[:en]Our Daily VErse (10/5/21)[:]

[:en]SCRIPTURE:  EZEKIEL 16

“This is what the Sovereign Lord says:  Because you poured out your wealth and exposed your nakedness in your promiscuity with your lovers, and because of all your detestable idols, and because you gave them your children’s blood, therefore I am going to gather all your lovers, with whom you found pleasure, those you loved as well as those you hated.  I will gather them against you from all around and will strip you in front of them, and they will see all your nakedness” (Ezekiel 16:36-37)

“This is what the Sovereign Lord says:  I will deal with you as you deserve, because you have despised my oath by breaking the covenant.  Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you’ (Ezekiel 16:59-60)

AN ALLEGORY OF UNFAITHFUL JERUSALEM

Israel was the wife of Jehovah because of His grace and love.  Before God called and saved her, she was despised and in wretched shape.  God made him grow up and became the most beautiful of jewels.

WHAT GOD HAS DONE FOR THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL:

  1.  He covered her nakedness with garment (v. 8)
  2. He bathed her with water,washed her blood away and put ointments on her (v. 9)
  3. He clothed her with embroidered dress in fine linen and put leather sandals on her (v. 9)
  4. He adorned her with jewelry, put bracelets on her arms and a necklace around her neck (v. 11)
  5. He put a ring on her nose, earning on her ears and a beautiful crown on her head (v. 12)
  6. He gave her good food, fine flowers, honey and oil (v. 13)

HOW DID THE ISRAELITES RESPOND TO GOD’S GOODNESS?

  1.  They trusted in their beauty and used their fame to become a prostitute (v. 15)
  2. They carried out prostitution with their expensive garments (v. 16)
  3. They took the fine jewelry God gave them and made idols (v. 17)
  4. They put their embroidered cloths to put on idols and offered oil and incense before them (v. 18)
  5. They offered the food to idols as a fragrant incense (v. 19)
  6. They took their sons and daughters, slaughtered them and sacrificed them as food to idols (v. 20)
  7. They built lofty shrine in public places and offered their body to them (vs. 24-25)
  8. They engaged in prostitution with Assyrians and Babylonians (vs. 28-29)
  9. They gave gifts to bribe their lovers (v. 33)

GOD’S PUNISHMENTS TO THEM:

  1.  God will gather their lovers and they will strip them naked (v. 7)
  2. God will sentence them to punishment of women who commit adultery and bring them blood vengeance of  God’s wrath and jealous anger (v. 38)
  3. God will hand them over to their lovers and they will tear down their mounds and destroy their lofty shrines and left them, naked and bare (v. 39)
  4. They will be stoned hacked and pierced with sword (v. 40)
  5. Their house will be burned down (v. 41)
  6. They will bear the consequences of their lewdness and detestable practices (v. 58)

The people of Israel was unfaithful to God.  So, God became angry and judged them.

Let us love God with a single hearted devotion to Him.[:]