Ez. 16-17
Each of these chapters gives an analogy of Israel’s faithlessness to her faithful God. I feel like some of the detail carried deeper meaning in the culture of the day. However, you still get the idea that the house of Israel was downright callous and rude (to put it mildly) to the one she should have esteemed with absolute gratitude. In reading these analogies you can’t help but think that she had it coming. Any judgment God rendered on her was more than justified!
Even so, God ended each analogy with the promise of redemption. To the faithless bride who broke the covenant, God promised to establish an everlasting covenant that could not be broken and to atone for all the shameful things she had done. And to the rebellious vine, God promised to plant a sprig that will become a noble cedar. The promise in both cases is fulfilled through Jesus and will someday be complete. We know that it will because God said, “I am the LORD; I have spoken and I will do it” (Ez 17:24b).
2 Tim. 2
Paul reiterates here what we just read in Ezekiel’s prophesies. “If we are faithless, He remains faithful – for He cannot deny Himself” (2 Tim 2:13). Faithful is not just what God does, it is what He is. He can be no other way. This is how we know that He is worthy of our trust. And because we know that He is worthy of our trust, we know that His word is true. This is the truth that Paul handed down to Timothy and Timothy entrusted to faithful men. It eventually made its way down to us and it is just as trustworthy now as it was when it was shown to Paul. Because God is faithful.