THE SINS OF JUDAH After introducing the song of the sword that destroys, He presented three messages concerning Judah, including a list of the sins it has committed; their effect on it; and how these sins were common on all levels. 1- A list of the sins committed by Judah 1-16. 2- Condemning Judah as dross in a furnace 17-22. 3- Sin prevails on all levels 23-31. 1- A LIST OF THE SINS COMMITTED BY JUDAH The Lord introduced a summary of the most serious sins, that the kingdom of Judah were committing in those days; and concentrated them in two categories: the shedding of blood (Ez 22:3), and the defilement by idols (Ez 22:5); instead of being the just and holy city. a- It was called ‘a blood shedder;’ as in it horrible crimes were committed, and innocent blood was shed; not in the narrow literal sense of the word, but in the wider sense. That is why God considers insulting a parent, oppressing the stranger, the orphans and the widow, taking bribes, and being usurious with the needy, as crimes of blood shedding; as in them, there is oppression and extortion of the rights of others. For the Christian, who sees Christ transfigured in every man, any extortion of a right of others, is counted as an insult directed to the Lord Christ Himself. That is what the Lord Himself confirmed concerning His position on the great day of Judgment; when He says to those on His right hand: “Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me” (Mat 25:40); and to those on His left: “Inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me” (Mat 25:45). b- It was called ‘the one with defiled name;’ because it was guilty of abominations that profaned the name of God Himself, who is the Master of the city; being ‘the city of the Great King;’ the most serious of those abominations are: despising His sanctuaries, profaning His Sabbaths, and committing adultery in its worst forms, like against close relatives (as a sister or a daughter-in- law); a neighbor’s wife or a woman who is set apart during her impurity. 2- CONDEMNING JUDAH AS DROSS IN FIRE Before division into two kingdom (Israel and Judah), Israel, in the days of king David and his son king Solomon, was like a glittering golden head. After division, it became like two bars of silver; But, having been diverted to several pagan worships, and having been swept into blood shedding and abominations, they turned into bronze, tin, iron, and lead... cheap and lowly kinds of metal; and even into dross, that burns when put in the fire. The fault here, is not in the fire, but in the material that is subjected to it: If it is gold or silver it becomes more pure and shiny; but if it is dross, it will be consumed and thrown away. In bitter admonishment He says: “The house of Israel has become dross to Me” (Ez 22:18); as though proclaiming, that what they came to be because of their wickedness, they will not alone bear its consequences, but it will profane even the name of God Himself, who acquired them and gave them His name. Every sin we commit, will 5 hurt the feelings of God Himself, because we are His children; and because of us, His name is profaned among the nations. 3- SIN PREVAILS ON ALL LEVELS After presenting a list of the most horrible sins committed by Judah, to become dross to the Lord, He confirmed again that this plague infected all: prophets, priests, rulers, and people. The prophets became like lions, but not to protect people, but to devour them and to turn their women into widows. The priests, instead of proclaiming the divine commandment, and sanctifying the people through pure worship, they disregarded God’s statutes and judgments, and profaned His sanctities, especially His Sabbaths. The rulers, instead of providing for their people, they cared for their dishonest gain, and turned into wild wolves tearing their preys. As to the people, their nature changed to violence and oppression. It is noteworthy that He does not say: “My prophets; My priests; the rulers of My people; and My people;” but says: “her prophets; her priests; her rulers; the people of the land” (Ez 22:25-28). He does not attribute them to Himself in their wickedness; because they have rejected Him, and alienated themselves from Him. So He in turn, rejects them to chasten them, and to provoke them to return to Him. He describe Jerusalem with all those levels, as such: “You are a land that is not cleansed or rained on in the day of indignation” (Ez 22:24). The Jews with all their levels denied faith in Jesus Christ; the rain that comes down from heaven to cleanse the whole world, and to make out of the hearts a fertile Paradise. They became a land that is not cleansed or rained on; namely, a land without Christ; with no one to intercede on their behalf in the day of indignation. That reminds us of the sign that Gideon requested from God in the first night: “I shall put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; if there is due on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said” (Judges 6:37). The fleece refers to the Jewish people who, alone among all nations, received the word of God in the Old Testament. So it was, the fleece alone soaked with dew, while it was dry on all the ground around it. On the next night, referring to the New Testament, Gideon requested from God to let the fleece alone be dry, and all the ground around it to be covered with dew; a reference to the rejection of the Lord Christ by the Jewish people - the Word of God or the Heavenly Dew; while the Gentile world receive faith in Him. The Jewish nation so became the land ‘not rained on’! Finally, having proclaimed that sin prevailed on all levels, God admonished them saying: “I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one” (Ez 22:30). Who is this man, who can build a wall before the wrath of God; and who can stand as an intercessor on behalf of all humanity, that He should not destroy it?! There was no being who could bear the wrath of God on the land, and intercede on its behalf. That is why He sent His Only-Begotten Son, as a Son of Man; who, alone, can stand in the gap, bear the divine wrath in His body for our sake; and intercede for us by His pure blood; and bring us back to the bosom of the Father. Concerning this, St. Athanasius the Apostolic says: [Being the Word of God, and above all; He alone had the natural worthiness to renew the creation of everything, to bear on behalf of all, and to intercede for all to the Father.] [It was necessary that no one except God the Logos Himself should incarnate; “For it was fitting for Him, for whom 6 are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the author of their salvation perfect through sufferings” (Heb 2:10). By this he means, that it was not for anyone else to save them, except for the Word of God who has created them from the beginning... By the sacrifice of His body, He put an end to the verdict against us1.] What does He mean by saying: “Stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land” (Ez 22:30)? The Son of Man, the incarnate Word of God, stood in the gap between God the Father and mankind, to reconciliate between them (1 Tim 2:5). We as well; having enjoyed the reconciliation with God, long to stand in the gap, to labor and to pray for the sake of every sinner, to encounter with His Savior, and to experience the same reconciliation that we got. Let everyone of us be that man who may stand in the gap before God, to intercede and do his best, yearning for the salvation of everyone. And as the apostle Paul says: “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ; as though God were pleading through us; we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God” (2 Cor 5:20). Here also, he confirms the importance of praying and interceding for others; If God finds no one to intercede on behalf of His people, there would be desolation among them. He saved Lot from the deadly fire, through the prayer of Abraham (Gen 19); saved Israel from destruction through that of the prophet Moses (Num 14:11- 21); and saved Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib through the prayer of king Hezekiah (Is 37:1-7; 34-36). .234- 1 للمؤلف: الحب الإلهي، 1967 ، ص 232 7 AN INSPIRATION FROM THE BOOK OF E ZEKIEL 22 WHO WOULD STAND IN THE GAP? My inner Jerusalem became dross; So why should I blame the fire that consumed it?! My oppressing heart sheds the blood of the poor and needy; And my unclean thoughts profaned the temple of the Lord in me; A gap came to separate me from You, O God! Who would fill this gap?! Who would stand in this gap before You to intercede on my behalf - the foremost among sinners?! Who would pay my debt and renew my nature, to encounter with You? I thank You, O My Savior; the incarnate Word of God. You alone bore my sins. You alone have been raised on the cross. You have turned my earth into heaven! You provided me with Your Holy Spirit working in me; And lifted up my heart to the bosom of God Your Father! O, You the amazing and unique Intercessor; Grant me to love the sinners, pray for them, and be self-sacrificed for their love.
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