment and would show it again. Their response was not to look to the Lord to return to him, instead they continued on in the path that they were headed, they looked to the nations around for their security. Each time they did it came at a cost to them but with no gain. In the parabolic language that is used here it traces out the continuing unfaithfulness of Jerusalem, it portrays the apostasy of the people that came at a great cost to their relationship with the Lord who had redeemed them, who had brought them out of their hopeless and hapless situation. They did not look to the Lord their God who had found them abandoned who had given them so much. They gave what they had away with nothing to show for it. The proverb about Jerusalem was true, “like mother, like daughter” (44). Her mother had abandoned her to die, now she was one who not only abandoned her children but offered them as sacrifices and despised her husband who had done so much for her. Even Sodom who is referred to as her younger sister was less depraved than her (47). Do we hear the tragedy in all of this, God’s people who were to live as a light to the nations, who the Lord had taken himself to be his wife were worse than those who knew him not. God’s people were faithless to him in every way throughout the ages in ways that were beyond abhorrent. In all of this there is a warning for the church today, a warning not to look to any other place for our security, not to look to any other source as our guide, instead we are to look to the Lord in all things and obey his word. Jerusalem, the people of God were unfaithful to him, how could they expect his blessing, how can we expect as the church if we are unfaithful to him. We need to be living in accordance with our confession of faith, being the people we claim to be. Pray (acTS) Sing WSC Q76 Which is the ninth commandment? A. The ninth commandment is, Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
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