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0 God and Jerusalem | A marriage made in heaven (Ezekiel 14-16)

Episode 203: God and Jerusalem - A marriage made in heaven

Ezekiel 14-16

I the LORD have deceived that prophet

14 9 If a prophet deceives the people, I am the one who deceived him, and I'll stretch out my hand and destroy him.

10 And those who listen to that prophet will get the same punishment.

I'd only save Noah, Daniel, and Job

12 The word of God came again to me, saying,

13 Son of man, when the people sin, I'll send a famine to starve to death humans and beasts.

14 Even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were here, I wouldn't save anyone but them.

15 If I sent ravenous beasts to eat the people,

16 I wouldn't even save the children from being eaten. I'd only save Noah, Daniel, and Job.

17 Or if I bring a sword to kill the people by saying, "Sword, go kill all the people and animals."

18 I wouldn't save any children from the sword. I'd only save Noah, Daniel, and Job.

19 Or if I bring a pestilence to kill all the people and pour out my fury with blood to kill all the animals and people,

20 I wouldn't save any children from the pestilence. I'd only save Noah, Daniel, and Job.

Noah, Job, and Daniel (from right to left)

21 It will be even worse for Jerusalem. The sword, famine, beasts, and pestilence will kill people and animals.

22 But I'll keep a few alive to comfort you.

I'll burn Jerusalem

15 1 The word of God came to me and said,

2 Son of man, what use is the wood from a grapevine?

4 It's only good for firewood and is useless after it is burned.

6 Jerusalem is like that. I'll burn its inhabitants like they were wood from a grapevine.

7 Then they'll know that I'm God.

Baby Jerusalem

16 1 The word of God came to me and said,

2 Son of man, tell Jerusalem about her abominations, by saying,

Your father was an Amorite and your mother was a Hittite.

4 When you were born, your umbilical wasn't cut, and you weren't washed, salted, or clothed.

5 On the day you were born you were hated so much that you were cast out into an open field.

6 I happened to be passing by at the time, and saw you lying there, polluted in your own blood. And I said to you, "Live".

God marries Jerusalem

7 But now, you're looking good and have excellent ornaments. You have nice breasts and hair. But you were bare naked.

8 When I passed by you, you were ready for love. So I spread my skirt over you, and covered your nakedness, and made you mine

9 I washed off the blood with water and anointed you with oil.

10-11 I gave you nice clothing, shoes, ornaments, and bracelets.

12 I put a jewel on your forehead, earrings in your ears, and a crown on your head.

13 You were decked with silver and gold, covered with fine linen and silk, and ate flour, honey, and oil. And you were exceedingly beautiful.

God and Jerusalem: The happy couple

Jerusalem becomes a whore

15 But you played the harlot and had sex with everyone who passed by.

17 You made images of men from gold and silver and committed whoredom with them.

20 And you sacrificed the children that you bore for me.

22 In all your whoredoms you have forgotten your youth, when you were naked and polluted in your own blood.

24 You had sex on every street corner and high place.

25 And you have opened your feet to everyone that passes by.

26 You fornicated with large-membered Egyptians.

Ezekiel 16:26

27 So I've reduced your food and given you to those who hate you.

28 You played the whore with the Assyrians, but you couldn't be satisfied.

29 You fornicated in Chaldea, but you still weren't satisfied.

30 You are an imperious whore.

31 But not a harlot since you didn't take payment for your services.

32 You have sex with strangers instead of your husband.

33-34 Your lovers don't pay you. You pay them to have sex with you every which way in your whoredom.

God has Jerusalem stoned to death

35 So listen to me, you harlot.

36-37 Because of your filthiness, I'll gather all your lovers, the ones you loved and the ones you hated. Then I'll strip off your clothes and show them your nakedness.

38 I'll judge you as unfaithful wife and a murderer. I'll sentence you to death in my fury and jealousy.

39 I'll deliver you to your lovers who will strip off your clothes and leave you naked.

40 And they'll stone you with stones and thrust their swords into your body.

41 Then they'll burn your house. That will stop you from playing the harlot.

42 And that will put my fury to rest, and my jealousy will go away.

43 You forgot how things were when you were young. Now I'll punish you for your lewd abominations.

Jerusalem's sisters: Sodom and Samaria

45 You are your mother's daughter and your sisters' sister. They hated their husbands and children, like you did.

46 Your older sister is Samaria, and your younger sister is Sodom.

47 You haven't done all of their abominations, but you're even more corrupt than they.

Sodom's sin

49 Sodom's sin was pride, gluttony, idleness, and not helping the needy.

50 They committed abomination in front of me. So I thought it was a good idea to kill them.

51 Samaria hasn't committed half as many sins as you.

A few more words about this episode

If a prophet deceives the people, I am the one who deceived him (14:9)
God deceives prophets and then kills them for believing his lies. See 1 Kings 13 for an example of a prophet who was deceived and then killed by God. (Episode 137)
Noah, Daniel, and Job (14:14)
The Daniel (actually "Danel") here does not refer to Daniel from the book of Daniel.

See Wikipedia: Danel for more about this Danel - without the i.

I spread my skirt over you. (15:8)
By spreading his skirt over her, God is saying that he had sex with her - as Ruth asked Boaz to do in Ruth 3:9 (Episode 100).
Sodom's sin was pride, gluttony, idleness, and not helping the needy. (16:49)
This verse is often quoted to show that the sin of Sodom was not homosexuality. (See Strange Flesh: So what was Sodom's sin)
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