Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Because you have forgotten me and cast me behind your back, you yourself must bear the consequences of your lewdness and whoring.”
One of my most embarrassing moments in high school was being loudly berated by the assistant principal in the cafeteria, which fell silent so the entire high school could hear every word. To this day, I remember every brutal word he screamed in my ear. The prophet Ezekiel was tasked with the assistant principal role in Judah. Chapter 23 is one of the most graphic and brutal chapters in all of Scripture, if not THE most. These words would have stung the ears of his hearers as they sought a way out of the promises of judgment being heaped on them. Their memory bank would have been filled with instances of their own unfaithfulness to God with idols and their outright rejection of God’s law. The consequences and analogies in this chapter are not easy reading. They needed good news.
This country needs good news. Regardless of who the winner of this election is, the nation is currently doing its best imitation of Judah. They have forgotten God, to the point of rejecting his statutes and promises. They have traded the Good News for the news their itching ears want to hear, that they are good and no one can tell them otherwise. The Bible says otherwise. Chapter 23 of Ezekiel is a bitter pill to swallow but not nearly as tough as it will be for those who bear the consequences for rejecting Jesus, who bore the shame for them.
Dear Lord, thank you for your awesome power and judgment. Thank you that you spared those who believe in Jesus. May revival occur today. In Jesus’ name. amen.
Pastor Brad Boyer
Cape Community Church