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hiding the brutal truth

Ezekiel 16:23-29 (JDV)

Ezekiel 16:23 ” ‘Then after all your evil – Tragedy, woe to you! – the declaration of the Lord Yahveh –
Ezekiel 16:24 you built yourself a mound and made yourself an elevated place in every square.
Ezekiel 16:25 You built your elevated place at the head of every street and turned your beauty into a repulsive thing. You spread your legs to everyone who passed by and increased your prostitution.
Ezekiel 16:26 You engaged in promiscuous acts with Egyptian men, your well-endowed neighbors, and increased your prostitution to anger me.
Ezekiel 16:27 ” ‘Notice, I stretched out my hand against you and reduced your provisions. I gave you over to the throat of those who hate you, the Philistine women, who were embarrassed by your indecent conduct.
Ezekiel 16:28 Then you engaged in prostitution with the Assyrian men because you were not satisfied. Even though you did this with them, you were still not satisfied.
Ezekiel 16:29 So you extended your prostitution to Chaldea, the land of merchants, but you were not even satisfied with this!

hiding the brutal truth

The Mishna records that this chapter was not allowed to be read or translated in public. The prophet goes into the sordid detail of Jerusalem’s promiscuous rebellion against her husband.

Sometimes the message needs to be in shocking language to get the recipient’s attention. I wonder, have we dared to let God tell us what he really knows about us. Or, have we been quietly excluded this message from our actual canon?

The truth is, the whole truth is brutal. We are all guilty of so much more that we admit to in public.

FATHER, forgive us for hiding the brutal truth. Restore us to the purity you deserve.