Ezekiel 16

When the sons of Asaph wanted to describe the city of Jerusalem, they wrote, “Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, is Mount Zion on the sides of the north, the city of the great King” (Ps. 48: nkjv). The Babylonian Talmud says, “Of the ten measures of beauty that came down to the world, Jerusalem took nine” (Kidushin 49b), and, “Whoever has not seen Jerusalem in its splendor has never seen a lovely city” (Succah 51b). Of modern Jerusalem, Samuel Heilman wrote, “It is a place in which people actually live; it is a place that lives in them.” One of the Jewish exiles in Babylonian wrote: “If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her skill! If I do not remember you, let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth—if I do not exalt Jerusalem above my chief joy” (Ps. 137:5–6 nkjv). When Jewish families around the world celebrate Passover, they conclude the meal with, “Next year in Jerusalem!”

The Jewish exiles wouldn’t be happy with the three messages Ezekiel would bring them from the Lord, for he was going to announce the destruction of Jerusalem and the ravaging of the Promised Land. It was bad enough that the Jews were exiles in a pagan land, but to be told that they would have no city to return to was more than they could bear. No wonder they preferred the encouraging messages of the false prophets.

The prophet Ezekiel remained silent except when the word of the Lord came to him and God permitted him to speak (3:25–27). The three messages recorded in these chapters were given to the elders who were seated before him in his own house, men who outwardly appeared interested in hearing God’s word but inwardly were idolatrous (14:1–3). The Lord knew that neither the elders nor the people took Ezekiel’s messages seriously because they saw him as a “religious entertainer” whose words were only “beautiful music” (33:30–33). Whenever God’s people turn from His Word and become satisfied with substitutes, they are indeed headed for failure.

Because the people who heard him were spiritually blind and deaf, Ezekiel had to hold their attention, arouse their interest, and motivate them to think about God’s truth. One way he did this was through his “action sermons,” and another way was by means of sermons filled with vivid and arresting vocabulary and intriguing imagery. In these three messages, Ezekiel spoke about a vine, an unfaithful wife, and three shoots from a tree, and each of these images conveyed God’s truth to those who really wanted to understand. These pictures and parables not only described the sins of the nation of Israel, but they also declared her terrible judgment. Ezekiel spoke to his people in the most vivid language found anywhere in Scripture, but the messages fell on deaf ears.

One more fact should be noted: these three “parables” answered the complaints of the people that God had rejected His people and was breaking His own covenant. False prophets in both Jerusalem and Babylon were building up the confidence of the people by telling them that the Lord would never allow Jerusalem and the temple to fall into the defiled hands of the Gentiles (Jer. 29:20–32). After all, Israel was Jehovah’s special vine, planted by Him in the Promised Land. The nation was married to Jehovah in a divine covenant, and He would never divorce her. But even more, didn’t the Lord promise David an endless dynasty? (2 Sam. 7) The Davidic dynasty was like a tall sturdy cedar tree that could never be felled by the Gentiles. Ezekiel used these same three images to teach the nation that the Lord was judging His people because He did have these special relationships to them! Privilege brings responsibility, and responsibility brings accountability.

This long chapter contains some of the most vivid language found anywhere in Scripture. It is addressed to the city of Jerusalem but refers to the entire nation. The chapter traces the spiritual history of the Jews from “birth” (God’s call of Abraham) through “marriage” (God’s covenant with the people), and up to their “spiritual prostitution” (idolatry) and the sad consequences that followed (ruin and exile). The Lord takes His “wife” to court and bears witness of her unfaithfulness to Him. At the same time, the Lord is replying to the complaints of the people that He had not kept His promises when He allowed the Babylonians to invade the land. God did keep His covenant; it was Israel who broke her marriage vow and also broke the heart of her Lord and invited His chastening (Ezek. 6:9). But as we read the chapter, we must see not only the dark background of Israel’s wickedness but also the bright light of God’s love and grace. “But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more” (Rom. 5: nkjv).

Israel experienced a great love (vv. 1–14). Israel is pictured here as an unwanted child—exposed, abandoned, and left to die, but was then rescued by the Lord and became His wife. Many Jews were excessively proud of their heritage and called the Gentiles “dogs,” but the Lord reminded them that they had descended from the Amorites and the Hittites (see Gen. 10:15–16; Deut. 20:17), and that their great city of Jerusalem was once inhabited by the Jebusites (Josh. 15:63). It wasn’t until the time of David that Jerusalem belonged to the Jews and became the capital of the nation (Josh. 10:5; 2 Sam. 5:6–10). For that matter, their esteemed ancestor Abraham was an idol-worshipping pagan when God graciously called him (Josh. 24:2–3)! So much for national pride.

The parents of the newborn child didn’t even given her the humane treatment that every baby deserves. They didn’t cut the umbilical cord, wash the child, rub her skin with salt, or even wrap her in cloths (“swaddled” kjv) for her protection and to keep her limbs straight. Without pity or compassion, they threw her out into the open field and exposed her to the elements. The Lord passed by, saw the helpless baby, took pity on her, and saved her. By the power of His Word He gave her life, and this was wholly an act of divine grace. “The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham” (Acts 7: nkjv), not because Abraham earned it or deserved it, but because of God’s great love and grace.

The baby grew and became a young woman ready for marriage. The KJV phrase “come to excellent ornaments” in Ezekiel 16: means “come to full maturity.” But would any suitor want a young woman who was forsaken by her own parents? By now, Israel was enslaved in the land of Egypt, so the Lord would have to redeem her. He wanted her for Himself so He “passed by” again (vv. 6, 8) and claimed her for His own bride. When a suitor spread his garment over a marriageable girl, that meant they were engaged (Ruth 3:9). He did deliver them from bondage, and at Sinai He entered into a “marriage covenant” with the people of Israel. (See Deut. 32:1–14.)

Once again, the Lord cleansed her and clothed her with beautiful, expensive garments fit for a queen. During the reign of King David and during Solomon’s early years, Jerusalem was indeed a queenly city and Israel a prosperous kingdom. As long as Israel, Jehovah’s wife, obeyed His Word and kept His covenant, He blessed her abundantly just as He promised. He gave her healthy children, fruitful flocks and herds, abundant harvests, and protection from disease, disaster, and invasion. There wasn’t one word of the covenant that the Lord failed to keep, and the reputation of Israel spread far and wide. During Solomon’s day, foreign rulers came to listen to him (1 Kings 10:1–10, 24–25).

Israel committed a great sin (vv. 15–34). When Israel became prosperous and famous, she forgot the Lord who gave her such great wealth and began to use God’s generous gifts for worshipping idols (Hos. 2:8, 13–14; Deut. 6:10–12; 8:10–20). Like the ignorant heathen nations around her, she worshipped the creation rather than the Creator (Rom. 1:21–25) and abandoned her “husband” for false gods. She didn’t simply occasionally commit adultery, as wicked as that is. She became a professional prostitute, but unlike other prostitutes, she sought out her lovers and paid them to sin with her! She took the very treasures and blessings that God generously gave to her and devoted them to the making and worshipping of idols—her jewels and garments, her food, and even her children (Ezek. 16:20–21)! Idolatry was Israel’s besetting sin, and it wasn’t cured until the nation was exiled for seventy years in Babylon.

But the nation practiced another kind of idolatry when she trusted other nations to protect and defend her rather than trusting the Lord Jehovah, her “husband” (vv. 23–34). She not only borrowed the gods of other nations and abandoned the true God, but she hired the armies of other nations instead of believing that the Lord could care for her. King Solomon made treaties with other countries by marrying the daughters of their rulers, and this is what led him into idolatry (1 Kings 11). The Jews were especially tempted to turn to Egypt for help instead of confessing their sins and turning to the Lord (2 Chron. 7:14). The Jewish leaders used every means possible to secure the help of Egypt, all the while acting like a common prostitute (Ezek. 16:23–26). They also went after the Philistines, the Assyrians, and even the Babylonians! But none of these alliances succeeded, and the northern kingdom (Israel) was taken captive by the Assyrians in 722 BC, and the southern kingdom (Judah) was conquered by the Babylonians.

Israel’s pride and ingratitude prepared the way for her idolatry. She forgot how good the Lord had been to her and became more concerned with the gifts than the Giver. Moses had warned about these sins (Deut. 6:10–15), but they didn’t heed the warning. Believers today who live for the world and depend on the world are committing “adultery” in a similar way (James 4:4–6). The Lord desires and deserves our full and complete devotion (2 Cor. 11:1–4; Rev. 2:4).

Israel suffered a great discipline (vv. 35–42). The Lord was very patient with His people and warned them that their sins would bring them ruin, but they persisted in rejecting His Word, persecuting His prophets, and practicing the abominable sins of their neighbors. Many of the Jewish people were now exiled in Babylon, and those left behind in Judah had either been slain by the Babylonians or were hopelessly imprisoned in Jerusalem and waiting for the siege to end. But the Jews shouldn’t have complained to the Lord that He wasn’t treating them fairly. They knew the terms of His covenant (Deut. 28—29) and He had already warned them many times that judgment was coming (32:22–43; 2 Chron. 36:14–21).

Their punishments are described as those of a prostitute, an adulteress, and an idolater, because the nation had committed those very sins. According to the law, prostitutes were to be burned (Lev. 21:9; see Gen. 38:24), adulterers and adulteresses stoned (Lev. 20:10), idolaters killed by the sword, and their possessions burned (Deut. 13:12–18). God used the Babylonian army to inflict these same judgments on the people of Israel (Ezek. 16:40–41). Many Jews were slain by the sword, and the city of Jerusalem and the temple were looted and burned.

Ezekiel gives a graphic description of the judgment of Israel, the prostitute. First the Lord would announce the crimes (vv. 35–36). She “poured out her lust” on the heathen idols and exposed her nakedness in worshipping them. She disobeyed God’s law, made idols of her own, and even sacrificed her children to them. Then the Lord announced the sentence (vv. 37–42). He would call her lovers (the heathen nations) to be her executioners, and they would gather around her and see her nakedness! She would be publicly exposed as an adulteress and a harlot. The enemy army would strip the city of Jerusalem, even as a convicted harlot is stripped, and then destroy the city (Deut. 22:23–24). Like adulterers and adulteresses, the people would be killed by stones; like idolaters, they would be slain by the sword; and like prostitutes, they would be burned in the fire. The Jews knew all these laws and their penalties, yet they flagrantly defied the Lord and persisted in their abominations.

Having described their sins, the Lord then defended His sentence (Ezek. 16:43–52). He not only knew what they had done, but He saw in their hearts why they had done it. In answer to the complaints of the people, the Lord proved that they deserved exactly what had happened to them. His judgment was not impulsive; He had waited a long time and they had refused to repent.

First, the nation had forgotten what the Lord had done for them (v. 43), and this was the very sin that Moses warned them to avoid (Deut. 6:10ff.). God remembered the devotion they manifested in the early days of their commitment, like a young bride loving her husband (Jer. 2:2), but they didn’t remember all that the Lord had done for them. When we forget to be thankful, we’re in danger of taking credit for our blessings and failing to give God the glory He deserves.

Second, they failed to understand the enormity of their sins (Ezek. 16:44–52). The Jewish people excelled in quoting proverbs and ancient sayings, although such pithy statements usually don’t go deep enough to answer the need. “As is the mother, so is her daughter” is the feminine version of “Like father, like son.” Another version might be, “The apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree.” In other words, the children inherit their parents’ nature, so don’t be surprised if they repeat their parents’ sins. The Jewish nation came from the Amorites and the Hittites—worshippers of idols. Immorality and idolatry ran in the family, for Israel’s “sisters,” Samaria (the northern kingdom) and Sodom, were famous for their godlessness.

However, since the Jews possessed the revelation of God’s law and had enjoyed the blessing of God’s goodness, their sins were far more heinous than those of their “sisters.” If God judged Sodom and Gomorrah by sending burning sulfur on them, and if He permitted the northern kingdom to be captured by the Assyrians, then surely He would have to judge the people of Judah and Jerusalem if they didn’t repent. But Judah and her leaders didn’t take these other judgments to heart. To paraphrase verse 47, “You not only walked after their ways and imitated their abominations, but you went beyond them and sinned ever more than they did!”

God names the sins of Sodom (vv. 48–50). The people were proud and haughty, overfed, idle, unconcerned about the poor and needy, and guilty of detestable acts, which probably refers to their homosexual lifestyle (Gen. 19). These were abominable sins of attitude and action, commission and omission; and yet the people of Jerusalem and Judah were far guiltier than were the people of Sodom! When you read the other prophets, especially Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Amos, you hear them naming the sins of the people of Judah and warning them that judgment was coming. The people of Judah were twice the sinners as the people in Samaria, and by comparison, the people of Judah made the citizens of Samaria and Sodom look righteous! What a terrible indictment against God’s chosen people!

But is the church today any less guilty? Members of local churches commit the same sins we read about in the newspapers, but the news doesn’t always get to the headlines. Congregations are being torn apart because of professed Christians who are involved in lawsuits, divorces, immorality, family feuds, crooked business deals, financial scandals, and a host of other activities that belong to the world. Is it any wonder that lost sinners pay little attention to our public ministry or our personal witness?

Israel will experience a great restoration (vv. 16:53–63). The phrase “bring again their captivity” means “restore their fortunes.” The captives in Babylon would be restored, return to the land, and rebuild the temple. God’s goodness in allowing this to happen would bring them to shame and repentance (Rom. 2:4). When you read the prayers of Ezra (Ezra 9), Daniel (Dan. 9), and the Levites who labored with Nehemiah (Neh. 9), you see that there was still a godly remnant that humbly sought the face of the Lord and confessed their sins.

However, it’s likely that this restoration is reserved for the end times when Israel will see their Messiah, weep over their sins, and enter into His kingdom (Zech. 12:9–13:1). History records no restoration for Sodom and the cities of the plain that God destroyed, nor for the kingdom of Samaria that was conquered by Assyria in 722 BC Ezekiel wrote about an “everlasting covenant” (Ezek. 16:60), which indicates that this prophecy will be fulfilled in the end times. (See Jer. 31:31–34; Isa. 59:21; 61:8.) Later in his book (Ezek. 37:15–28), Ezekiel will predict a reunion of Samaria (the northern kingdom) and Judah (the southern kingdom) under the kingship of the Messiah. The Lord makes it clear that this restoration and reunion will not be on the basis of the covenant made at Sinai but wholly because of His grace. The Jewish people broke that covenant and suffered for their disobedience, but nobody can be saved by keeping the law (Gal. 2:16, 21; Rom. 4:5). It is only through the redemption provided in Christ Jesus that sinners can be forgiven and received into the family of God (Eph. 2:8–10; Rom. 3:24).

There will come a time when God’s people Israel will remember their sins and recognize God’s goodness and grace on their behalf. Their mouths will be shut because of conviction (Ezek. 16:63; Rom. 3:19) and they will be saved. How can a holy God forgive the sins of rebels, Jews or Gentiles? Because of the atonement that He made on the cross when He gave His Son as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. “The Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world” (1 John 4:14), and that included Israel. Christ not only died for the church (Eph. 5:25) and for the sins of the world (John 3:16), but He died for His people Israel (Isa. 53:8). One day, that new covenant will bring to them the cleansing and forgiveness that only the blood of Christ can give.