Reading: Ezekiel 15, 16
My Verse: : "Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know,
understand,
and realize her [idolatrous] abominations
[that they] are disgusting,
detestable,
and shamefully vile" (Ezekiel 16:2).
Here Ezekiel goes into some mind blowing, concept stretching metaphors to get across Your deep, holy anger with the spiritual betrayal of Your chosen people, LORD God. I do not begin to understand fully all that is said here, but see and sense the seriousness of Your wrath and the awfulness of betrayal, deception and lying that is involved in the "wanton sexual immorality" committed by the Israelites. And how we corrupt Your gifts to us.
First, we are shown how You, LORD God, provide us all that we need. You lather upon us Your gifts to enrich and beautify us.
"I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you,
and you became mine.
Then I bathed you with water
and washed off your blood from you
and anointed you with oil.
I clothed you also with embroidered cloth
and shod you with fine leather.
I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you in silk.
And I adorned you with ornaments
and put bracelets on your wrists
and a chain on your neck.
And I put a ring on your nose
and earrings in your ears
and a beautiful crown on your head.
Thus you were adorned with gold and silver,
and your clothing was of fine linen and silk and embroidered cloth.
You ate fine flour and honey and oil.
You grew exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty.
And your renown went forth among the nations because of your beauty,
for it was perfect through the splendor that I had bestowed on you,
declared the LORD" (Ezekiel 16:8 - 14).
What a beautiful picture of Your love for us! It is You that provide us all that we have or want. You want all this for us and yet we stray! We forsake it all for that which is a lie, that which is as the wind - unattainable, and we end up with a yawning unsatisfiable appetite that grows and grows making ourselves more and more detestable.
The saddest part to this passage is when the very gifts given to "beautify and enhance" are used instead to "diminish and debase." We corrupt all that is wonderful.
"You took some of your garments and made for yourself colorful shrines,
and on them played the whore. . .
You took also the beautiful jewels . . . and made images . . . and played the whore . . .
Also my bread that I gave you . . .
And in all your abominations and your wrongs you did not remember the day of your youth . . .
How sick is your heart, declared the LORD" (Ezekiel 16:23-30).
This is dreadful and yet it speaks to Your love for us. You, LORD God will do whatever it takes to bring us to You. You will allow us to go to the utter depths of sin if that is what it takes to wake us up to our need of You and Your saving grace. Even after all this You remind us of Your mercy.
"Then you will remember your ways . . .
that you may remember and be confounded,
and never open your mouth again
because of your shame,
when I atone for you for all that you have done, declares the LORD God" (Ezekiel 16:61-63).
Only You LORD God can forgive and heal us of our worst sins!
"For their sake he remembered His covenant,
and relented according to the abundance of His steadfast love" (Psalm 106:45).
I recall here the story of that great battle between Pharaoh and Moses. Pharaoh does finally admit his sin but he never repents of that sin. Acknowledging one's wrongdoing is not enough.
"When later, Mephisto, appears and smilingly declares himself the winner,
he can still be defeated
by the manner in which we accept the consequences of our action."
-Dag Hammerarskjold on quoting Faust
We do corrupt all that is beautiful and wonderful and yet, we need not stay there!
Ditat Deus - God Enriches!
My Verse: : "Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know,
understand,
and realize her [idolatrous] abominations
[that they] are disgusting,
detestable,
and shamefully vile" (Ezekiel 16:2).
Here Ezekiel goes into some mind blowing, concept stretching metaphors to get across Your deep, holy anger with the spiritual betrayal of Your chosen people, LORD God. I do not begin to understand fully all that is said here, but see and sense the seriousness of Your wrath and the awfulness of betrayal, deception and lying that is involved in the "wanton sexual immorality" committed by the Israelites. And how we corrupt Your gifts to us.
First, we are shown how You, LORD God, provide us all that we need. You lather upon us Your gifts to enrich and beautify us.
"I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you,
and you became mine.
Then I bathed you with water
and washed off your blood from you
and anointed you with oil.
I clothed you also with embroidered cloth
and shod you with fine leather.
I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you in silk.
And I adorned you with ornaments
and put bracelets on your wrists
and a chain on your neck.
And I put a ring on your nose
and earrings in your ears
and a beautiful crown on your head.
Thus you were adorned with gold and silver,
and your clothing was of fine linen and silk and embroidered cloth.
You ate fine flour and honey and oil.
You grew exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty.
And your renown went forth among the nations because of your beauty,
for it was perfect through the splendor that I had bestowed on you,
declared the LORD" (Ezekiel 16:8 - 14).
What a beautiful picture of Your love for us! It is You that provide us all that we have or want. You want all this for us and yet we stray! We forsake it all for that which is a lie, that which is as the wind - unattainable, and we end up with a yawning unsatisfiable appetite that grows and grows making ourselves more and more detestable.
The saddest part to this passage is when the very gifts given to "beautify and enhance" are used instead to "diminish and debase." We corrupt all that is wonderful.
"You took some of your garments and made for yourself colorful shrines,
and on them played the whore. . .
You took also the beautiful jewels . . . and made images . . . and played the whore . . .
Also my bread that I gave you . . .
And in all your abominations and your wrongs you did not remember the day of your youth . . .
How sick is your heart, declared the LORD" (Ezekiel 16:23-30).
This is dreadful and yet it speaks to Your love for us. You, LORD God will do whatever it takes to bring us to You. You will allow us to go to the utter depths of sin if that is what it takes to wake us up to our need of You and Your saving grace. Even after all this You remind us of Your mercy.
"Then you will remember your ways . . .
that you may remember and be confounded,
and never open your mouth again
because of your shame,
when I atone for you for all that you have done, declares the LORD God" (Ezekiel 16:61-63).
Only You LORD God can forgive and heal us of our worst sins!
"For their sake he remembered His covenant,
and relented according to the abundance of His steadfast love" (Psalm 106:45).
I recall here the story of that great battle between Pharaoh and Moses. Pharaoh does finally admit his sin but he never repents of that sin. Acknowledging one's wrongdoing is not enough.
"When later, Mephisto, appears and smilingly declares himself the winner,
he can still be defeated
by the manner in which we accept the consequences of our action."
-Dag Hammerarskjold on quoting Faust
We do corrupt all that is beautiful and wonderful and yet, we need not stay there!
Ditat Deus - God Enriches!
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