Welcome to a year in the Bible with daily grace. The Bible tells one big story of

redemption and we want to spend five minutes every day journeying through the Bible from start to finish, and exploring how all of it

points to Jesus. Hey everyone, welcome back to a year in the Bible with Daily Grace.

My name is Aubrey Coleman, one of the hosts for the podcast, and today we're looking

at Ezekiel chapter 16 through 18.

The prophets of the Old Testament often use metaphors to help those listening connect with

the message.

In these chapters, the metaphors were likely incredibly difficult to listen to.

Ezekiel describes Israel like a prostitute, an adulterous wife.

Israel was unfaithful to God and sought after other gods instead.

They were wicked people and Ezekiel made sure to get their attention

by naming every way they had acted in infidelity towards God. But Israel had not simply

been unfaithful once. They had not made a simple mistake and returned to the Lord in

repentance. No, they continued in blatant sin and rejection of God's covenant with them. Like a prostitute,

they gave themselves to many false gods on many occasions.

The length of Jerusalem's list of wrongdoings was extensive and it would result in their

destruction.

Ironically, the people from whom Jerusalem adopted

pagan worship practices were then coming to destroy them, the Babylonians.

When Israel split after Solomon's reign into the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern

Kingdom of Israel also referenced as Judah or Jerusalem, the Northern Kingdom never followed

the one true God.

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