S) "1 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 'And you, son of man, will you judge, will you judge the bloody city? Then cause her to know all her abominations.'"
Ezekiel 22:1-2 (NASB)
O) This is a fairly simple concept, but it struck me, and it's important, so I decided to journal about it (especially because I have two daughters whom I cherish, and a son for that matter). As I was reading through all three of these chapters in Ezekiel, I was truck by the prevalence of femininity throughout these three chapters. In particular, we see prophecy about God's righteous judgment against the unfaithful. Throughout these chapters, those who are unfaithful are characterized as a woman (or individual women) who are adulterous. In fact, I think I counted 40-some references to "her" and another 20-ish to "she" throughout all three of these chapters. The danger to the reader, is taking some of these verses out of context - the context being the above verses. God refers to His people, and Samaria, and Jerusalem, as women. This is not because of misogyny. This is not because of some character flaw in the LORD, but rather, because of a character flaw in us. God is not a feminist. God is not a chauvinist. He is righteous. Even today, in some cultures and to some degree, and especially during biblical times, women had a severe dependency on men. God was trying to illustrate our dependency on Him, using our own broken society to help us see it. Speaking of infidelity, He illustrates this as a woman being unfaithful, because it drove home a different point to the male listener. If a man from that time (or many men today) heard a story of a man cheating on his wife, it wouldn't phase him. If he heard a story of a woman cheating on her husband - suddenly he is furious. Throughout the Bible, God shows Himself as concerned for the well-being of women as He is for men. But, for the purposes of getting the attention of His people, the ones who had been unfaithful to Him, the men who held the power, the men who had misled their nation, their cities, their families, their wives - He used powerful, explicit imagery.
A) This is a reminder not to take things out of context when I read the Bible. I need to be sure that I am reading prayerfully, allowing the Holy Spirit to open my eyes and ears. It is a reminder to read the Bible with a historical understanding. It is a reminder that if there is something unclear, I am the one who is broken - not Him. I am the one who needs to be clarified, not Him, not the Bible.
P) Father, Your ways are pure. Your holiness is complete and unending. Let me approach Your holy words with that respect. Teach me to revere them as pure and holy. Rebuke me when I think the Bible needs to be clarified. Remind me that Your words are already clear, pure, and holy. May the Holy Spirit then clarify my understanding, and give me wisdom, to understand Your holy words. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.
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