TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
Ezekiel 16:42-17:24
Hebrews 8:1-13
Psalm 106:13-31
Proverbs 27:7-9
Ezekiel 16:44 — A church ladies’ group came across this verse and thought it’d be a fitting tribute for the upcoming mother-daughter banquet. Please be sure to check the context of the next verse you use for an event!
Ezekiel 16:49 — Today, liberal theologians will say “See, the sin of Sodom was not sodomy but was pride and not showing compassion to the poor.” Unfortunately, they do not look at the context any more than the unfortunate ladies’ ministry!
Ezekiel 16:50 — We see in Ezekiel 16:49 the origin of their sin: pride, a mental sin. This is repeated in Romans 1:21 – “… vain in their imaginations.” Lot felt the call of the beauty of the land; it looked like the Garden of Eden (Genesis 13:10).
Then we see in Ezekiel 16:49 Phase II of their sin: a wrong attitude toward resources, a financial sin. Their covetousness prevented them from giving, like it prevented the Rich Young Ruler in Mark 10:22. In Romans 1:21, we see that the sinners addressed were not thankful – they forgot who gave them their resources in the first place. In Genesis 14:21, the King of Sodom offers to Abraham his wealth, but Abraham rejects it (Genesis 14:23) and accepts only what food his (needy) men have eaten already.
This led to Phase III of their sin: abomination. What was this abomination? The same Hebrew word is used in Leviticus 20:13 when referring to homosexuality. In Genesis 19:5, we see that the Sodomites were referring to homosexuality. In Romans 1:26-27, we see that Paul is referring to homosexuality. It seems clear that this abomination is a coded reference to homosexuality as well, a sexual sin. In Ezekiel 16:47, Ezekiel says that Jerusalem hasn’t “done” after Sodom’s abominations, but they were corrupted in other ways. Ezekiel said earlier in this chapter (Ezekiel 16:20) that they sacrificed their children as burnt offerings to idols!
As an aside, God isn’t picking on people who struggle with same-sex attraction. God has strong warnings on premarital relations (Hebrews 13:4), extramarital relations (Exodus 20:14), post-marital relations (Matthew 19:9), mental relations (Matthew 5:28), intergenerational relations (1 Corinthians 5:1), interspecies relations (Exodus 22:19), desires for forbidden relations (Colossians 3:5), and even hints of the above types of relations (Ephesians 5:3). If you haven’t noticed it yet, God wants a peculiar people (1 Peter 2:9). If you’re still unsure about this point, feel free to re-read Leviticus.
Ezekiel 17:15 — What was the problem in defending oneself against the Babylonians? Like we read earlier in Deuteronomy 17:16, God specifically forbade that activity.
Ezekiel 17:18 — Even though the oath was made to an enemy (Ezekiel 17:18), God takes oaths seriously (Ezekiel 17:19).
Ezekiel 17:24 — As James 4:6 says, God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.
Hebrews 8:10 — Not only is Jesus a better priest, but He is priest of a better promise to us. The author is quoting Jeremiah 31:31-34 to show that this was the promised “Better Covenant.”
Psalm 106:13 — The Psalmist recounts the problems the Hebrews caused on their Exodus from Egypt. Forgetting God. Tempting God. Challenging God’s servant. Changing God’s glory. Despising God’s land. Disbelieving God’s Word. Interesting that we read it in conjunction with Ezekiel 16 & 17.
Proverbs 27:7 — You may not be the greatest chef, but to a hungry soul, you’re the only chef!
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