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BIBLE
STUDY LESSON
For
the week beginning Sunday December 7, 2014
JERUSALEM
DEPICTED AS AN UNFAITHFUL WIFE
(GOD’s
judgment on her prostitution)
Ezekiel
16-17
Being “chosen” was never supposed to
be used by the Jewish people as a source of “pride”, but rather, it was
supposed to be a reminder of how gracious GOD was to them when HE took
something that had rendered itself to be useless and unwanted (the useless vine
in chapter 15), gave it life, and then, made it into something beautiful,
powerful, and respected, throughout the world.
In Ezekiel 16, GOD gave
HIS prophet Ezekiel a message that strongly depicts Jerusalem as “an unfaithful
wife” who prostituted herself at “no charge” to her clients. Here GOD says that
the Israelites were acting no different than the Canaanite people, that HE had
replaced with them, and that, they were acting as if their father were an
Amorite, and their mother a Hittite (Vs.1-3).
In ancient times,
female off springs were often unwanted, and were sometimes abandoned and left
to die (Vs.4-5). Here GOD uses this unpleasant fact of life to depict the way
HE found Israel. HE says they were abandoned at birth and no one took the
slightest interest in their welfare. GOD found them, gave them life, and helped
them to thrive as they grew into “a beautiful jewel”. GOD clothed them,
nourished them, adorned them, made a covenant with them, and made them HIS own
(Vs.6-14).
Taking up at verse 15,
against the backdrop of all of GOD’s grace, Israel suddenly decided that she
could live without having GOD fully involved in her life, and her pride slowly
led her from under the protection of GOD, and into the vulnerable atmosphere of
the world. She became like a prostitute who wouldn’t collect her fee, because
she had become blinded to the fact of her own immorality. In fact, she was now actually
paying the pagan partners of her “spiritual prostitution”, by using the very
jewels, silver, and gold that GOD had given her, to build statutes and shrines
for the men she grew to worship in the world (Vs.15-19).
The orphaned child
(Israel) that GOD had saved and enriched beyond measure, was now abandoning
HIM, becoming a spiritual and moral prostitute, who was exhibiting unbridled
passion for the world around her. And the fact that GOD had raised her up to
the highest pinnacle possible in life (GOD’s chosen people), made her actions
all the more reprehensible, and her judgment, all the more certain.
Beginning in verse 35
Ezekiel delivers this resounding message of judgment against Judah for her
immoral acts against the GOD WHO raised her up and gave her hope:
“Therefore, you prostitute, listen
to this message from the Lord!
This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you have poured out your lust and exposed yourself in
prostitution to all your lovers, and because you have worshiped detestable
idols, and because you have slaughtered your children as sacrifices to your
gods, this is what I am going to do. I will gather together
all your allies—the lovers with whom you have sinned, both those you loved and
those you hated—and I will strip you naked in front of them so they can stare
at you. I will punish you for your
murder and adultery. I will cover you with blood in my jealous fury. Then I will give you to these many nations who are
your lovers, and they will destroy you. They will knock down your pagan shrines
and the altars to your idols. They will
strip you and take your beautiful jewels, leaving you stark naked. They will band together in a mob to stone you and cut you up with
swords. They
will burn your homes and punish you in front of many women. I will stop your
prostitution and end your payments to your many lovers” (Vs.35-41-NLT).
GOD’s
judgment upon Judah would put an end to her prostitution, and only after her
destruction would the LORD’s jealous anger be satisfied. And don’t think that GOD
is being petty or vindictive in HIS actions against Jerusalem. GOD meting out
judgment is a very essential part of HIS holiness.
Starting
in verse 46, we see the second part of Ezekiel’s parable being laid out. It is
an analogy between Jerusalem and her sisters, Samaria and Sodom. Whereas
Jerusalem already had a proverb concerning her fate, here GOD gives her another
one, which says, “Like mother, like daughter” (v.44). It meant that “the traits
of the parent were seen in the children”, and that Judah’s actions were
characteristic of her heritage. Here GOD tells Judah, through Ezekiel, that;
“Your older sister was Samaria, who lived with her daughters in the
north. Your younger sister was Sodom,
who lived with her daughters in the south. But you have
not merely sinned as they did. You quickly surpassed them in corruption.
As surely as
I live, says the Sovereign Lord, Sodom and
her daughters were never as wicked as you and your daughters. Sodom’s sins were
pride, gluttony, and laziness, while the poor and needy suffered outside her
door. She was proud and committed detestable sins, so I wiped
her out, as you have seen. “Even Samaria did not commit half
your sins. You have done far more detestable things than your sisters ever did.
They seem righteous compared to you. Shame
on you! Your sins are so terrible that you make your sisters seem righteous,
even virtuous. “But someday I will
restore the fortunes of Sodom and Samaria, and I will restore you, too. Then
you will be truly ashamed of everything you have done, for your sins make them
feel good in comparison. Yes, your sisters, Sodom and Samaria,
and all their people will be restored, and at that time you also will be
restored. In your proud days you held
Sodom in contempt. But now your greater wickedness has been
exposed to all the world, and you are the one who is scorned—by Edom and
all her neighbors and by Philistia. This is your punishment for all your
lewdness and detestable sins, says the Lord” (Vs. 46-58 – NLT).
All three of the cities
mentioned, Samaria, Sodom, and Jerusalem could be likened to each other,
because all three had chosen the lifestyle of a prostitute against GOD, by way
of their idolatry and other sins. Sodom was destroyed by fire from Heaven
(Genesis 18-19), and Samaria, at one time, the capital city of Northern Israel,
was destroyed by the Assyrians in 722 B.C., and so, how could Jerusalem, whom
GOD says had done much worse than those
other two, expect to fare any better than they did?
And even though the people of
Israel never showed any real commitment to GOD’s covenant, GOD certainly did
show HE was committed to them. That is why the restoration of Jerusalem would
be assured, and GOD would actually go beyond this mess with HIS wife, Israel,
and make an atonement so great, that it would not only reclaim HIS chosen
people, but would also draw to HIMSELF, all the Gentile nations of the world,
as well.
In Ezekiel 17 we find the
parable, or the “allegory” (hidah) of the two eagles. These parables depict the
rebellion of King Zedekiah of Jerusalem, against King Nebuchadnezzar, the
Babylonian king whom GOD appointed to ultimately destroy Jerusalem in 586 B.C.
In verse 2 Ezekiel is told by
GOD to deliver this message (Vs.3-10), in the form of a riddle, to the people
of Israel;
“A great eagle with broad wings and long
feathers,
covered with many-colored plumage,
came to Lebanon.
He seized the top of a cedar tree
and plucked off its highest branch.
He carried it away to a city filled with merchants.
He planted it in a city of traders.
He also took a seedling from the land
and planted it in fertile soil.
He placed it beside a broad river,
where it could grow like a willow tree.
It took root there and
grew into a low, spreading vine.
Its branches turned up toward the eagle,
and its roots grew down into the ground.
It produced strong branches
and put out shoots.
covered with many-colored plumage,
came to Lebanon.
He seized the top of a cedar tree
and plucked off its highest branch.
He carried it away to a city filled with merchants.
He planted it in a city of traders.
He also took a seedling from the land
and planted it in fertile soil.
He placed it beside a broad river,
where it could grow like a willow tree.
It took root there and
grew into a low, spreading vine.
Its branches turned up toward the eagle,
and its roots grew down into the ground.
It produced strong branches
and put out shoots.
But then another great
eagle came
with broad wings and full plumage.
So the vine now sent its roots and branches
toward him for water,
even though it was already planted in good soil
and had plenty of water
so it could grow into a splendid vine
and produce rich leaves and luscious fruit.
with broad wings and full plumage.
So the vine now sent its roots and branches
toward him for water,
even though it was already planted in good soil
and had plenty of water
so it could grow into a splendid vine
and produce rich leaves and luscious fruit.
“So now the Sovereign Lord asks:
Will this vine grow and prosper?
No! I will pull it up, roots and all!
I will cut off its fruit
and let its leaves wither and die.
I will pull it up easily
without a strong arm or a large army.
But when the vine is transplanted,
will it thrive?
No, it will wither away
when the east wind blows against it.
It will die in the same good soil
where it had grown so well.”
Will this vine grow and prosper?
No! I will pull it up, roots and all!
I will cut off its fruit
and let its leaves wither and die.
I will pull it up easily
without a strong arm or a large army.
But when the vine is transplanted,
will it thrive?
No, it will wither away
when the east wind blows against it.
It will die in the same good soil
where it had grown so well.”
In
this enigmatic verse of scripture, “the first eagle” represents Nebuchadnezzar,
and “Lebanon” (the land of great cedars) represents Jerusalem. The eagle goes
to Lebanon (Jerusalem) and clips “the top of a cedar tree” (King Jehoiachin), and
replants the bough in a city known for trade (Babylon). This referred to
Nebuchadnezzar’s previous attack on Jerusalem in 597 B.C., when he
re-established his control over the city, and then, deposed King Jehoiachin,
carrying him back to Babylon in chains.
Nebuchadnezzar
was not totally heartless in his siege, however, as he also took with him
several young Jewish nobles (some of the seeds of the land) who could carry on
in their tradition of worshipping the Almighty GOD of Heaven WHO sent him. And
although he had greatly weakened Jerusalem, he did not totally destroy it at
this time. Instead, he placed Zedekiah (a low spreading vine) in charge of
Jerusalem as a “Vassal King”, and had him to “swear by the GOD of Israel” to be
loyal to him.
Then
another eagle (Egypt) came along and influenced Zedekiah to break his oath,
join them, and rebel against Babylon, and the plan of GOD. The results of
Zedekiah’s rebellion, of course, were a disaster and “the low spreading vine”
(Zedekiah) was stripped of its fruit.
In
verses 22-24, in order to keep the people from becoming totally dejected and
without hope, GOD promises through HIS prophet Ezekiel, that HE will take
“another tender shoot” (JESUS) from “the top of a tall cedar” (the Davidic
Line), and plant it on the top of Israel’s highest mountain. It (JESUS) will
become a noble cedar, sending forth branches and producing seed. “Birds of
every sort” (Jews and Gentiles) will come to rest in it, finding shelter in its
branches. And all the trees will know that it is HE, the LORD, WHO cuts down
the tall tree, and helps the short tree, to grow tall. It is GOD WHO makes the
green tree wither, and HE has the power to make the dead tree, live again.
A
Sunday school lesson by,
Larry
D. Alexander
LARRY D. ALEXANDER- Official Website
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