A modern day retelling of Ezekiel 23
I’m about to tell you a very devastating and heart-wrenching story, as witnessed by a man. A story about two rebellious siblings who had everything that they could possibly want but sadly threw it all away.
The testimony of this man’s witness to this miserable and depressing account, happened on a very normal and very regular type of day in a very average small town. Nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing of concern. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, the flowers were blooming and his favorite music was playing across the air waves as he happily sang along with the uplifting words that filled his soul.
He was on his way home after work this particular afternoon and made a quick stop to pick up a few things for dinner, as was his usual manner about this time of the day. While gingerly gathering the needed supplies, a loud disturbance broke out and began to ensue in the store just behind him. As he promptly turned around to see what the commotion was all about, he witnessed two young boys, two brothers to be exact, who were parading around in the modern day electronic department causing a huge scene. The poor man just shook his head in disgust at the way that these young boys were acting. He felt humiliated and embarrassed for them. They were loud, obnoxious and had no regard for themselves or for anyone around them.
About that time, a very kind and gentle-spirited manager came over and politely asked the two boys to “please be respectful while in the store“. They, however, completely ignored the humble manager and continued to do just whatever they wanted to do without restraint. Computers, TVs and every valuable device that they came in contact with, would be knocked onto the floor, each shattered by the scream of a brokenness that filled the room with a loud wrenching boom. They expressed absolutely no concern for all the pain and destruction that they were creating.
The kind and ever-so-patient manager approached them once again and politely asked them to “please do not destroy the precious and valuable things“. He then warned them and told them the truth that if they continued to act this way, he would have to have them removed and they would be sent away.
The older of the two brothers laughed in the manager’s face, shoved him to the ground, which caused him to take a hard blow to his head. Then while the manager was still hurt and lying on the floor, the unruly boy did an unthinkable thing. Without any remorse or mercy, he struck one after the other heart-wrenching blows right to the gut of the manager. Multiple strikes and kicks. The manager let out a long, loud, wailing type of moan which seemed to come from his very soul, and as if it was more so filled with deep sorrow and broken-heartedness than with cries of physical pain.
Without any remorse or hesitation, the older boy ripped away a computer from its display and began to strut off as if he had no cause of consequences. Pride and arrogance filled his very being. Man’s human sin nature left unrestrained within him and on full display for all to see.
The manager, reluctantly and regretfully, had no choice but to call security to deal with the out-of-control youth. Discipline needed to take place. The law needed to be enforced before it was too late, for the sake of all. So, the nearby enforcers came quickly and swiftly. They handcuffed the rebellious boy and promptly removed him from the store in full view of everyone.
Then the manager, beaten, bloody and bruised, stood to his feet and slowly walked over to where the younger youth watched as his brother was being taken away. The kind manager spoke honestly and sternly to the boy. “Do not let what happened to your brother happen to you. You have a great and wonderful life ahead of you. You have been given everything you could ever need. Only do not follow in the footsteps of your brother, or you too will be handcuffed and taken away just like him.” But the younger brother would not listen. He ignored the warning, cursed the manager, swung his fist across his body and struck him bluntly in the face. The blow was harsh, causing the skin to break open and fresh, bright red blood to run down the wounded man’s face.
The defiant boy raised his foot and kicked the glass cabinet nearby, the very thing that held the most valuable and highest priced items of all. The objects fell into a ugly pile of unrecognizable, innumerable, broken and fractured pieces. The wayward son continued to fling the brunt of the remaining things onto the floor, stomped on them, crushed them, and destroyed everything that he came in contact with. He had become completely out of control. He had lost respect for the manager, for others, for himself, the place where he was, or any of the things of value. Something had to be done.
The manager looked at the boy with such deep sadness and hurt in his eyes as the enforcers once again came, handcuffed the younger boy and removed him from the store, just as had been done with the older brother. The younger son had not learned any lessons from the punishment of the older nor had he listened to any of the warnings from the manager who had spoke truth to him.
The man in our story, the one who had seen this all play out, stood there completely astonished. He thought deeply on just how horrible this thing was that he had just witnessed. Something that was hard to watch. Something that cut him to his very core. His heart felt heavy with deep anguish for the devastating situation that just unfolded in front of his eyes, and in view of all. His heart hurt with such sadness for the two boys and he regretted for them, for the consequences that they would have to go through. He felt embarrassment for the close friends and families of these boys. The emotions welded up in him and he began to weep over their sin. He began to weep over the pain they would suffer. He began to weep for the parents and what they must be going through, dealing with such rebellious and unbridled children.
As he remained standing in the same place he had always been, he stared in the distance toward the place where the boys were carried off. His body seemed frozen in time for what seemed like an eternity, as his heart broke and he shook his head with disbelief.
Then, as the disruption settled and the fog of the moment lifted, as quietness faded… suddenly the wind of reality swept violently over him like a hurricane. He felt the complete weight upon him, as if being hit with a ton of bricks. “My children!” he said. “Those two boys… are my precious children! Those rebellious, law-breaking, out-of-control, unrepentant boys are mine! Oh, my children. How could they act like those without hope? I have loved them! I have shown them over and over again of my unfailing love for them! How could they throw everything that I have given them all away? I have raised them up to give them a future. I have given them more than they ever asked or deserved. I have blessed them beyond measure and loved them unconditionally. I have always been here for them and with them.” Tears streamed down his face as he cried out over the sins of his children!
He was unable to recognized his own children by the words they spoke or by the way that they looked or by the way that they had acted. An instant sickness overwhelmed him to the core of his gut, as a rush of heat exploded throughout his head. He grabbed a hold of the nearest counter to steady himself from collapsing to the floor. His heart was crushed. He had just witnessed his children’s lives shattered into a million pieces. Brokenness that would take a miracle to ever put back together.
How could his very own precious children, whom he desperately loved, whom he poured his life into, whom he intentionally raised to know right from wrong, whom he patiently taught how to live a moral and godly life… how could they have acted so unimaginable? Why would they act in such opposition of what they knew to be right and holy? They have been given everything that they need to succeed and have a prosperous and blessed life, just they threw it all away.
He was their father. He had not raised them to be this way. But yet they did act this way. They were His rebellious children.
And though the Father’s heart was desperately broken… He still loved them. And He would be with them. And if they repented He would hear them, and he would forgive them, and he would heal their brokenness. And graciously, after time away in a baron and empty land, He would restore them to be who they really are. He would accept them with open arms and keep His promise to give them a hope and a future.
God gives us warnings when we are headed in the wrong direction. The Holy Spirit gently points us in the way we should go. God’s Word is there to teach and to guide us. God is always faithful to his promises even when we are not faithful to Him
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2 Chron 7:14