The Puritan Jeremiah Burroughs is often remembered for his excellent book on contentment (The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment). Perhaps equally famous is his book The Evil of Evils, subtitled The Exceeding Sinfulness of Sin, in which he offers sixty-seven short chapters that expose the ugliness of sin and urge believers to choose affliction rather than giving into sin.
Burroughs’s subtitle resonates with Ezekiel 16, which describes in graphic detail Jerusalem’s sin. If chapter 15 presented something of a veiled picture of the city’s wickedness, chapter 16 pulls no punches. Spurgeon felt that this chapter was so graphic in its portrayal of Jerusalem’s wickedness that the Christian minister can scarcely read it in public! Its graphic nature notwithstanding, the chapter importantly highlights the heinousness of sin before God and the shame that our sin should rightly invite.
Ezekiel begins by portraying Jerusalem as the newborn infant of an Amorite father and a Hittite mother (vv. 1–3). The reference here is to the city’s founding, long before Israel conquered the Promised Land. The newborn city was left to fend for itself (vv. 4–5). Even in those infant days, the Lord placed his favour on the city, marking it as one that would one day experience his covenant grace (vv. 6–7). Later, when the city had reached, as it were, sexual maturity, the Lord again passed by and established a covenant with it (vv. 8–14). This happened when Israel conquered the city and God chose it as his special dwelling place. The clothing referenced is reminiscent of priestly garments, highlighting Jerusalem’s special place in Israelite life.
Despite the fact that God had rescued and beautified the city, she came to trust in her own beauty and began to whore with foreign nations (vv. 15–29). In fact, the sickness of Jerusalem’s heart was displayed in the fact that, unlike ordinary prostitutes, she did not lavish her favours for payment but in fact paid others to whore with her (vv. 30–34). God would not tolerate this forever. He would step in to put an end to Jerusalem’s whoredom (vv. 35–43).
Ezekiel changes gears slightly in v. 44 when he compares the wickedness of Jerusalem with the wickedness of Samaria and Sodom (vv. 44–52). Sodom, famed for its wickedness, could not hold a candle to the exceeding sinfulness of Jerusalem’s sin. Jerusalem’s sin was indeed “more abominable” than that of Sodom or Samaria (v. 52). Judgement would certainly befall the city.
But all hope was not lost. In vv. 53–63, the Lord promises restoration by means of a new, everlasting covenant. This covenant would serve a dual purpose. On the one hand, it would cleanse Jerusalem of its wickedness; on the other, it would make the city painfully aware of its wickedness. “I will restore your own fortunes in their midst, that you may bear your disgrace and be ashamed of all that you have done” (vv. 53–54). With the establishment of the new covenant, “you will remember your ways and be ashamed” (v. 61). When the new covenant was established, the people would know Yahweh as their God and never again be tempted to boast of its own righteousness and beauty (vv. 62–63).
Sometimes, it is necessary to get a little uncomfortably graphic about sin to highlight its heinousness. Many films about the realities of war receive a R rating because of their graphic depictions of wartime reality. It is certainly possible to tone down the violence to garner a more family-friendly rating, but that will come at the cost of an honest portrayal of the horrors of war. Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ likewise received an R rating because of its violent depiction of the cross. While that violence could have been toned down, it served an important purpose. Similarly, shocking sections of Scripture like Ezekiel 16 serve the important purpose of highlighting the exceeding sinfulness of sin. Sin is no light matter in God’s eyes, and it should be no light matter in ours.
When we grasp the true nature of sin, shame is the right response. The shame we feel over our sin should prevent us from ever boasting in our own beauty and self-righteousness. It should cause us to recognise that we can be counted righteous in Christ alone.
As you meditate on Ezekiel 16 this morning, ask God to give you a healthy understanding of the true nature of sin so that you will marvel at his grace and hold your tongue from boasting in your own righteousness.
