Ezekiel 16-17

Images of Jerusalem’s unfaithfulness.

Ezekiel 16 demonstrates God’s care for Jerusalem.  These images depict God’s care from infancy to adulthood.  God gave Jerusalem all that it needed to survive and thrive.  Jerusalem’s response to these gifts was to ignore the giver and assume that these gifts were for personal use.  The gifts were used to buy relationships with other nations and to form idols to be used for worship.  There are times that gifts are for personal use, but other gifts come with special meaning.  Gifts serve as reminders of someone’s deep love and commitment.  To misuse the gift or to sell the gift for personal gain would signal that one despised the gift.  The talents and abilities that we have come from God.  He is the one who gave us the intellect, desire, and strength to engage those gifts.  Our talents and abilities are for His use.  These talents and abilities remind us of the special connection we have with God.  Let’s be thankful for how God has given to each of us.  As we use our gifts, talents, and abilities let’s be mindful of God’s favor and praise Him for the connection we have.