Ezekiel 16, while on one hand is disconcerting to readers, is also a great reminder of God’s faithfulness to His covenant. God is addressing the nation of Israel, His faithfulness toward them, their turning away from Him, and His still continued faithfulness toward them. This summary really sounds like a great thing when we read it. We absolutely love the grace of God and His perfect plan for our life. I think that we appreciate His grace even more when we realize the sinners that we are, and we really appreciate His grace when we find ourselves in the midst of sin. All of us are very aware of what Romans 6:23 and Romans 3:23 have to say. Is it possible we have read or heard those passages so much that they become just words on a page to us? If we just read God’s Word for the sake of reading or to check off a spot on a daily reading plan, I think we are in danger of that. I like to ask myself the question, “Lord, how does this part of your Word apply to my life?” A challenging reading could be chapters three and six in Romans followed by a reading of Ezekiel 16. The prophet Ezekiel is called by God to paint a very disturbing yet true picture in his description of the actions of Israel.
The actions of Israel have really sunk to new lows as described here in Ezekiel 16. It is easier to read this chapter and say, “Yes, Israel was bad.” Let us look briefly at what is happening here. Verse fourteen paints the picture of the splendor that God has bestowed in His people, that is good. But in verse fifteen how quickly our beauty in God’s eyes is forgotten and we put ideals of our own onto the very image that God created. Could this be good news? YES. God created each of us, you and I in His image, what could be more perfect? Look ahead to verses twenty-three and twenty-four in which we see that the people painted a shrine and raised themselves up. Notice, I move between the people and ourselves, do we resemble the people of Israel that we read about here? Verse thirty-seven looks at how the people who were lured in by us have turned against us. But by the grace of God. Here is the part that we like to read, the part that we like to hear, the part of God we would rather focus on. Verses sixty-two and sixty-three confront us with God’s Grace, just as we confronted God with our sin and deceitfulness. Even before we get to these verses, I read verse fifty-nine as a question. Doesn’t God have the right to break His Covenant with us since we decided to go against all that He is and stands for? Yes, He does, but no He didn’t, and no He does not!
I suppose this blog, for just the second one in the series may or may not be what you expected. I see God’s love in Ezekiel 16, I see the attitude that at times we take toward God, and I certainly see the actions of my life justify whatever actions God wishes to take. But God loves us, He loves me, He loves you, He forgive (verse 63). Isn’t God good, and holy, and mighty?