Ezekiel 16

This section includes eight metaphors, each showing from a different angle the certainty of Jerusalem's upcoming judgment. The images are of:

1. a worthless vine (Ezekiel 15);

2. a faithless wife (Ezekiel 16);

3. a vine and two eagles (Ezekiel 17);

4. Sour grapes (Ezekiel 18);

5. a lion and her cubs (Ezekiel 19);

6. a sword (Ezekiel 21);

7. two corrupt sisters (Ezekiel 23); and

8. a cooking pot (Ezekiel 24).

Ezekiel begins by describing Jerusalem’s weak and unlikely beginnings. He says the city came from Canaanite roots and was like the child of an Amorite father and a Hittite mother.

The city existed long before Israel entered the land under Joshua. During Joshua’s campaign, Israel did not fully capture Jerusalem. The city remained in the hands of its original Canaanite population.

Later, King David captured Jerusalem and made it his capital. Even then, the city had a long Canaanite history before it became the center of Israel’s kingdom.

In Ezekiel 16, Jerusalem is described as an unfaithful wife and a prostitute. This language is very strong. Even in English, the chapter can be difficult to read. In its ancient setting, it would have sounded even more shocking.

Ezekiel used graphic language to show how serious Judah’s sin was. He did not try to make his message softer or more polite. He spoke in a direct and forceful way.

This strong language is the main point of the chapter. Ezekiel wanted the people to feel how terrible their sin was in God’s sight. The shocking description helped them understand that God’s judgment was not unfair.

If Ezekiel had used softer words, the people might not have understood the full seriousness of their sin. The strong picture was necessary to show why God’s judgment was justified (that is, right and fair).

Jerusalem’s parents are described as cruel and uncaring. They did not care for her when she was born. They did not do the normal things people did to help a newborn baby.

Usually, someone cut the umbilical cord. They washed the baby. They rubbed salt and oil on the child’s skin to clean and protect her. Then they wrapped the baby tightly in cloth to keep her warm and safe.

But none of this happened to Jerusalem. Instead, she was thrown into an open field and left there. In the ancient world, people often abandoned baby girls in this way. She was left alone to die.

Jerusalem was helpless and close to death. She had no one to protect her. At that moment, the Lord stepped in and spoke a life-giving word. Without his word, she would have died.

The Lord did not owe this abandoned child anything. Many other children in the ancient world were left to die. He was not required to rescue her. But because of his grace and mercy (his undeserved kindness and compassion), he chose to save her.

The Lord did more than keep her alive. He helped her grow strong. Instead of dying in the field, she grew like a healthy plant. She became mature and beautiful.

The city of Jerusalem became strong and successful even before it was an Israelite city. This growth did not happen by accident. It was the Lord’s work.

At this point, the Lord covered her with his cloak. In the ancient world, this action showed a promise of marriage (compare Ruth 3:9). It was a sign that he was taking her as his own.

The Lord then made a covenant with Jerusalem. In the picture Ezekiel uses, this covenant is like a marriage. The Lord chose her and joined himself to her.

Later, the Lord made a covenant with David and his descendants. At that time, he also chose Jerusalem as the place where his name would be honored (see 1 Kings 9:3–4; Psalm 132). Jerusalem became the special city connected to his presence and worship.

• The Lord did for Jerusalem what her parents never did: he washed, anointed, and clothed her, reversing the circumstances of her birth.

• The Lord gave Jerusalem beautiful gifts. He dressed her with ornaments and fine materials fit for a queen. Some of these same materials were used in the tabernacle (see Exodus 25:3–5; 26:1–14).

  This detail would remind the people of Jerusalem of something important. Their city was chosen as the place for God’s sanctuary and the king’s palace. The Lord honored Jerusalem by making her the center of worship and royal rule.

She wore jewelry and ate the finest foods. She was known throughout the world for her beauty and splendor, which were gifts from the Lord.

Jerusalem did not appreciate the good things God gave her. She used her fame and beauty for false gods. She offered clothes, jewels, food, and oil to idols instead of honoring God.

Jerusalem even sacrificed her sons and daughters to false gods. The nations around Israel practiced child sacrifice to show total commitment to a deity. This was common in the worship of the gods Molech and Chemosh (see Deuteronomy 12:31; 2 Kings 3:27). Israel sometimes took part in this terrible sin.

The prophets often described idolatry (worshiping false gods) as adultery (being unfaithful in marriage). For example, Hosea uses this picture to explain Israel’s sin (see Hosea 2). This comparison helped people understand that turning away from the Lord was like breaking a marriage promise.

Ezekiel, however, gives much more detail than the other prophets. He does not describe Jerusalem as only confused or mistaken. He describes her as deeply corrupt. Her unfaithfulness took place openly, on every street corner.

Ezekiel also says that her desire for sin had no limit. She kept seeking more sinful and shameful practices. His strong language shows how serious her idolatry had become.

Jerusalem eagerly sought close relationships with Egypt, Assyria, and Babylonia. These political alliances cost a great deal of money. They also failed to bring the help and protection that the leaders expected.

Even if these agreements had brought clear political benefits, they would still have been wrong. They showed that Jerusalem did not trust the Lord. Instead of depending on him, the city looked to other nations for safety.

These alliances also led to another serious problem. Israel began to worship the gods of those nations. Political dependence slowly became spiritual unfaithfulness.

Because Jerusalem acted like an unfaithful spouse, it was appropriate for her to face a similar punishment. God would symbolically strip her of her dignity, reversing the marriage metaphor of being clothed (see Ezekiel 16:8; Hosea 2:2–3).

Then the people would stone her (Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 22:22). Since this would cover her naked body with blood, she would leave the world just as she came into it. This metaphor was fulfilled when the Babylonians destroyed the city in 586 BC.

In a tragic turn, the nations that Jerusalem trusted would later attack her. The very allies she depended on would turn against her and destroy her.

The Lord’s anger would continue until justice was complete. It would not end until Jerusalem had paid the full price for her past sins. Only then would his judgment be finished.

Jerusalem’s “parents” were a Hittite and an Amorite. Hittites and Amorites were previous occupants of Canaan who were cut off from the land because of their sins (compare Genesis 15:16). The pagan city of Jerusalem was captured and became part of Israel during David's time (2 Samuel 5:6–10). Jerusalem’s later actions matched her family background. She behaved in a way that fit her heredity (family line and ancestry).

In other words, her conduct was consistent with where she came from. Her actions reflected the character of her origins.

• Samaria, Jerusalem’s older (or larger) sister, engaged in improper worship since Jeroboam introduced golden calves at the national shrines in Dan and Bethel (1 Kings 12:28–33).

• Sodom, Jerusalem’s younger (or smaller) sister, became known for sexual sin (Genesis 19:4–9) and for pride, gluttony, laziness, and neglect of the poor and needy.

Compared to Jerusalem, Samaria and Sodom seemed good. If God rightly destroyed both of Jerusalem's sisters for their sins, how could Jerusalem avoid God's coming anger?

God's grace, more than his judgment, would make Jerusalem ashamed of her ties to such "parents" and "sisters" (Ezekiel 16:44–52).

Jerusalem's sins were serious and required judgment. But judgment was not God's final word on Jerusalem. She had broken God's covenant in many ways. Because of this, she deserved the penalty of death.

But judgment was not God’s final word. The Lord would remember the covenant he made with her at the beginning. His plans for his people could not be stopped, even by their sin. His covenant commitment lasts forever (Psalm 136).

In the end, God would forgive her sins. His forgiveness would lead Jerusalem to repentance.