Ezek. 16:49-63, Abominations of Jerusalem, Grace of God

It would be good to read this entire chapter.  Again, it is Ezekiel at his best, under the inspiration of the Spirit, painting a graphic and accurate portrait of Jerusalem.  Our desire today is not to study this entire chapter (which we have done elsewhere) but to note a few things in the latter part of the chapter.  The essence of Ezekiel’s portrait is that Jerusalem is a woman, born, left to die, loved and taken by the LORD to make her beautiful, except that she trusted her beauty and engaged in abominations bringing about God’s fury.  Nevertheless, God will be gracious to her and she will come to know the LORD.

·       16:49: Jerusalem is compared to Samaria, her older sister, and Sodom, her younger sister.  When you think of Sodom and God’s judgment on her, why did it happen?  For many, their thoughts go to “Sodomy,” which is mentioned in v50.  But I find the portrait of Sodom in verse 49 to be interesting in that she was guilty in so many other ways, ways that Jerusalem could identify with I suspect.  Pride!  Fullness of food!  And think about this: abundance of idleness!  And they didn’t help the poor and needy!  Is it typical for God to look at these things among the Nations?  Would He be looking for these things in the USA?  By the way, Jesus also spoke of the sins of Sodom, not keying on Sodomy but on everyday lifestyle issues: “they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built” (Lk. 17:28).

·       16:52: The LORD engages in some “moral comparisons.”  Samaria and Sodom were said to be “more righteous” than Jerusalem.  Again, Jesus said something similar in Luke 10:14: “It will be more tolerable in that Day (of judgment) for Sodom than for that city (that heard the preaching of Jesus and His Apostles).” This is not the basis of God’s judgment.  These words are designed to shock God’s people and to encourage their repentance.  Jerusalem could not believe that God, in His anger, would destroy the City He loved and the Temple where He had His dwelling.  They were “self-righteous.”  To be compared with Sodom might just be what was needed to bring self-righteous people to their senses.

·       16:59-60: Judah and Jerusalem despised the oath they made at Mt. Sinai.  They despised the covenant.  NEVERTHELESS (one of those critical “but” words in the Bible, as in Eph. 2:4), God says “I will remember My covenant with you … and I will established an everlasting covenant with you.”  This is all about the Lord Jesus Christ.  First, He fulfilled the Old Covenant, the Law.  Second, He established the New Covenant upon better promises.  “He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Rom. 8:3-4).  Amen and Hallelujah!