Brent Bailey Ezekiel 16:44-63 Exegesis

8/18/2019 Brent Bailey Ezekiel 16:44-63 Exegesis

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Shame and Forgiveness in Ezekiel 16:44-63

Brent Bailey

BIBL 610: dvan!ed Introd"!tion to the #ld $estament

%r& 'onathan ("ddleston

1 %e!em)er *011

+evised 1 ,ril *01*


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Ezekiel 16 !ontains lengthy material that is i. not tro")ling to the modern reader at least

deserving o. s,e!ial attention& In addition to !r"de dis,leasing imagery involving violen!e

to/ards /omen1 Ezekiels ,ro,heti! retelling o. the story o. ods !ovenant relationshi, /ith

the nation o. Israel leads ", to a s"r,rising !om,arison o. 'er"salem her northern neigh)or

Samaria and her so"thern neigh)or Sodom2a nation that re!eives .re"ent all"sions in an!ient

literat"re2that means to shame 'er"salem in all her arrogant sin."lness&* s .ar as Ezekiel is

!on!erned the shame he ,la!es ",on 'er"salem is !onsistent /ith ods histori!al intera!tions

/ith the nation o. Israel th"s .ar in the same /ay Ezekiels !harged re.eren!es to Sodom are

!onsistent /ith the narrative .rame/ork he esta)lishes in !h& 16 and they ,re,are the /ay .or the

,romise o. ods !ovenant .aith."lness that /ill !on!l"de the !ha,ter& $he sister relationshi,

)et/een 'er"salem and Sodom and the shame it ind"!es are !entral to Ezekiels ,"r,ose in the

!ha,ter and any ,resent-day di..i!"lties /ith the te5t m"st not ,revent readers .rom

"nderstanding Ezekiels ,ro.o"nd theologi!al !on!l"sions& In Ezekiel 16:44-63 Ezekiel relies

",on a !om,arison o. 'er"salem to Sodom in order to introd"!e shame as a ,ermanent

1 s /ith other seemingly anti-.emale material in s!ri,t"re this di..i!"lt !hara!teristi! o. the te5t has re!eived

s!holarly attention& Interested readers may /ant to !ons"lt the dis!"ssion in atheryn %arr The Book of Ezekiel: Introduction, Commentary, and Reflections 7 NIB 6 8ashville: )ingdon *0019 1*40-3&*ltho"gh Ezekiel !om,ares 'er"salem to )oth Sodom and Samaria he ,la!es m"!h greater em,hasis on Sodom

than on Samaria: /hereas .o"r verses are dedi!ated e5!l"sively to Sodom 7vv& 4-;0 ;69 Samaria only re!eives one

e5!l"sive mention 7v& ;19& Be!a"se the re.eren!es to Samaria do not ill"minate the ,resent dis!"ssion this ,a,er

.o!"ses e5!l"sively on Sodom& In kee,ing /ith the .eminine meta,hor r"nning thro"gho"t Ezekiel 16 I /ill "se the

.eminine ,rono"n to re.er to 'er"salem thro"gho"t this ,a,er& In order to avoid !on."sion I "se


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."ndamental dynami! !oe5isting /ith .orgiveness in the restored !ovenant relationshi, )et/een

od and 'er"salem&

SE$$I8

Ezekiel 16:44-63 !on!l"des the sel.-!ontained narrative that !om,rises !h& 16& reen)erg

identi.ies the !ha,ter as the longest !ohesive ,ro,he!y /ithin the )ook 3 and the ,assage is

str"!t"red in three se!tions: vv& *-43 tells a gra,hi!ally se5"al version o. the story o. Israels

!ovenant "n.aith."lness vv& 44-; !om,ares 'er"salem to Samaria and Sodom and vv& ;>-63

,romises a !ovenant rene/al involving shame& $ho"gh some have "estioned the a"thorshi,

and a"thenti!ity o. the latter se!tions4 the ,assage as it stands ,resently !ontains eno"gh

!onsisten!y to )e read as a /hole&; ?immerli is !orre!t to identi.y the !ha,ter as

Fortress 1>D>9 33;& See also reen)erg *>*-4 /ho !alls vv& 3-34


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the des!ri,tion in vv& -14 o. od !hoosing and )lessing the hel,less nation o. Israel is .ollo/ed

)y vv& 1;-** /hi!h des!ri)es ho/ Israel mis"ses those )lessings& $h"s Israel "ses the


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general "nity in -;0 a re.le!tion o. their o/n )ehavior 7-14 and 'er **:13-& It is /orth noting that in a !ha,ter laden/ith se5"al imagery Ezekiel !"rio"sly says nothing o. the se5"al nat"re o. Sodoms sin& See .or e5am,le

Co"dstra 36&11

First the )roader !onte5t o. !h& 16 does not seem !on!erned /ith the o,,ression o. marginalized ,eo,le )"t rather

idol /orshi, 7vv& 1D-*19 and .aithlessness involving other nations 7vv& *6->9& Se!ond Ezekiel makes no e5,li!it

!onne!tion )et/een the sins o. 'er"salem and Sodom altho"gh he does a!!"se 'er"salem o. living


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,eo,les=1* and :


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,eo,le o. 'er"salem have no/ )een revealed as more /i!ked 7vv& ;6-D9& Ezekiel leaves

'er"salem /ith little de.ense /hereas Sodom evidently "sed to ."n!tion .or 'er"salem as some

kind o. im,ossi)le e5treme .or the ,"r,ose o. sel.-@"sti.i!ation 7i&e&


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that 'er"salems !on!"rrent restoration /ith Sodom /ill res"lt in 'er"salems shame inso.ar as

the restored Sodom /ill stand as a mon"ment to 'er"salems de,ravity 7vv& ;3-49& B"t Ezekiels

s"ggestion that the restoration o. ods !ovenant /ith the ,eo,le /ill res"lt in their shame2*9: 101-1*&

1 I)id& 10;& #dell relies ",on eviden!e thro"gho"t the #ld $estament in!l"ding an e5,osition o. salm ** in

/hi!h %avids e5,ression o. shame involves


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to )e ashamed t"rns the !laims and !om,laints o. the ,eo,le )a!k on themselves and .or!es them

to e5amine their role in the .ail"re o. the divine-h"man relationshi,&=1> #dell ,ro)a)ly goes too

.ar in removing any sense o. remorse .rom the ,ortrait Ezekiel is ,ainting es,e!ially in light o.

the h"miliation imagery r"nning thro"gho"t vv& 36-43 and the other mentions o. shame in vv& ;*

and ;3-4 7see a)ove9& Chat she does o..er tho"gh is the sense that 'er"salems ,ost"re )e.ore

od /ill )e ."ndamentally !hanged as a res"lt o. her sin and e5ile es,e!ially in light o. v& 63s


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.ort"nesJin order that yo" may )ear yo"r disgra!e and )e ashamed= and


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,rom,ting the !losed mo"ths is dire!tly !onne!ted to the statement that 'er"salem /ill

!ognitively


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entered as /ell as the de,ths o. ods mer!y& od /ill restore that /hi!h 'er"salem has )roken

)"t the restored !ovenant /ill not look identi!al to that /hi!h e5isted )e.ore& %arr noti!es this

)itters/eet !on!l"sion:


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Ezekiels @"5ta,osition o. shame /ith gra!e !hallenges those modern sensi)ilities a)o"t

gra!e that rely heavily on ,assages like salm 103:1*2 #ne o"ght

not to !on."se 'er"salems ,ermanent shame."l ,ost"re to/ards od 7esta)lished here in 16:44-

639 /ith a la!k o. .orgiveness .rom od as i. the ne!essary res"lt o. ods mer!y is a ret"rn to

some Edeni! !hildlike inno!en!e& It may )e that h"manitys sin."lness ,revents "s .rom ever

ret"rning to that ,re-sin naivety ,erha,s Ezekiels des!ri,tion o. 'er"salems relationshi, /ith

od in !h& 16 is des!ri,tive o. ho/ the od-h"man relationshi, /ill ."n!tion .rom that time

.or/ard& In any !ase that remnant o. shame does not signi.y any ontologi!al reality o. an

end"ringly irre!on!ila)le .ra!t"re in the od-h"man relationshi,&

Instead the shame that remains /hen one re!eives .orgiveness .rom od is as m"!h a

reminder o. ods mer!y as it is a reminder o. h"manitys sin."lness& Chile it is dangero"s to

!om,letely ignore the .eelings o. shame that o"ght to a!!om,any sin."l )ehavior it is e"ally

dangero"s to s")mit to those .eelings to the e5tent that one is in!a,a)le o. re!eiving .orgiveness

this sort o. !ri,,ling shame is !ertainly not /hat Ezekiel has in mind or else vv& ;>-63 /o"ld

* See also a"ls "se o. Isaiah *:16 in +omans >:33 and 10:11&

*> Blo!k ;**&


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have no ,la!e in Ezekiels ,ro,he!y& Ezekiels ,ro,he!y th"s remains "rgently relevant to

modern re!i,ients o. ods gra!e and to a theology o. gra!e and shame& For those /ho

arrogantly "se gra!e as a tr"m, !ard against !ree,ing .eelings o. g"ilt .or /rongdoings or .or

those /hose sel.-righteo"s .orget."lness o. their o/n mistakes makes them "i!k to @"dge the

im,er.e!tions o. others Ezekiels ,ro!lamation that the ,eo,le o. 'er"salem sho"ld


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C#+S I$E%

llen Leslie& Ezekiel 1-1+& Cord Bi)li!al ommentary *& Ca!o: Cord Books 1>>4&

Blo!k %aniel& The Book of Ezekiel: Cha%ters 1-2&& 8e/ International ommentary on the #ld

$estament& rand +a,ids: Eerdmans 1>>D&

Bro/nlee Cilliam& Ezekiel 1-1+& Cord Bi)li!al ommentary *& Ca!o: Cord Books 1>6&

%arr atheryn& 19:

*33-;&

Loader '& ! Tale of T"o Cities: (odom and )omorrah in the *ld Testament, Early #e"ish, and

Early Christian Traditions& ontri)"tions to Bi)li!al E5egesis M $heology 1& am,en: '&

(& ok 1>>0&

A"lder Aartin& >-103 in vol& 6 o. !nchor Bile /ictionary&

Edited )y %avid 8oel Freedman& 6 vols& 8e/ ork: %o")leday 1>>*&


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#dell Aargaret& -63&= #ournal for the

(tudy of the *ld Testament ;6 71>>*9: 101-1*&

Co"dstra Aarten& -63&= Cal.in Theolo3ical #ournal

6 71>D19: **-4&

?immerli Calther& Ezekiel 1: ! Commentary on the Book of the $ro%het Ezekiel, Cha%ters 1-2&&

Edited )y la"s Baltzer and Frank ross /ith the assistan!e o. Leonard reens,oon&

$ranslated )y +onald lements& 'ermeneia& hiladel,hia: Fortress 1>D>&

Brent Bailey Ezekiel 16:44-63 Exegesis

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