35 lines
1.8 KiB
Markdown
35 lines
1.8 KiB
Markdown
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title = "Ezekiel 16:15–29"
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date = "2023-04-10"
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### [Read the passage.](https://biblia.com/bible/esv/Ezekiel16.15-29)
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The queen that represents Jerusalem has been pampered and riches have been
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lavished upon her. But instead of being grateful to the One who put her in such
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a privileged position, she indulges in her base wants with anyone and everyone
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she can find. What should have been reserved for God alone (that is, worship)
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has instead been given away wantonly. Everything the Lord has given her is
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turned to this pursuit. The elegant clothes are made into bedsheets. The gold
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and silver become idols. Even the choice food she ate became offerings. And not
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only the flour, oil, and honey, but even the children that God caused her to
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have were sacrificed as a burnt offering. The metaphor wears thin here because
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all of these things literally happened in Israel and Jerusalem.
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As if this weren't already bad enough, the queen Jerusalem makes something like
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billboard advertisements for her beauty, offering herself even further afield
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than before. Partnering with the Egyptians provoked God's jealousy and He
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caused some of the land to be taken by enemies. These foreign alliances were an
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indication that the people failed to trust in the Lord for national security,
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something He had promised to them if they had been faithful to Him.
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He had in fact promised great blessings, on the condition that Israel would be
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faithful to keep the laws and commands He had set out for them. As Paul
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explains in Romans, this was an impossible task for them, and they needed to
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rely on God to hold up both His end of the covenant and theirs at the same
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time. But for the most part, they didn't even try.
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* * *
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You treat kindly with sinners who have been unfaithful to their Creator when
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they repent of their sins against You.
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