Prophecy – Ezekiel 19-24

As I was preparing for today’s passage, the Shakespeare bug bit again. Just by looking at the picture, can you tell which of his work I’m going to refer to?

If you guessed Othello, you guessed right! :

At this point, you may be questioning how the book of Ezekiel can be linked to Othello. Well, the more obvious reason would be that both are rather tragic for bitterness, duplicity and death are common in both books.

However, what struck me first was the cover of the book as it happened to be next to my Bible (which explains the Shakespeare bug biting :). This is what it looks like:

What was your first reaction upon seeing it? Do you see the contrast as I did?

This contrast is the reason for me referring to it in discussing our passage today for we can see a similar contrast between God and man within. Let’s first read the passage.

Bible Passage:  Ezekiel 19-24

And here are a few of the contrasts I noted.

God’s Faithfulness versus Man’s Faithlessness

God’s faithfulness is something we probably have heard about countless times. This is fitting because it is something we should constantly keep in mind to recognise how great a God we worship as well as to remind ourselves to be faithful to the God who is faithful to us.

In this passage, we are reminded of God’s faithfulness when He tells Ezekiel how He raised His hand in an oath to the house of Israel that He is the LORD their God (Ezek 20:5).

The author of Hebrews also tells us that

‘[…] when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself,’ (Heb 6:13)

This shows that God does not take these promises lightly and from history, we see that He did keep His promises because He is faithful by nature. Paul describes it best when he says,

If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself. (2 Tim 2:13)

Sadly, man seems to be faithless by nature in contrast. When God laments about how the adulterous sisters, Oholah and Oholibah, lusted after the enticing and the desirable of Assyria, Chaldea and Egypt, do we also mourn over the faithlessness of Israel? Or does our conscience prick us for being somewhat like them in succumbing to the allure of the world?

God’s Righteousness versus Man’s Wickedness

Besides God’s faithfulness, we can also see His righteousness as a contrast to the corruption of man. Because of the deeds of Jerusalem that He denounces, we can see how God is a righteous and holy God.

He rebukes the city, calling it a bloody city because

‘In [her] they have made light of father and mother; […] have oppressed the stranger […] mistreated the fatherless and the widow […] In [her] are men who slander to cause bloodshed; […] those who eat on the mountains; in [her] midst they commit lewdness. In [her] men uncover their fathers’ nakedness […] violate women […] commit […] abomination with his neighbour’s wife; […] lewdly defiles his daughter-in-law; […] violates his sister, […] take bribes to shed blood; […] take usury and increase; [make] profit […] by extortion, and have forgotten [Him]’ (Ezek 22:7-12)

With every denouncement, God makes it clear that He hates evil, injustice and every unclean thing. From previous posts on Proverbs however, we know that these things are the things that are prevalent in the world today.

As the contrast between God’s righteousness and the wickedness of men becomes more and more apparent, Christians must take a stand and choose a side. This choice is made not just with our lips but with out hearts, minds and our entire lives. Are we prepared?

God’s Mercy versus Man’s Cruelty

In reading the last section, some may feel it a bit of a stretch to talk about God’s mercy in this passage because, well, He gave what seems like His most unreasonable instruction so far. How can He take away the faithful prophet’s wife, the desire of his eyes, and not allow him to mourn?

We can be sure, however, that Ezekiel knew this was for the best and trusted deeply in the mercy of God. If we remember, when God asked him to prepare food using human waste as fuel in earlier chapters, he protested and asked God not to make him do so. Why would he not protest against the seemingly heartless taking away of his wife and instruction not to mourn unless he firmly believed in God’s plans of a future and a hope (Jer 29:11) for them as a family as well as a nation?

Sometimes, God’s mercy is not apparent, especially if we read of His judgement over and over again but His ultimate goal is always to turn back and to save (Ezek 18:28). What is the point of being kind now and causing everyone to be judged and die in the end?

Conversely, man’s cruelty is not always apparent for various reasons. Sometimes, this is because it stems from something that seems good in the eyes of men but more often than not, because it is a trap well packaged.

So do we prefer the God’s ‘cruelty’ or man’s ‘kindness’?

In the tragedy of Othello, the protagonist kills his wife in the end. Similarly, in the contrast between God and man, there will likewise be something that is consumed in the end. We know that God does not wish any to perish but when the final judgement is made, there will be those that are cut off from Him forever, slain by their own sin and dead to Him.

In this final contrast, where do we want to be?