What is the meaning of Ezekiel 16:56? Did you not treat The Lord begins with a piercing question. By asking, “Did you not…?” He reminds Jerusalem that their behavior is on record and cannot be denied. • The question is rhetorical; it exposes guilt rather than seeks information (Ezekiel 16:48-52). • God often uses questions to awaken conscience—much like His “Where are you?” to Adam (Genesis 3:9) or Jesus’ “Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord’ and not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46). • The tone carries judicial weight; Jerusalem stands in the dock, confronted by undeniable evidence (Romans 2:1). your sister Sodom Calling Sodom a “sister” places Jerusalem in the same family line—cities accountable to the same God. • “Sister” language underscores covenant kinship; every city of the land received light through Abraham’s witness (Genesis 18:19). • Isaiah had already linked Judah with Sodom: “Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom” (Isaiah 1:10). • Jesus later echoes the kinship idea when He warns Capernaum that Sodom would fare better in judgment (Matthew 11:23-24). as an object of scorn Jerusalem ridiculed Sodom’s fate, using it as a punchline instead of a cautionary tale. • Mockery at another’s downfall betrays a hard heart (Proverbs 24:17-18). • Obadiah condemns Edom for the same attitude: “You should not look on the day of your brother… nor boast in their calamity” (Obadiah 12). • Scorning Sodom magnified Jerusalem’s arrogance because they knew the stories, the sulfur, the ruins—yet they learned nothing (Genesis 19:24-28). in the day The “day” points to a specific season when Jerusalem felt secure and prosperous. • Earlier in the chapter God had showered her with splendor—fine linen, ornaments, renown among the nations (Ezekiel 16:10-14). • That era of blessing was meant to spark gratitude; instead it bred presumption (Deuteronomy 32:15). • A “day” of favor easily becomes a day of forgetfulness when prosperity eclipses humility (Hosea 13:6). of your pride Pride lies at the root of both Sodom’s ruin and Jerusalem’s impending fall. • “Sodom’s guilt was pride, excess food, and prosperous ease” (Ezekiel 16:49). Jerusalem copied—and surpassed—those sins. • Scripture consistently links pride to looming destruction: “Pride goes before destruction” (Proverbs 16:18). • God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6); by scorning Sodom, Jerusalem positioned herself against God’s grace. summary Ezekiel 16:56 exposes a grim irony: Jerusalem laughed at Sodom even while walking the same path. The verse reminds believers that knowing truth does not immunize against pride; it heightens responsibility. When God grants prosperity, He expects humility, compassion, and obedience. Mockery of another’s judgment invites that very judgment upon ourselves. |
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