Ezekiel 16 - HEAR, O EARTH

> [!title|noicon] **Ezekiel 16** > [[Ezekiel 15|<Prev]]   [[Ezekiel 17|Next>]] [🕮 Bible Navigator](Bible%20Books%20Navigation.md) 1 AGAIN the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, ^1 2 Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations, ^2 3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto Jerusalem; Thy birth and thy nativity _is_ of the land of Canaan; thy father _was_ an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite. ^3 > They were just part of the world at large, they had no relationship with God whatsoever. > 4 And _as_ _for_ thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple _thee;_ thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all. ^4 > God underscores in verses 4-5 what He began in verse 3. 5 None eye pitied thee, to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the loathing of thy person, in the day that thou wast born. ^5 > This is where we begin. Before we are saved we are sinners under the wrath of God with nothing at all going for us, nothing whatsoever. We are heading for destruction and no one really loves us like God in the sense that they want us to have eternal life. 6 ¶ And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee _when_ _thou_ _wast_ in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee _when_ _thou_ _wast_ in thy blood, Live. ^6 > Continuing from verses 3-5, we were polluted in our own blood, that is we are under the wrath of God when He finds us. Then God comes with the Gospel, bringing eternal Life, saying "Live!" And He bestows it upon those who are nothing, those who started out as nothing at all but wicked sinners. 7 I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field, and thou hast increased and waxen great, and thou art come to excellent ornaments: _thy_ breasts are fashioned, and thine hair is grown, whereas thou _wast_ naked and bare. ^7 > Now God begins to describe the beauty of His body of believers using very exquisite language. 8 Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time _was_ the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I swore unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine. ^8 > God is presenting the possibility of having the Love of God as He makes it available to all who become saved. We become His own possession. God's intention therefore is to make these poor, lost people the bride of Christ -- a queen having the highest possible position. > > God goes on in the next verses to indicate how gloriously He decked His body of believers, what the true Gospel is with such spiritual glory as we reign with Him on this earth if we have become saved. These are all of the luxurious things God has available for the true believers within the churches and congregations. 9 Then washed I thee with water; yea, I throughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil. ^9 > God washes us with the water of His Word, of the Gospel. As God applies that Word to our hearts He has thoroughly washed away our sins and taken our guilt away so that our blood is no longer in evidence, we are white as snow, we are cleansed. And God anoints us with oil, that is, He anoints us with the Holy Spirit to indwell us. 10 I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers' skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk. ^10 > This is a picture or a reference of the righteousness of Christ that we are clothed with as we become saved. 11 I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck. ^11 12 And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head. ^12 13 Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment _was_ _of_ fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom. ^13 > Christ is the fine flour, He is the Bread of Life. Honey and oil are the Gospel, remember the land of Canaan was the land of milk and honey, and God's Word is sweeter than the honey. All of this is glorious, dramatic, picturesque language of the nature and the beauty of the kingdom of God. God starts with us as abject sinners in rebellion against God (verses 2-6) and *He* makes us glorious, *He* makes the church beautiful. 14 And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it _was_ perfect through my comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord GOD. ^14 15 ¶ But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was. ^15 > Sadly, the chapter goes on into the most ugly language as it speaks about the harlot nature of the kingdom of God as it's found in the churches and congregations. Bear in mind that every doctrine that is contrary to the Word of God, the Bible, is spiritual harlotry. It is spiritual adultery. A true believer trembles before the Word of God and wants to make sure they are doing the will of God in everything, praying for mercy, wisdom, strength and a desire to do God's good pleasure. So you would think that by this time the church would be covering the world with the spiritual beauty of the Gospel. But instead it has become a harlot. Each and every one has doctrines that are adulterous, they are contrary to the Word of God. 16 And of thy garments thou didst take, and deckedst thy high places with divers colours, and playedst the harlot thereupon: _the_ _like_ _things_ shall not come, neither shall it be _so_. ^16 17 Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them, ^17 > This is what happens when the churches and congregations turn the Gospel into a man-centered, false gospel -- when they say, "The Lord said," and He has not said. It is like an idol, like an image, it is to commit spiritual whoredom against God. 18 And tookest thy broidered garments, and coveredst them: and thou hast set mine oil and mine incense before them. ^18 > In other words, "You've taken this beautiful, wonderful Gospel of the grace of God and you've prostituted it for your own desires. You have not been faithful and this has made you a harlot." 19 My meat also which I gave thee, fine flour, and oil, and honey, _wherewith_ I fed thee, thou hast even set it before them for a sweet savor: and _thus_ it was, saith the Lord GOD. ^19 20 Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. _Is_ _this_ of thy whoredoms a small matter, ^20 21 That thou hast slain my children, and delivered them to cause them to pass through _the_ _fire_ for them? ^21 22 And in all thine abominations and thy whoredoms thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, when thou wast naked and bare, _and_ wast polluted in thy blood. ^22 23 And it came to pass after all thy wickedness, (woe, woe unto thee! saith the Lord GOD;) ^23 > Notice how God interjects, "Woe, woe unto thee, saith the Lord." That is, "This is terrible -- woe, woe, My judgment is upon you!" 24 _That_ thou hast also built unto thee an eminent place, and hast made thee an high place in every street. ^24 > God is showing that this spiritual adultery identifies with the [images of men](Ezekiel%2016.md#^17) and now He calls it a high place, that is, from the lofty thoughts of men. When churches claim to be the pillar and ground of the Truth, that's a high place they have set up where they are speaking for God, rather than God speaking for God. 25 Thou hast built thy high place at every head of the way, and hast made thy beauty to be abhorred, and hast opened thy feet to every one that passed by, and multiplied thy whoredoms. ^25 > What an ugly statement! This is a figure of speech that they are ready for adultery with anyone who passes by. God goes on and on throughout these verses to verse 59 with this kind of language. 26 Thou hast also committed fornication with the Egyptians thy neighbors, great of flesh; and hast increased thy whoredoms, to provoke me to anger. ^26 27 Behold, therefore I have stretched out my hand over thee, and have diminished thine ordinary _food_, and delivered thee unto the will of them that hate thee, the daughters of the Philistines, which are ashamed of thy lewd way. ^27 28 Thou hast played the whore also with the Assyrians, because thou wast unsatiable; yea, thou hast played the harlot with them, and yet couldest not be satisfied. ^28 29 Thou hast moreover multiplied thy fornication in the land of Canaan unto Chaldea; and yet thou wast not satisfied herewith. ^29 30 How weak is thine heart, saith the Lord GOD, seeing thou doest all these _things_, the work of an imperious whorish woman; ^30 31 In that thou buildest thine eminent place in the head of every way, and makest thine high place in every street; and hast not been as an harlot, in that thou scornest hire; ^31 32 _But_ _as_ a wife that commits adultery, _which_ takes strangers instead of her husband! ^32 33 They give gifts to all whores: but thou givest thy gifts to all thy lovers, and hirest them, that they may come unto thee on every side for thy whoredom. ^33 > The super-ugly language continues, but this is God's Word, He has placed it here. And it's here because He wants us to read it. A harlot normally is a harlot in order to earn a living. She will receive pay in order to prostitute her body. But God is saying the harlotry of the churches is way worse than that. They aren't doing it for hire, they're paying people to come in in order to commit harlotry, like an insatiable prostitute and this is an integral part of her being. And God is explaining why His judgment comes upon them before judgment comes upon the world. 34 And the contrary is in thee from _other_ women in thy whoredoms, whereas none follow thee to commit whoredoms: and in that thou givest a reward, and no reward is given unto thee, therefore thou art contrary. ^34 35 ¶ Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of the LORD: ^35 36 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thy filthiness was poured out, and thy nakedness discovered through thy whoredoms with thy lovers, and with all the idols of thy abominations, and by the blood of thy children, which thou didst give unto them; ^36 37 Behold, therefore I will gather all thy lovers, with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all _them_ that thou hast loved, with all _them_ that thou hast hated; I will even gather them round about against thee, and will discover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness. ^37 38 And I will judge thee, as women that break wedlock and shed blood are judged; and I will give thee blood in fury and jealousy. ^38 39 And I will also give thee into their hand, and they shall throw down thine eminent place, and shall break down thy high places: they shall strip thee also of thy clothes, and shall take thy fair jewels, and leave thee naked and bare. ^39 40 They shall also bring up a company against thee, and they shall stone thee with stones, and thrust thee through with their swords. ^40 41 And they shall burn thine houses with fire, and execute judgments upon thee in the sight of many women: and I will cause thee to cease from playing the harlot, and thou also shalt give no hire any more. ^41 42 So will I make my fury toward thee to rest, and my jealousy shall depart from thee, and I will be quiet, and will be no more angry. ^42 43 Because thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, but hast fretted me in all these _things;_ behold, therefore I also will recompense thy way upon _thine_ head, saith the Lord GOD: and thou shalt not commit this lewdness above all thine abominations. ^43 44 ¶ Behold, every one that uses proverbs shall use _this_ proverb against thee, saying, As _is_ the mother, _so_ _is_ her daughter. ^44 45 Thou _art_ thy mother's daughter, that loathes her husband and her children; and thou _art_ the sister of thy sisters, which loathed their husbands and their children: your mother _was_ an Hittite, and your father an Amorite. ^45 46 And thine elder sister _is_ Samaria, she and her daughters that dwell at thy left hand: and thy younger sister, that dwells at thy right hand, _is_ Sodom and her daughters. ^46 47 Yet hast thou not walked after their ways, nor done after their abominations: but, as _if_ _that_ _were_ a very little _thing_, thou wast corrupted more than they in all thy ways. ^47 48 _As_ I live, saith the Lord GOD, Sodom thy sister has not done, she nor her daughters, as thou hast done, thou and thy daughters. ^48 49 Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. ^49 50 And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw _good_. ^50 51 Neither has Samaria committed half of thy sins; but thou hast multiplied thine abominations more than they, and hast justified thy sisters in all thine abominations which thou hast done. ^51 52 Thou also, which hast judged thy sisters, bear thine own shame for thy sins that thou hast committed more abominable than they: they are more righteous than thou: yea, be thou confounded also, and bear thy shame, in that thou hast justified thy sisters. ^52 53 When I shall bring again their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, then _will_ _I_ _bring_ _again_ the captivity of thy captives in the midst of them: ^53 54 That thou mayest bear thine own shame, and mayest be confounded in all that thou hast done, in that thou art a comfort unto them. ^54 55 When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, then thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate. ^55 56 For thy sister Sodom was not mentioned by thy mouth in the day of thy pride, ^56 57 Before thy wickedness was discovered, as at the time of _thy_ reproach of the daughters of Syria, and all _that_ _are_ round about her, the daughters of the Philistines, which despise thee round about. ^57 58 Thou hast borne thy lewdness and thine abominations, saith the LORD. ^58 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. ^59 60 ¶ Nevertheless I will remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant. ^60 61 Then thou shalt remember thy ways, and be ashamed, when thou shalt receive thy sisters, thine elder and thy younger: and I will give them unto thee for daughters, but not by thy covenant. ^61 62 And I will establish my covenant with thee; and thou shalt know that I _am_ the LORD: ^62 63 That thou mayest remember, and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame, when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord GOD. ^63