ISRAEL IS AN UNFAITHFUL WIFE

Passage: Ezekiel 15:1-16:34

Key verse: 16:32

NIV

Jerusalem as a Useless Vine

15 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, how is the wood of a vine(A) different from that of a branch from any of the trees in the forest? 3 Is wood ever taken from it to make anything useful?(B) Do they make pegs(C) from it to hang things on? 4 And after it is thrown on the fire as fuel and the fire burns both ends and chars the middle, is it then useful for anything?(D) 5 If it was not useful for anything when it was whole, how much less can it be made into something useful when the fire has burned it and it is charred?

6 “Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: As I have given the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest as fuel for the fire, so will I treat the people living in Jerusalem. 7 I will set my face against(E) them. Although they have come out of the fire(F), the fire will yet consume them. And when I set my face against them, you will know that I am the Lord.(G) 8 I will make the land desolate(H) because they have been unfaithful,(I) declares the Sovereign Lord.”

Jerusalem as an Adulterous Wife

16 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, confront(J) Jerusalem with her detestable practices(K) 3 and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says to Jerusalem: Your ancestry(L) and birth were in the land of the Canaanites; your father(M) was an Amorite(N) and your mother a Hittite.(O) 4 On the day you were born(P) your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to make you clean, nor were you rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloths. 5 No one looked on you with pity or had compassion enough to do any of these things for you. Rather, you were thrown out into the open field, for on the day you were born you were despised.

6 “‘Then I passed by and saw you kicking about in your blood, and as you lay there in your blood I said to you, “Live!”[a](Q) 7 I made you grow(R) like a plant of the field. You grew and developed and entered puberty. Your breasts had formed and your hair had grown, yet you were stark naked.(S)

8 “‘Later I passed by, and when I looked at you and saw that you were old enough for love, I spread the corner of my garment(T) over you and covered your naked body. I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant(U) with you, declares the Sovereign Lord, and you became mine.(V)

9 “‘I bathed you with water and washed(W) the blood from you and put ointments on you. 10 I clothed you with an embroidered(X) dress and put sandals of fine leather on you. I dressed you in fine linen(Y) and covered you with costly garments.(Z) 11 I adorned you with jewelry:(AA) I put bracelets(AB) on your arms and a necklace(AC) around your neck, 12 and I put a ring on your nose,(AD) earrings(AE) on your ears and a beautiful crown(AF) on your head.(AG) 13 So you were adorned with gold and silver; your clothes(AH) were of fine linen and costly fabric and embroidered cloth. Your food was honey, olive oil(AI) and the finest flour. You became very beautiful and rose to be a queen.(AJ) 14 And your fame(AK) spread among the nations on account of your beauty,(AL) because the splendor I had given you made your beauty perfect, declares the Sovereign Lord.(AM)

15 “‘But you trusted in your beauty and used your fame to become a prostitute. You lavished your favors on anyone who passed by(AN) and your beauty became his.(AO) 16 You took some of your garments to make gaudy high places,(AP) where you carried on your prostitution.(AQ) You went to him, and he possessed your beauty.[b] 17 You also took the fine jewelry I gave you, the jewelry made of my gold and silver, and you made for yourself male idols and engaged in prostitution with them.(AR) 18 And you took your embroidered clothes to put on them, and you offered my oil and incense(AS) before them. 19 Also the food I provided for you—the flour, olive oil and honey I gave you to eat—you offered as fragrant incense before them. That is what happened, declares the Sovereign Lord.(AT)

20 “‘And you took your sons and daughters(AU) whom you bore to me(AV) and sacrificed them as food to the idols. Was your prostitution not enough?(AW) 21 You slaughtered my children and sacrificed them to the idols.(AX) 22 In all your detestable practices and your prostitution you did not remember the days of your youth,(AY) when you were naked and bare,(AZ) kicking about in your blood.(BA)

23 “‘Woe!(BB) Woe to you, declares the Sovereign Lord. In addition to all your other wickedness, 24 you built a mound for yourself and made a lofty shrine(BC) in every public square.(BD) 25 At every street corner(BE) you built your lofty shrines and degraded your beauty, spreading your legs with increasing promiscuity to anyone who passed by.(BF) 26 You engaged in prostitution(BG) with the Egyptians,(BH) your neighbors with large genitals, and aroused my anger(BI) with your increasing promiscuity.(BJ) 27 So I stretched out my hand(BK) against you and reduced your territory; I gave you over(BL) to the greed of your enemies, the daughters of the Philistines,(BM) who were shocked by your lewd conduct. 28 You engaged in prostitution with the Assyrians(BN) too, because you were insatiable; and even after that, you still were not satisfied.(BO) 29 Then you increased your promiscuity to include Babylonia,[c](BP) a land of merchants, but even with this you were not satisfied.(BQ)

30 “‘I am filled with fury against you,[d] declares the Sovereign Lord, when you do all these things, acting like a brazen prostitute!(BR) 31 When you built your mounds at every street corner and made your lofty shrines(BS) in every public square, you were unlike a prostitute, because you scorned payment.

32 “‘You adulterous wife! You prefer strangers to your own husband! 33 All prostitutes receive gifts,(BT) but you give gifts(BU) to all your lovers, bribing them to come to you from everywhere for your illicit favors.(BV) 34 So in your prostitution you are the opposite of others; no one runs after you for your favors. You are the very opposite, for you give payment and none is given to you.

Footnotes
  1. Ezekiel 16:6 A few Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts repeat and as you lay there in your blood I said to you, “Live!”
  2. Ezekiel 16:16 The meaning of the Hebrew for this sentence is uncertain.
  3. Ezekiel 16:29 Or Chaldea
  4. Ezekiel 16:30 Or How feverish is your heart,
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

Jerusalem, a Useless Vine

15 And the word of the Lord came to me: 2 (A)“Son of man, how does (B)the wood of the vine surpass any wood, the vine branch that is among the trees of the forest? 3 Is wood taken from it to make anything? Do people take (C)a peg from it to hang any vessel on it? 4 (D)Behold, it is given to the fire for fuel. When the fire has consumed both ends of it, and the middle of it is charred, is it useful for anything? 5 (E)Behold, when it was whole, it was used for nothing. How much less, when the fire has consumed it and it is charred, can it ever be used for anything! 6 Therefore thus says the Lord God: (F)Like the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest, (G)which I have given to the fire for fuel, so have I given up the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 7 (H)And I will set my face against them. Though (I)they escape from the fire, the fire shall yet consume them, (J)and you will know that I am the Lord, (K)when I set my face against them. 8 (L)And I will make the land desolate, because (M)they have acted faithlessly, declares the Lord God.”

The Lord's Faithless Bride

16 Again the word of the Lord came to me: 2 (N)“Son of man, (O)make known to Jerusalem her abominations, 3 and say, Thus says the Lord God to Jerusalem: Your origin and your birth are of the land of the Canaanites; your father was an (P)Amorite and your mother a (Q)Hittite. 4 And as for your birth, (R)on the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to cleanse you, nor rubbed with salt, nor wrapped in swaddling cloths. 5 No eye pitied you, to do any of these things to you out of compassion for you, (S)but you were cast out on the open field, for you were abhorred, (T)on the day that you were born.

6 “And when I passed by you and saw you wallowing (U)in your blood, I said to you (V)in your blood, ‘Live!’ I said to you (W)in your blood, ‘Live!’ 7 (X)I made you flourish like a plant of the field. And you grew up and became tall (Y)and arrived at full adornment. Your breasts were formed, and your hair had grown; yet (Z)you were naked and bare.

8 “When I passed by you again and saw you, behold, you were at the age for love, and (AA)I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness; I made my vow to you (AB)and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord God, (AC)and you became mine. 9 Then I bathed you with water and washed off your blood from you and (AD)anointed you with oil. 10 (AE)I clothed you also with embroidered cloth and shod you with fine leather. I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk.[a] 11 (AF)And I adorned you with ornaments and (AG)put bracelets on your wrists and a chain on your neck. 12 And I put a ring on your nose and earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. 13 Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen and silk and embroidered cloth. (AH)You ate fine flour and honey and oil. (AI)You grew exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty. 14 And (AJ)your renown went forth among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through the splendor that I had bestowed on you, declares the Lord God.

15 (AK)“But you trusted in your beauty (AL)and played the whore[b] because of your renown (AM)and lavished your whorings[c] on any passerby; your beauty[d] became his. 16 You took some of your garments and made for yourself colorful shrines, and on them played the whore. The like has never been, nor ever shall be.[e] 17 You also took (AN)your beautiful jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given you, and (AO)made for yourself images of men, and with them played the whore. 18 And you took your embroidered garments to cover them, (AP)and set my oil and my incense before them. 19 (AQ)Also my bread that I gave you—(AR)I fed you with fine flour and oil and honey—you set before them for (AS)a pleasing aroma; and so it was, declares the Lord God. 20 (AT)And you took your sons and your daughters, whom you had borne to me, and (AU)these you sacrificed to them to be devoured. Were your whorings so small a matter 21 that you slaughtered my children and delivered them up as an offering by fire to them? 22 And in all your abominations and your whorings you did not remember (AV)the days of your youth, (AW)when you were naked and bare, wallowing in your blood.

23 “And after all your wickedness (woe, woe to you! declares the Lord God), 24 you built yourself (AX)a vaulted chamber and made yourself a lofty place in every square. 25 At the head of every street (AY)you built your lofty place and made (AZ)your beauty an abomination, (BA)offering yourself[f] to any passerby and multiplying your whoring. 26 (BB)You also played the whore (BC)with the Egyptians, your lustful neighbors, (BD)multiplying your whoring, (BE)to provoke me to anger. 27 Behold, therefore, I stretched out my hand against you (BF)and diminished your allotted portion (BG)and delivered you to the greed of your enemies, (BH)the daughters of the Philistines, who were ashamed of your lewd behavior. 28 (BI)You played the whore also (BJ)with the Assyrians, because you were not satisfied; yes, you played the whore with them, and still you were not satisfied. 29 You multiplied your whoring also with the trading land (BK)of Chaldea, and even with this you were not satisfied.

30 “How sick is your heart,[g] declares the Lord God, because you did all these things, the deeds of a brazen prostitute, 31 building your vaulted chamber at the head of every street, and making your lofty place in every square. Yet you were not like a prostitute, (BL)because you scorned payment. 32 Adulterous wife, who receives strangers instead of her husband! 33 Men give gifts to all prostitutes, (BM)but you gave your gifts to all your lovers, bribing them to come to you from every side with your whorings. 34 So you were different from other women in your whorings. No one solicited you to play the whore, and (BN)you gave payment, while no payment was given to you; therefore you were different.

Footnotes
  1. Ezekiel 16:10 Or with rich fabric
  2. Ezekiel 16:15 Or were unfaithful; also verses 16, 17, 26, 28
  3. Ezekiel 16:15 Or unfaithfulness; also verses 20, 22, 25, 26, 29, 33, 34, 36
  4. Ezekiel 16:15 Hebrew it
  5. Ezekiel 16:16 The meaning of this Hebrew sentence is uncertain
  6. Ezekiel 16:25 Hebrew spreading your legs
  7. Ezekiel 16:30 Revocalization yields How I am filled with anger against you
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway
1. A useless vine (15:1-8) The Lord intended for Israel to be a choice vine, and so he cared for them with love to make them fruitful (Isa 5). Instead they became unfaithful and useless. They became like the wood of a vine, suitable only to be thrown into the fire and burned. When the fires of siege and invasion did not lead those who remained to repentance, they became worse than useless. 2. An adulterous wife (16:1-34) The Lord found Israel, a despised nation, and chose them. He loved them, made a solemn covenant and was ever faithful. He became the source of her beauty among the nations, but they rejected God and practiced the idol worship and lifestyle of those around them. They traded their love relationship with the Lord for political alliances with other nations. They became worse than a prostitute, because they did all this for nothing in return. Israel heaped humiliation on the Lord who raised her, invoking his anger and judgment.

Prayer: Lord, your faithful love is everything I need. Help me to be faithful to you.

One Word: Be faithful to the Lord