The Fairy Tale Nightmare, Part 2

A couple weeks ago, we started our discussion of Brian Fikkert's book "When Helping Hurts". Fikkert challenges us to rethink our understanding of poverty. We tend to think of poverty in terms of ‘lack of resources,' but there is more to poverty than this.

Fikkert cites the Voices of the Poor to describe poverty: For a poor person everything is terrible – illness, humiliation, shame. We are cripples; we are afraid of everything; we depend on everyone. No one needs us. We are like garbage that everyone wants to get rid of.” (Fikkert 52)

Ezekiel says that this is what Jerusalem will be. Jerusalem will be ashamed – humiliated – afraid – like garbage. Why does Ezekiel say this? We normally think of salvation resulting in honor and glory. But Ezekiel says that Jerusalem's salvation will result in their shame.

In Ezekiel 16, Jerusalem – the fairy tale princess – has been playing the whore, chasing after the nations, giving her beauty away to whoever passed by, slaughtering her children, oppressing the poor, and worshiping the gods of the nations.

In short, Jerusalem has become Sodom.