inside his house

Posted on October 11, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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inside his house

Ezekiel 23:36-42 (JDV)

Ezekiel 23:36 Then Yahveh said to me: “Son of Adam, will you pass judgment against Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare their repulsive practices to them.
Ezekiel 23:37 For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands; they have committed adultery with their idols. And the children they bore to me they have sacrificed in the fire as food for the idols.
Ezekiel 23:38 They also did this to me: they defiled my sanctuary on that same day and polluted my Sabbaths.
Ezekiel 23:39 On the same day they slaughtered their children for their idols, they entered my sanctuary to profane it. Notice, that is what they did inside my house.
Ezekiel 23:40 “In addition, they sent for men who came from far away when a messenger was dispatched to them. And notice how they came! You bathed, painted your eyes, and adorned yourself with jewelry for them.
Ezekiel 23:41 You sat on a luxurious couch with a table spread before it, on which you had set my incense and oil.
Ezekiel 23:42 The sound of a carefree crowd was there. Hard drinkers from the desert were brought in, along with numerous men. They put bracelets on the women’s hands and beautiful tiaras on their heads.

inside his house

I am haunted by those words “what they did inside my house” in verse 39. The Lord knew how sinful Samaria and Jerusalem had been, both in courting the favor of foreign lands and their idols and in defiling the temple by trying to conduct business as usual in it.

Our generation needs to hear the hurt in the Lord’s words here. We are just as guilty in both places. We have sought after foreign gods, and tried to hide it by keeping up with traditions that we don’t understand in the church.

LORD, turn us away from the gods of this age, and back to you in truth.

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the consequences of your indecency

Posted on October 10, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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the consequences of your indecency

Ezekiel 23:28-35 (JDV)

Ezekiel 23:28 “For this is what the Lord Yahveh says: notice I am going to hand you over to those you hate, to those you turned away from in disgust.
Ezekiel 23:29 They will treat you with hatred, take all you have worked for and leave you stark naked, so that the nakedness of your prostitution will be exposed, both your infamy and obscenity.
Ezekiel 23:30 These things will be done to you because you committed fornication with the nations, defiling yourself with their idols.
Ezekiel 23:31 You have followed the path of your sister, so I will put her cup in your hand.”
Ezekiel 23:32 This is what the Lord Yahveh says: “You will drink your sister’s cup, which is deep and wide. You will be an object of ridicule and scorn, for it holds so much.
Ezekiel 23:33 You will be filled with drunkenness and grief, with a cup of devastation and desolation, the cup of your sister Samaria.
Ezekiel 23:34 You will drink it and drain it; then you will gnaw its broken pieces, and tear your breasts. For I have spoken.” This is the declaration of the Lord Yahveh.
Ezekiel 23:35 Therefore, this is what the Lord Yahveh says: “Because you have forgotten me and cast me behind your back, you must bear the consequences of your indecency and obscenity.”

the consequences of your indecency

Coffman comments on this text “Since the worship of those evil pagan gods was depraved and licentious almost beyond imagination, the representation of God’s Chosen People here under the figure of two sisters, insatiable in their lewdness, must be accepted as authentic and appropriate.”

We need passages like this in the Bible to remind us that sin is not a light thing. Our God is passionate about judging sin, even among people who claim him as their God.

LORD, purge us of our unfaithful ways.

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his jealous rage

Posted on October 9, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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his jealous rage

Ezekiel 23:22-27 (JDV)

Ezekiel 23:22 “Therefore, Oholibah, this is what the Lord Yahveh says: notice I am going to incite your lovers against you, those you turned away from in disgust. I will bring them against you from every side:
Ezekiel 23:23 the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans; Pekod, Shoa, and Koa; and all the Assyrians with them – desirable young men, all of them rulers and governors, officers and administrators, all of them riding on steeds.
Ezekiel 23:24 They will come against you with a mob of peoples and with weapons, chariots, and wagons. They will set themselves against you on every side with large and small shields and helmets. I will delegate judgment to them, and they will judge you by their own standards.
Ezekiel 23:25 When I vent my jealous rage on you, they will deal with you in wrath. They will cut off your nose and ears, and the rest of you will fall by the sword. They will seize your sons and daughters, and the rest of you will be consumed by fire.
Ezekiel 23:26 They will strip off your clothes and take your beautiful jewelry.
Ezekiel 23:27 So I will put an end to your infamy and prostitution, which began in the land of Egypt, and you will not look longingly at them or remember Egypt anymore.

his jealous rage

What happened to Jerusalem was the result of the rage of a jealous God. The LORD took the very same nations who had lured Jerusalem into idolatry and turned those nations against the city. The resulting destruction by sword and fire was cataclysmic.

This is not a description of hell, but it does describe the motivation behind hell. Our God views our lives of sin as infamy and prostitution, and he will put an end to it. Repentance and faith is our only way out of this fate.

LORD, forgive us our idolatry. Restore us to your favor in Christ.

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other sister

Posted on October 8, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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other sister

Ezekiel 23:11-21 (JDV)

Ezekiel 23:11 “Now her sister Oholibah saw this, but she was even more depraved in her lust than Oholah, and made her promiscuous acts worse than those of her sister.
Ezekiel 23:12 She lusted after the Assyrians: rulers and governors, warriors splendidly dressed, horsemen riding on steeds, all of them desirable young men.
Ezekiel 23:13 And I saw that she had defiled herself; both of them had taken the same path.
Ezekiel 23:14 But she increased her obscenity when she saw male figures carved on the wall, images of the Chaldeans, engraved in bright red,
Ezekiel 23:15 wearing belts on their waists and flowing turbans on their heads; all of them looked like officers, a depiction of the Babylonians in Chaldea, their native land.
Ezekiel 23:16 At the sight of them she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea.
Ezekiel 23:17 Then the Babylonians came to her, to the bed of love, and defiled her with their lust. But after she was defiled by them, she turned away from them in disgust.
Ezekiel 23:18 When she flaunted her obscenity and exposed her nakedness, I turned away from her in disgust just as I turned away from her sister.
Ezekiel 23:19 Yet she multiplied her acts of obscenity, remembering the days of her youth when she committed fornication in the land of Egypt
Ezekiel 23:20 and lusted after their lovers, whose sexual members were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of stallions.
Ezekiel 23:21 So you revisited the infamy of your youth when the Egyptians caressed your nipples to enjoy your youthful breasts.

other sister

This is another one of those PG passages in Scripture. It describes the judgment upon Jerusalem and the reason for it. Jerusalem lusted after the young studs of Babylon like her sister Samaria had lusted after the young studs of Assyria. She had allowed herself to be used until that was all she was. Like Samaria, it was now Jerusalem’s time to bear the penalty for her sinful idolatry.

LORD, may our desire be for you and your word. Purge from us the lust for other things.

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Samaria’s shame

Posted on October 7, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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Samaria’s shame

Ezekiel 23:1-10 (JDV)

Ezekiel 23:1 The word of Yahveh happened to me again. This is what it said:
Ezekiel 23:2 “Son of Adam, there were two women, daughters of the same mother,
Ezekiel 23:3 who acted like prostitutes in Egypt, behaving promiscuously in their youth. Their breasts were fondled there, and their virgin nipples caressed.
Ezekiel 23:4 The older one was named Oholah, and her sister was Oholibah. They became mine and gave birth to sons and daughters. As for their names, Oholah represents Samaria and Oholibah represents Jerusalem.
Ezekiel 23:5 “Oholah committed fornication even though she was mine. She lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians: warriors
Ezekiel 23:6 dressed in blue, rulers and governors, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding on steeds.
Ezekiel 23:7 She offered her sexual favors to them; all of them were the best of Assyria. She defiled herself with all those she lusted after and with all their idols.
Ezekiel 23:8 She didn’t give up her obscenity that began in Egypt, when men slept with her in her youth, caressed her virgin nipples, and poured out their lust on her.
Ezekiel 23:9 Therefore, I handed her over to her lovers, the Assyrians she lusted for.
Ezekiel 23:10 They exposed her nakedness, seized her sons and daughters, and killed her with the sword. Since they enacted judgment against her, she became notorious among women.

Samaria’s shame

This is another one of those PG passages in Scripture. Samaria had lusted after the young studs of Assyria. She had allowed herself to be used until that was all she was.

LORD, may our desire be for you and your word. Purge from us the lust for other things.

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repairman search

Posted on October 6, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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repairman search

Ezekiel 22:23-31 (JDV)

Ezekiel 22:23 The word of Yahveh happened to me. This is what it said:
Ezekiel 22:24 “Son of Adam, say to her, ‘You are a land that has not been cleansed, that has not received rain in the day of curse.’
Ezekiel 22:25 The conspiracy of her prophets within her is like a roaring lion tearing its prey: they devour throats, seize wealth and valuables, and multiply the widows within her.
Ezekiel 22:26 Her priests do violence to my instruction and profane my devoted things. They make no distinction between the devoted and the common, and they do not explain the difference between the clean and the unclean. They close their eyes to my Sabbaths, and I am polluted among them.
Ezekiel 22:27 “Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey, shedding blood, and destroying throats in order to make profit dishonestly.
Ezekiel 22:28 Her prophets plaster for them with whitewash by seeing false visions and lying lots, saying, ‘This is what the Lord Yahveh says,’ when Yahveh has not spoken.
Ezekiel 22:29 The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have oppressed the poor and needy and unlawfully exploited the resident alien.
Ezekiel 22:30 I searched for a man among them who would repair the wall and stand in the gap before me on behalf of the land so that I might not destroy it, but I found no one.
Ezekiel 22:31 So I have poured out my curse on them and consumed them with the fire of my fury. I have brought their conduct down on their own heads.” This is the declaration of the Lord Yahveh.

repairman search

Our church has a very old parsonage, so things break down every once in a while. I don’t have to worry about finding a repair technician because we have members who have the expertise and are willing to help with repairs. They come to mind as I think about what the LORD was saying through Ezekiel in today’s text.

He was looking for someone who could make the necessary repairs. He first looked among the prophets. Surely those who spoke for God could find a way to protect the people from the coming wrath. But no prophet was found who could fix the hole.

Next, he looked among the priests. He couldn’t even find a priest who had not neglected the basics of religion.

Next, he searched among the officials. No ruler could be found who had the necessary skill to repair the damage in the wall.

Finally, he searched among the commoners — the hoi polloi. Still no repairman.

What a sad state we are in when things are broken and there is no one who can address the problem.

LORD, make us the kind of men and women who can stand in the gap, repair what needs to be fixed in the spiritual lives of people in our community.

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merely dross to me

Posted on October 5, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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merely dross to me

Ezekiel 22:17-22 (JDV)

Ezekiel 22:17 The word of Yahveh happened to me. This is what it said:
Ezekiel 22:18 “Son of Adam, the house of Israel has become merely dross to me. All of them are copper, tin, iron, and lead inside the furnace; they are just dross from silver.
Ezekiel 22:19 Therefore, this is what the Lord Yahveh says: Because all of you have become dross, notice I am about to gather you into Jerusalem.
Ezekiel 22:20 Just as one gathers silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin into the furnace to blow fire on them and melt them, so I will gather you in my anger and wrath, put you inside, and melt you.
Ezekiel 22:21 Yes, I will gather you together and blow on you with the fire of my fury, and you will be melted within the city.
Ezekiel 22:22 As silver is melted inside a furnace, so you will be melted inside the city. Then you will know that I, Yahveh, have poured out my wrath on you.”

merely dross to me

A coming siege is described by picturing Jerusalem as a melting pot, and all the people will be gathered inside it. Pressure will be applied, and heat. God’s wrath will come, and only the pure metals will survive. Unfortunately, there are no pure metals. The house of Israel had become merely dross to him. May this never happen among us. May each of us reflect the gold of our Savior’s love, and come out of the present suffering intact.

LORD, give us lives worthy of your grace.

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the clapping is due

Posted on October 4, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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the clapping is due

Ezekiel 22:13-16 (JDV)

Ezekiel 22:13 ” ‘Now look, I clap my hands together against the dishonest profit you have made and against the blood shed among you.
Ezekiel 22:14 Will your courage endure or your hands be strong in the days when I deal with you? I, Yahveh, have spoken, and I will act.
Ezekiel 22:15 I will disperse you among the nations and scatter you among the countries; I will purge your uncleanness.
Ezekiel 22:16 You will be polluted in the sight of the nations. Then you will know that I am Yahveh.'”

the clapping is due

The nature of the uncleanness that led the LORD to punish his own people is identified here as two sins: dishonest profit and violence. God claps his hands as if to say “that’s enough” and the people are scattered throughout the nations. How long will our nations last? Brace yourselves. The clapping is due.

LORD, thank you for your patience.

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profanity, depravity, brutality

Posted on October 3, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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profanity, depravity, brutality

Ezekiel 22:6-12 (JDV)

Ezekiel 22:6 ” ‘Notice, every prince of Israel within you has used his strength to shed blood.
Ezekiel 22:7 Father and mother are treated triflingly, and the resident alien is exploited within you. The fatherless and widow are oppressed in you.
Ezekiel 22:8 You think lightly of my devoted things and profane my Sabbaths.
Ezekiel 22:9 There are men within you who slander in order to shed blood. People who live in you eat at the mountain shrines; they commit depraved acts within you.
Ezekiel 22:10 Men within you have sexual intercourse with their father’s wife and violate women during their menstrual impurity.
Ezekiel 22:11 One man within you commits a repulsive act with his neighbor’s wife; another defiles his daughter-in-law with infamy; and yet another violates his sister, his father’s daughter.
Ezekiel 22:12 People who live in you accept bribes in order to shed blood. You take interest and profit on a loan and brutally extort your neighbors. You have forgotten me. This is the declaration of the Lord Yahveh.

profanity, depravity, brutality

These three words describe the kind of people the prophet was called to address. These are the kind of people who have forgotten God — living as if he does not exist. We read of such people in our newspapers and watch stories about them. They are the direct results of a society’s embrace of atheism. In Ezekiel’s day, the temple was still there, and the sabbaths were still being observed — although being profaned as well.

Disaster awaited these people. Can we imagine a scenario in which our own generation can be spared? Not without true repentance and a return to faith and obedience.

LORD, have mercy on us.

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robe and gavel

Posted on October 2, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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robe and gavel

Ezekiel 22:1-5 (JDV)

Ezekiel 22:1 The word of Yahveh happened to me. This is what it said:
Ezekiel 22:2 “And you, son of Adam, will you pass judgment? Will you pass judgment against the city of blood? Then explain all her repulsive practices to her.
Ezekiel 22:3 You are to say, ‘This is what the Lord Yahveh says: A city that sheds blood within her walls so that her time of judgment has come and who makes idols for herself so that she is defiled!
Ezekiel 22:4 You are guilty of the blood you have shed, and you are defiled from the idols you have made. You have brought your judgment days near and have come to your years of punishment. Therefore, I have made you a disgrace to the nations and a mockery to all the lands.
Ezekiel 22:5 Those who are near and those far away from you will mock you, you infamous one full of turmoil.

robe and gavel

As God’s prophet, Ezekiel had the responsibility of condemning sin and making God’s people accountable for their actions. So, in this context, it is only right that God calls on Ezekiel to pass judgment.

Often today’s culture attacks the Christian who dares to speak out against the slaughter of the innocent, or the acceptance of sexually immoral lifestyles. They throw Jesus’ words in our face and tell us that he taught us “don’t judge” (Matthew 7:1). But they ignore what Jesus was actually teaching — that we should not judge hypocritically.

Both our Lord and this prophet teach that there is a time when believers are responsible to point out evil and hold people accountable for their sins. Perhaps there are many of us today who need to hear the Lord’s words to Ezekiel: “will you pass judgment?”

There is a time when the robe and gavel are appropriate.

LORD, forgive us for failing to condemn blatant sin in our land.

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