Question 1

What does it mean that God will deal with them as they have done?

Accepted Answer

When God says, "I will even deal with thee as thou hast done," He is saying He will respond to His people the way they treated Him. They broke the covenant and despised the holy oath they had taken, so God will let them feel the results of that betrayal. They had turned away from Him, so He is free to set them aside and judge them. This is not harsh revenge, but fair return for their own actions. It shows that breaking God’s covenant is serious and carries real consequences.

Question 2

What is the everlasting covenant God promises to establish here?

Accepted Answer

The everlasting covenant here points beyond the old broken covenant at Sinai to a new and lasting one that God Himself will set up. The first covenant was violated by the people, but this new one is rooted in God’s grace, fulfilled through Christ, and cannot be broken in the same way. It continues God’s earlier promises but with a deeper, secure relationship. In this covenant God gives a sure forgiveness, a true knowledge of Him, and brings in people from other nations as part of His family. It rests on His faithfulness, not theirs.

Question 3

Why does God say He will remember His covenant from the days of their youth?

Accepted Answer

When God says He will remember His covenant from their youth, He is looking back to the early days when He first took Israel to Himself, like a young bride. Though they were unfaithful later, He has not forgotten His own promise. Remembering here does not mean He had forgotten, but that He chooses to act again in grace based on what He pledged long ago. This shows that His mercy is not grounded in their good behavior, but in His own commitment. Even after judgment, He moves toward them because of His earlier promise.

Question 4

Who are the elder and younger sisters that will be received as daughters?

Accepted Answer

In this chapter, the elder and younger sisters picture Sodom and Samaria, which had been held up as very sinful cities. Here, receiving these sisters as daughters points to God bringing in other peoples, not just Judah, into His covenant family. Many readers see in this a picture of the Gentiles being welcomed into the people of God. They become like daughters to Jerusalem, sharing in the church’s blessings. God does this not by the old broken covenant, but by His free grace in the new, everlasting covenant.

Question 5

What does it mean that God will give them daughters, but not by their covenant?

Accepted Answer

“Not by thy covenant” means that these new daughters do not come in through the old covenant Israel broke, with its laws and ceremonies. They are brought in by God’s own gracious promise, the new covenant. So people from other nations are joined to God’s people without taking on the old law as a way of standing before God. Their place in God’s family rests on His mercy, not on Israel’s past faithfulness. It shows that God’s plan is bigger than one nation and that belonging to Him is by grace, not by human effort.

Question 6

Why will God’s people remember their ways and be ashamed?

Accepted Answer

When God applies His covenant mercy, His people will look back on their old ways and feel deep shame. They will see how badly they treated a God who loved them and kept His promise. This shame is not meant to crush them, but to humble them and strip away pride. As they see that God still receives them and even brings in others, they realize how undeserved this kindness is. True forgiveness makes sin look worse, not smaller, and moves the heart to honest confession and a quiet, humbled spirit before God.

Question 7

What does it mean that they will never open their mouth anymore because of shame?

Accepted Answer

“Never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame” means they will stop arguing, excusing themselves, or complaining against God. When they see how deeply they have sinned and how fully God has pardoned them, they are left without any boast or defense. Shame here is not hopeless despair, but a quiet, humbled silence. God’s mercy closes their mouths. Instead of blaming others or questioning His judgments, they accept that He has been right all along and worship Him in lowliness, amazed that He has forgiven them at all.

Question 8

What does it mean that God is pacified toward them for all they have done?

Accepted Answer

When God says He is pacified toward them, it means His anger is turned away and peace is restored. His wrath against their sins has been satisfied, not by their efforts, but by the atonement provided through Christ. In that sense, the law’s demands and the curse are answered. When this pardon is made known to the heart, it brings rest and a deep sense of being forgiven. This does not make sin light. Instead, seeing that God is at peace because of such a costly sacrifice makes them hate their sin and cling to His mercy.

Question 9

How does this passage show both God’s judgment and His mercy together?

Accepted Answer

This passage holds judgment and mercy side by side. God first states that He will deal with them as they have done, since they despised the oath and broke the covenant. That is fair and deserved. Yet in the next breath He promises to remember His covenant, set up an everlasting one, include other peoples, and forgive so fully that they are left in silent shame. Judgment shows the weight of their sin, mercy shows the depth of His love. Together they reveal a God who is just, yet still keeps His saving promise.

Question 10

How can a believer today apply the shame and mercy pictured in this passage?

Accepted Answer

A believer can read this passage and let it shape both how they see their sin and how they see God. First, it calls us to remember our own ways honestly, without softening what we have done. Real grace produces real shame over sin. At the same time, we should look to the everlasting covenant fulfilled in Christ, where God is pacified toward those who trust Him. That mix of honest sorrow and sure mercy leads to humility, less complaining, more gratitude, and a desire to welcome others whom God brings into His family.

Ezekiel 16:59

For thus saith the Lord God; I will even deal with thee as thou hast done, which hast despised the oath in breaking the covenant.

The Covenant Remembered

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Ezekiel 16:59

For thus saith the Lord God; I will even deal with thee as thou hast done, which hast despised the oath in breaking the covenant.

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The Covenant Remembered

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