Our Daily Scripture – 11/5/24 (Tuesday)

SCRIPTURE:  EZEKIEL 16

AN ALLEGORY OF UNFAITHFUL JERUSALEM (vs. 1-63)

THE LOVE OF GOD FOR JERUSALEM:

  1.  I make you grow like a plant of a field.  You grew up and developed and became the most beautiful jewels. (v. a4)
  2.  I spread my garments and covered your nakedness.  I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant with you. (v. 8)
  3.  I bathed you with water and washed the blood for you and put ointments on you. (v. 9)
  4.  I clothed you with an embroidered dress and put leather sandals on you.  I dress you in fine linen and covered you with costly garments. (v. 10)
  5.  I  adorned you with jewelry; I put bracelets on your arms and a necklace around your neck. (v. 11)
  6.  I put a ring on your nose, earrings on your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. (v. 12)
  7.  You were adorned with gold and silver; your clothes were of fine linen and costly fabric and embroidered cloth.  Your food was fine flour, honey and olive oil.  You became very beautiful and rose to be a queen. (v. 13)
  8.  Your fame spread among the nations on account of your beauty, because the splendor I had given you made your beauty perfect. (v. 14)

THE UNFAITHFULNESS OF JERUSALEM:

  1.  You trusted in your beauty and used your fame to become a prostitute.  You lavished your favors on anyone who passed by and your beauty became his. (v. 15)
  2.  You  took some of your garments to make gaudy high places, where you carried on your prostitution. (v. 16)
  3.  You took the fine jewelry made of silver and gold I gave you and made for yourself male idols and engaged in prostitution with them. (v. 15)
  4.  You took your embroidered clothes to put on them and offered my oil and incense before them. (v. 18)
  5.  You provided the food I gave you – the fine flour, olive oil and honey – as fragrant incense before them. (v. 19)
  6.  You took your sons and daughters and sacrificed them as food to the idols. (v. 20)
  7.  You slaughtered my children and sacrifice them to the idols. (v. 21)
  8.  You built a mounds for yourself and made a lofty shrine in every public square. (v. 24)
  9.  At the head of every street, you built your lofty shrines and degraded your beauty, offering your body with increasing promiscuity to anyone who passed by. (v. 25)
  10.  You engaged in prostitution with the Egyptians, your lustful neighbors, and provoked me to anger with your increasing promiscuity. (v. 26)
  11.  You engaged in prostitution with the Assyrians. (v. 28)
  12.  You increased your promiscuity to include Babylonia. (v. 29)

PUNISHMENTS:

  1.  I am going to gather all your lovers, with whom you found pleasure as well as those you hated against you..  They will strip you in front of them and see all your nakedness. (v. 37)
  2.  I will sentence you to the punishment of women who commit adultery and who shed blood; I will bring upon you the blood vengeance of my wrath and jealous anger. (v. 38)
  3.  I will hand you over to your lovers, and they will tear down your mounds and destroy your lofty shrines.  They will strip you of your clothes and  take your fine jewelry and leave you naked and bare. (v. 39)
  4.  They will bring a mob against you, who will stone you and hack you to pieces with their swords. (v. 40)
  5.  They will burn down your houses and inflect punishment on you in the sight of many women.  I will put a stop to your prostitution and your will    no longer pay your lovers. (v. 41)
  6.  I will surely bring down on your head what your have done. (v. 43)
  7.  You will bear the consequences of your lewdness and your detestable practices. (v. 58)
  8.  I will deal with you as you deserve because you have despised my oath by breaking the covenant. (v. 59)

However, the Lord will remember the covenant he made with Jerusalem and he will establish an everlasting covenant.  Then they will know that He is the Lord.  When God make atonement for what they have done, they will remember and be ashamed and never again open their mouth because of their humiliation. (v. 60-63)

THOUGHTS:

Israel was the wife of Jehovah because of His grace and love.  He called and saved her when she was in wretched shape.  He showered her with gifts but she committed spiritual adultery by worshiping idols of other nations.  She was an adulterous wife and a harlot who paid others to sin with her.  She went on sinning so that God became angry and judged her.  As believers, we are married to Him, who was risen from the dead.  We should bear fruits and show our undivided love and devotion to him alone.

Although the people had broken their promises and deserve punishment, God would not break his promise.  If the people turn back to Him, he will again forgive them and renew his covenant.  Although we don’t deserve anything but punishment for our sins, God’s arms are still outstretched.  If we repent and turn to Him, He will not break his promise to forgive and give us salvation.