Ezekiel 16

The tragedy of the adulterous Orphan Queen.

The Lord speak to Ezekiel and shares with him a metaphor to "make known to Jerusalem her abominations."

In this metaphor, the woman is born from the heritage of Canaan and Hittite. These were wicked and pagan influences. I think He is saying that Jerusalem is now a child of the wicked and pagan people of the land and not a child of God anymore. They wanted the culture of those around them and they let those cultures change them, instead of being the influence to bring those people to God-which was their assignment.

From these roots, you were born into a culture that didn't do even the basic care of a newborn. Her cord wasn't cut, she was not washed, or treated, or even wrapped in cloth. No one had pity or compassion for you. You were abhorred and tossed into a field to die.

God sure can paint a picture.

I think of a newborn and I think of a sterile hospital room with friends, family, and medical staff and tending to new life. But the world wants to destroy babies and all life, really. Abandoned. Without the slightest human act of kindness.

In verse 6 we learn that the Lord walks by the baby squirming in her blood and calls to her to Live. He gives her life with just His words. He provides for her and she grew up tall; but when she reached the age for fine ornaments, even though she was a fully matured female, she had no clothes.

He passed by again and sees her in her nakedness and spreads His skirt over her (married her and consummated the marriage). He provided clothes and made a covenant with her. She became His.

What He did for her once she was his:

• cleaned her and washed away her blood (purification)
• anointed her with oil (healing)
• fine, expensive, and beautiful linens clothes (beauty)
• fine sandals (protection)
• adorned with ornaments, bracelets, necklaces, nose ring, earrings (wealth and beauty)
• a crown (royalty)
• gold, silver, linen, silk
• fine food- flour, honey, oil

...so you were exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty. Ezekiel 16:13b

Perfect Hollywood plot: rags to riches. Abandoned to Belonging. Dying to life. Deathly Poverty or Exceeding Wealth. Discarded garbage to Royalty.

And fame:

Then your fame went forth among the nations on account of your beauty, for it was perfect because of My splendor which I bestowed on you,” declares the Lord God. Ezekiel 16: 14

Heartwarming. Aren't we all so happy for her. She lives happily ever after and the credits roll.

All good stories, whether it be books or movies, are rooted in the stories we find in the Bible. Because God is the Author of life, so the things that resonate with us flow from His truth. But because we live in a fallen world, the stories get corrupted. For example, if we take our Orphan Queen story from above and we remove God from it, we have to roll the credits, because if the camera kept rolling we'd see that she doesn't live happily every after...yet.

Leaving God out of Orphan Queen's story leaves out the key question...why?

Why would the Creator take a pagan, wicked, abandoned, bloody, dying baby and make her his bride–providing everything anyone would wish for? Movies never really probe that part of the story because without God, the answers are pretty thin.

So why?

Why did God take the little tribe of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and make them His Chosen? Why are we Chosen?

NOT FOR US.

It's not because we have some inherent value that made us so special we deserved to be saved and made royalty. Because that's what makes so many of the rags to riches stories so compelling. We want that. We want the magic beans to make us rich and powerful and loved because we're so darn lovable.

Don't get me wrong. He does love us. He does have pity and compassion on us. He did DIE for us. He indwells us. And He is for us.

But be super clear, it is for His Shekinah Glory.

That Orphan Queen was given the assignment to shine His light. Share His message. Drawn God's creation back to Him.

Sadly, starting in verse 15 we learn that the Orphan Queen did not choose to use her massive blessings for His Shekinah Glory, but something else entirely.

The Orphan Queen used all that she had been given by God and claimed it as her own to do with as she pleased. And what pleased her was to play the whore.

• She used her beauty to play the whore, with every passerby.
• She used the garments. "The like has never been, nor ever shall be." That's a pretty stunning indictment of how poorly Israel handled all of her beauty. The clothing, specifically, was addressing the nakedness the man found at the child's birth and still when he found her as an adult. And even out of that undeniable poverty, she claimed the garments as hers to soil as a whore.
• The jewelry was converted into idols in the shapes of men. She knew who had provided for her, but she decided to honor men. I think this is true for many of the leaders of Israel, but one of the worst offenders, in my mind, is Solomon. He had all the wisdom but wanted more and more stuff. He took all of those corrupting wives to make more and more deals with foreigners. He broke God's rules lured by what men could give him. And the final Kings were making constant deals with men for protection. It's an easy mistake to make. We knew God provides and protects; but when things feel out of our control (because they are) we go looking for tangible, visible help...How deeply that must cut God.
• In verse 18, I think it's saying she actually took the fancy embroidered garments and worshiped them with oil and incense. That sound crazy unless you exchange the phrase "embroidered garment with gifts and talents. We'll sacrifice a whole lot to the gifts and talents were given. Imagine He gives someone the gift of singing for her good and His glory and that person chases a worldly record deal, being willing to defile herself to use the gift for purposes other than what it was meant for. We are all tempted to do that because we don't often see those gifts in the right light. They are from Him for Him. If we start worshiping them in their own right, it's an abomination.
• In verse 19, she defiled the bread He gave to her. Bread is the symbol of life and of Christ. That bread is hearty, sweet, and smells amazing. It was meant to sustain her and to be given back to Him as a thank you. But instead she played the whore.
• Verse 20 is almost to sickening to think about. The orphan queen whore offered up her sons and daughters from Him be burned and devoured. But be careful if you think you wouldn't do the same. A speaker once pointed out that we all sacrifice our children to whatever we value. We want to bring them along on our journey. And for some, they just don't notice that their kids are along on their journey. As you go; your kid goes.

And in all your abominations and your whorings you did not remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, wallowing in your blood. Ezekiel 16:22

It's sad to consider that she didn't need to do any of these things. She had it all. Sometimes we take pity on a woman who becomes a prostitute to feed her family, or sells her wedding ring to pay medical bills. Or we say an abortion was good because the girl was young. But this Orphan Queen has everything. She needed nothing. The poverty she came with left her with a corrupted nature.

Same as we have.

She goes on to build HERSELF a shrine and to set up multiple high places. I bet that's a common progression. Worship stuff, worship men, sacrifice children and other blessings from God and then arrive at worshiping yourself.

The Orphan Queen (Israel) set up high places on every street and opened her legs for every passer-by. Brutal. Every treaty. Every payment to foreign kings. Every prayer to foreign, fake gods and demons. Using the gifts given by God for the wrong and harmful purpose. Before judging, asking yourself who you turn to when the storm is coming and you're afraid? When you want thing God hasn't provided? When you get the dopamine rush for doing well at things you're gifted in?

Israel always shows us so clearly what not to do. But it can be easy to just avert our eyes and blame them for being weak or stupid or evil. They were humans in a fallen world. They should be an object lesson not an opportunity to point and judge.

The Lord calls out their harlotry with Egypt by name. Again, Egypt is a common symbol for the world. We covet the horses and chariots. We bargain with them for their riches. We beg them for their protection. Whenever you see Egypt in scripture, remember to ask yourself if you're making any contracts or compromises in the world. Use that word as your personal cue to self-evaluate. It's easy to become enchanted by our neighbor; but God should be you're go-to for protection and provision.

Now the Lord speaks to the Orphan Queen and explains that her rations are cut and His hand is against her. She may turn to the world, but it didn't remove God from His throne. Eventually, He will remind her of her natural poverty and of His chosen generosity. A bill always comes due.

He goes on to name the Assyrians and the Chaldeans as men with whom she played the harlot. These are giant chapters on their history, but there is so much sin and idolatry, they just get listed in passing. (Although covered in depth by early prophets trying to warn them.)

Starting in verse 30, He points out how sick their heart has to be to do all of this. Verse 32 clearly labels Israel an adulteress wife, not only sleeping with other men, but not sleeping with her husband at all. That's a whole separate sin. He goes on to point out that she actually PAYS the men to sleep with her. She's not even doing it for the money, but out of a wicked and broken heart. He points out that this makes her different even from actual harlots.

It's so sad to think of these Chosen people. His Chosen bride. And such a warning to those of us who are the Bride of Christ. Be warned and choose wisely.

Verse 35 brings us the therefore. Because of everything catalogued in verses 1-34 we're about to learn of the punishment for this wicked and broken orphan queen.

• He's going to gather all of the lovers—those she loved and those she hated—and He will turn her over to them naked. She arrived naked forsook and defiled the coverings He gave her and now she will face her punishment naked.
• She will face the wrath and jealousy she earned.
• Those she defiled herself with will cut and stone her and then tear her house down.
• Then she will no longer be able to play the harlot and pay her lovers.

In verse 42 the tide turns and the Lord explains that He will then calm His fury against them, His jealous will subside, and His anger will be pacified.

He refers back to the beginning of the prophesy when He called the orphan a daughter of Hitite mother and a Amorite father. He notes the proverb, like mother, like daughter. Her mother loathed her children, as well as her sisters who also hated their husband and children. He refers to her sisters as Samaria to the north and Sodom to the south. And then He goes on to indict her as more corrupt than both of them. He goes as far as to say that Judah was so wicked they made Samaria and Sodom look righteous! He goes on to say even that counts as another disgrace against her. He her wickedness, she made the wicked look righteous.

Pretty grim.

But God.

He is called faithful and true. After they have drank from the cup of His wrath, he always offers hope.

He will restore the captivity of Sodom, Samaria, and Judah—returning them to their former state. You are the reproach of your neighbors, Edom and the Philistines. You have borne the penalty of your lewdness and abominations.

The Ryrie Study Bible has a very enlightening footnote on this section 44-59. It points out that the point of using Sodom and Samaria is that they are completely destroyed long ago. It's impossible to image them being restored. their sin was so great and their destruction so complete, how could it ever be restored. That's the level of destruction coming to Judah. As encouraging as it is to hear God promise restoration is coming, the people of Judah (especially Ezekiel's people in captivity in Chaldea) have to come to terms with the complete and utter destruction God is describing. there is no hope in the short term—something Ezekiel has tried repeatedly to get through to them.

If they can get that through their heads, give up hope in saving themselves and returning to Jerusalem to the life they used to know, then there is hope in God's long term plan:

⁶⁰ “Nevertheless, I will remember My covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you. ⁶¹ Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed when you receive your sisters, both your older and your younger; and I will give them to you as daughters, but not because of your covenant. ⁶² Thus I will establish My covenant with you, and you shall know that I am the Lord, ⁶³ so that you may remember and be ashamed and never open your mouth anymore because of your humiliation, when I have forgiven you for all that you have done,” the Lord God declares. Ezekiel 16:60-63

It's going to be a tough road back; but the Waymaker always makes a way.

Amen.