Topical Bible: Jerusalem: Wickedness of

◄ Jerusalem: Wickedness of ►

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Jerusalem, the city chosen by God as the dwelling place for His Name and the center of worship for the Israelites, is also depicted in the Bible as a city that has often turned away from God and embraced wickedness. This duality is a recurring theme throughout the Scriptures, highlighting the city's spiritual significance and its moral failings.

Old Testament Accounts

The wickedness of Jerusalem is first notably addressed in the prophetic books, where the city is often rebuked for its idolatry and injustice. In the book of Isaiah, the prophet laments the moral decay of Jerusalem, saying, "How the faithful city has become a harlot! She was once full of justice; righteousness resided within her, but now only murderers!" (Isaiah 1:21). This imagery of unfaithfulness underscores the city's departure from its covenantal obligations to God.

Jeremiah, another prophet, also speaks extensively about the sins of Jerusalem. He describes the city as a place where deceit and oppression thrive, stating, "For wicked men are found among My people; they watch like fowlers lying in wait; they set a trap; they catch men" (Jeremiah 5:26). The prophet's words reveal a society deeply entrenched in corruption and moral decay.

Ezekiel further illustrates the abominations committed in Jerusalem, portraying the city as a place of idolatry and defilement. In Ezekiel 16, Jerusalem is compared to an adulterous wife, engaging in spiritual harlotry by worshiping false gods. The prophet declares, "You built yourself a mound and made yourself a lofty shrine in every public square" (Ezekiel 16:24), indicating the pervasive nature of idolatry within the city.

New Testament References

In the New Testament, Jesus Himself laments over Jerusalem's persistent wickedness and its rejection of God's messengers. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus mourns, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling!" (Matthew 23:37). This poignant expression of sorrow highlights the city's continued resistance to divine intervention and guidance.

The book of Acts also records the opposition faced by the early Christian community in Jerusalem. The apostles encounter hostility and persecution from the religious leaders, who are depicted as being resistant to the message of the Gospel. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, accuses the leaders of Jerusalem of betraying and murdering the Righteous One, saying, "You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit, just as your fathers did" (Acts 7:51).

Symbolic Representation

Jerusalem's wickedness is not only a historical reality but also serves as a symbolic representation of spiritual unfaithfulness and rebellion against God. The city's moral failings are often used as a metaphor for the broader condition of humanity's sinfulness and need for redemption. The prophets' calls for repentance and the New Testament's emphasis on the transformative power of the Gospel underscore the hope for restoration and renewal, even in the face of pervasive wickedness.

Throughout the biblical narrative, Jerusalem's wickedness is a sobering reminder of the consequences of turning away from God. Yet, it also points to the enduring possibility of redemption and the hope of a future where righteousness and justice will prevail.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Isaiah 1:1-4
The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Jeremiah 5:1-5
Run you to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if you can find a man, if there be any that executes judgment, that seeks the truth; and I will pardon it.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Micah 3:10
They build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Concerning the Wickedness of Jehoram King O Jerusalem; his Defeat ...
... From The Death Of Ahab To The Captivity Of The Ten Tribes. CHAPTER 5. Concerning
The Wickedness Of Jehoram King O Jerusalem; His Defeat And Death. ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 5 concerning the wickedness.htm

It is in the Precincts of Jerusalem, Then, that Punishments Will ...
... It is in the precincts of Jerusalem, then, that punishments will be inflicted ... received
into the substance of their soul the elements of wickedness, which in a ...
//christianbookshelf.org/origen/origen against celsus/chapter xxvi it is in.htm

The Idumeans Being Sent for by the Zealots, came Immediately to ...
... of them were put into battle-array, and came to Jerusalem, under four ... They are robbers,
who by their prodigious wickedness have profaned this most sacred floor ...
/.../chapter 4 the idumeans being.htm

Concerning John of Gischala. Concerning the Zealots and the High ...
... being satiated with rapines in the country, got all together from all parts, and
became a band of wickedness, and all together crept into Jerusalem, which was ...
/.../chapter 3 concerning john of.htm

The Promises Addressed to Jerusalem in the Prophets Refer to the ...
... thou be built." And a little further on, to the same Jerusalem: [5132] "And ... And
wickedness shall no more be heard in thy land, nor affliction and distress in ...
/.../origens commentary on the gospel of john/26 the promises addressed to.htm

Journey to Jerusalem. Ten Lepers. Concerning the Kingdom.
... fires from heaven, and as the unbelief of the Jews of Christ's day caused the
destruction of Jerusalem and the death of the nation, so the wickedness of the ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/xcv journey to jerusalem ten.htm

How Aretas and Hyrcanus Made an Expedition against Aristobulus and ...
... Hyrcanus as deserters, Aristobulus was left desolate, and fled to Jerusalem; upon
which ... deliver the sacrifices, but arrived at that height of wickedness as to ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 2 how aretas and.htm

How the City Jerusalem was Taken, and the Temple Pillaged [By ...
... the Nomus of Heliopolis, where he built a city resembling Jerusalem, and a ... own natural
barbarity, indulged all sorts of the extremest wickedness, and tormented ...
/.../chapter 1 how the city.htm

Hazael Makes an Expedition against the People of Israel and the ...
... a very good man, and was buried in the king's sepulchers at Jerusalem, because he ...
their actions were, and to bring them to leave off their wickedness; but they ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 8 hazael makes an.htm

Journey to Jerusalem. Concerning Divorce.
... returning to the border of the land and making a second journey thence to Jerusalem. ...
wives because at the time when the law was given the wickedness of men ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/xcviii journey to jerusalem concerning.htm