Noah, the ark, and "rest" -- part 5 (God's wrath)

As you lay there in your blood I said to you, “Live!” 

(Ezekiel 16:6, NIV)

This post continues a series of posts connecting Noah's ark to the rest we find as we enter into and keep the everlasting covenant. In today's post, we'll touch on a difficult concept: God's wrath.

I'll be honest here, it is difficult and uncomfortable for me to imagine omnipotent, omniscient God the Father getting angry and swearing in His wrath to wipe out mankind. Yet this is precisely what the scriptures say He did:

34 And the fire of mine indignation is kindled against them; and in my hot displeasure will I send in the floods upon them, for my fierce anger is kindled against them. (Moses 7)

And this isn't the only time we find mention of God's anger. Other passages speak of this.  I spent some time reviewing examples of scriptures which discuss God's wrath, and in the process I identified a very important theme: God's wrath is primarily directed at sin, especially covenant rebellion.

There is perhaps no starker example of this than Ezekiel 16. I encourage you to read the whole thing in a few different translations to get a sense of just how bold the language is to describe why God's wrath is directed at Israel. I will be quoting from the NIV in this post, as I feel its language is very clear. The bulk of this post will walk through the details of this chapter in an effort to shed light on why rebellion to the covenant provokes God's wrath.

Ezekiel 16

Ezekiel 16 begins with a metaphor. Israel is the unwanted child of an Amorite man and Hittite woman, who instead of caring for the newborn threw her "out into the open field, for on the day you were born you were despised." (v. 5)

“‘Then I passed by and saw you kicking about in your blood, and as you lay there in your blood I said to you, “Live!” I made you grow like a plant of the field. (vv. 6-7)

A footnote tells us that the highlighted words are repeated in most Hebrew manuscripts. Israel grows up and matures, and the Lord covenanted with her:

I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Sovereign Lord, and you became mine. (v. 8)

For the purposes of the metaphor, the covenant is described using temple/covenant imagery:

• He covered her nakedness. (v. 8)
• He "bathed [her] with water and washed the blood from [her]" (v. 9)
• He "put ointments on [her]." (v. 9)
• He "clothed [her]" with fine linen and costly garments. (v. 10)
• He "adorned [her] with jewelry" and put "a beautiful crown on [her] head." (vv. 11-12)
• He gave for food: "honey, olive oil and the finest flour." (v. 13)

In short, Israel "became very beautiful and rose to be a queen." (v. 13) Her fame "spread among the nations on account of your beauty, because the splendor [the Lord] had given [her] made [her] beauty perfect." (v. 14)

So far, the story is touching. An unwanted child despised by all is taken in by a benevolent ruler and made his queen.  Unfortunately, the story takes a serious and dark turn at this point.

Israel becomes prideful. Her fame leads her to prostitution.  At first, she "lavishe[s] [her] favors on anyone who passe[s] by." Then she takes the fine things given to her by the Lord and uses them to engage in idolatry. She gives away her embroidered clothes to put on her suitors, then her oil and incense, then her food. (See verses 15-19.)

Then she takes the sons and daughters born to the ruler and offers them "as food to the idols" (v. 20). The Lord rebukingly asks: "Was your prostitution not enough? You slaughtered my children and sacrificed them to the idols." (v. 20-21)

The Lord then points out that Israel "prefer strangers to [her] own husband!" (v. 32) He also notes that this detestable behavior isn't even truly prostitution: "All prostitutes receive gifts, but you give gifts to all your lovers, bribing them to come to you from everywhere for your illicit favors. So in your prostitution you are the opposite of others; no one runs after you for your favors. You are the very opposite, for you give payment and none is given to you." (vv. 33-34)

Israel has forgotten "the days of [her] youth, when [she] was naked and bare, kicking about in [her] blood." (v. 22)

This covenant rebellion is the source of God's wrath, especially the sacrifice of children. I don't believe this is meant to be taken literally. Rather, it seems clear to me that part of the covenant is to "suffer the little children to come unto [Him] and forbid them not." (Matthew 19:14)

25 And again, inasmuch as parents have children in Zion, or in any of her stakes which are organized, that teach them not to understand the doctrine of repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living God, and of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the hands, when eight years old, the sin be upon the heads of the parents.
26 For this shall be a law unto the inhabitants of Zion, or in any of her stakes which are organized.
27 And their children shall be baptized for the remission of their sins when eight years old, and receive the laying on of the hands.
28 And they shall also teach their children to pray, and to walk uprightly before the Lord. (Doctrine & Covenants 68)

To the extent that parents neglect this duty, they are allowing their children to become captive to the influences of the devil.  Child sacrifice in a spiritual sense. It's a stark (though apt) metaphor. Note how in Moses 7, just after mentioning the unprecedented level of wickedness found among the residue of the inhabitants of the earth (those who were not taken to heaven with Zion) God describes how the wickedness of one generation affects the next:

37 But behold, their sins shall be upon the heads of their fathers; Satan shall be their father, and misery shall be their doom; and the whole heavens shall weep over them, even all the workmanship of mine hands; wherefore should not the heavens weep, seeing these shall suffer?

Let's get back to Ezekiel 16. Israel is condemned to die as a result of her many sins. "I will bring on you the blood vengeance of my wrath and jealous anger." (v. 38) She will be delivered into the hands of her lovers, who will take all of her fine things, attack her with their swords, and burn down her houses. (v. 40-41) 

Then my wrath against you will subside and my jealous anger will turn away from you; I will be calm and no longer angry. (v. 42)

In case the purpose of this metaphor eludes us, the central message is stated as plainly as possible at the end of the chapter. (The chapter somehow even manages to end on a hopeful note!)  First, we get this summary from the Lord in verse 59:

This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will deal with you as you deserve, because you have despised my oath by breaking the covenant. 

And even after all of this, after Israel is scattered and brought low into humiliation as a just punishment for her covenant-breaking, the Lord ends the chapter by reminding her that He plans to "remember the covenant" and establish it once again and "make atonement for you for all you have done." (vv. 60-63)

Summary

I'll end the post by summarizing the big-picture lessons we can learn from Ezekiel 16:

1. God looks to the downtrodden and forgotten (fallen man who has been shut out from His presence) and offers an opportunity to join Him in His royal court through covenant.  He offers us everything He has in exchange for our love and loyalty to Him.
2. If we accept His gifts and squander them, and ultimately behave in a way which leads the children born in the covenant astray, His righteous anger is kindled against us.
3. Even when all seems lost, God has a grand plan of redemption for His children, which is unfolding in the latter days as He remembers the covenant He made with Israel in her youth.

In the next post, we'll shift our focus from God's wrath and take a deeper look at its opposite: God's rest.  We'll get into the deeper concept of what it truly means to be righteous, and how the creation yearns for us to live in the covenant. When we do, the creation offers us her abundance. When we do not, the creation acts in harmony with God's wrath to restore balance.