SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR
12/26/2014 8:20 AM
My Worship Time Focus: The
Unfaithful Wife PT-1
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Ezekiel
16:1-14
Message of the
verses: We will continue to be in
Ezekiel chapter 16 for the next few days as we look at five sub-points under
this main point of the unfaithful wife.
Introduction: Dr.
Wiersbe writes “This long chapter contains some of the most vivid language
found anywhere in Scripture. It is
addressed to the city of Jerusalem but refers to the entire nation. The chapter traces the spiritual history of
the Jews from ‘birth’ (God’s call of Abraham) through ‘marriage’ (God’s
covenant with the people), and up to their ‘spiritual prostitution’ (idolatry)
and the sad consequences that followed (ruin and exile). The Lord takes His ‘sife’ to court and bears
witness of her unfaithfulness to Him. At
the same time, the Lord is replying to the complaints of the people that He had
not kept His promise when He allowed the Babylonians to invade the land. God did keep His covenant; it was Israel who
broke her marriage vow and also broke the heart of her Lord and invited His
chastening (Ezek. 6:9). But as we read
the chapter, we must see not only the dark background of Israel’s wickedness
but also the bright light of God’s love and grace. ‘But where sin abounded,
grace abounded much more’ (Rom. 5:20 NKJV).”
Israel Experienced a Great Love (Ezekiel 16:1-14): “1 Then the word of the LORD came to me,
saying, 2 "Son of man, make known
to Jerusalem her abominations 3 and say,
’Thus says the Lord GOD to Jerusalem, "Your origin and your birth are from
the land of the Canaanite, your father was an Amorite and your mother a
Hittite. 4 "As for your birth, on
the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed with
water for cleansing; you were not rubbed with salt or even wrapped in cloths. 5
“No eye looked with pity on you to do any of these things for you, to have
compassion on you. Rather you were thrown out into the open field, for you were
abhorred on the day you were born.
“ 6 "When I passed by you and saw you
squirming in your blood, I said to you while you were in your blood, ’Live!’
Yes, I said to you while you were in your blood, ’Live!’ 7 “I made you numerous
like plants of the field. Then you grew up, became tall and reached the age for
fine ornaments; your breasts were formed and your hair had grown. Yet you were
naked and bare. 8 “Then I passed by you and saw you, and behold, you were at
the time for love; so I spread My skirt over you and covered your nakedness. I
also swore to you and entered into a covenant with you so that you became
Mine," declares the Lord GOD. 9 “Then I bathed you with water, washed off
your blood from you and anointed you with oil. 10 “I also clothed you with
embroidered cloth and put sandals of porpoise skin on your feet; and I wrapped
you with fine linen and covered you with silk. 11 “I adorned you with
ornaments, put bracelets on your hands and a necklace around your neck. 12 “I
also put a ring in your nostril, earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on
your head. 13 “Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your dress was
of fine linen, silk and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour, honey and oil;
so you were exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty. 14 “Then your fame
went forth among the nations on account of your beauty, for it was perfect
because of My splendor which I bestowed on you," declares the Lord GOD.”
There was a great deal of pride in the nation of Israel,
but Ezekiel reminds them of where they came from and who their parents were and
how they got started as a people and then as a nation and how they became the
bride of Jehovah in these fourteen verses.
We see a similar story of Israel in the seventh chapter of the book of
Acts where Stephen tells the leaders of Israel the story of Israel from the
beginning up until the time they were in when he told them the story. The leaders could not stand what they heard
and so they killed him, but before he died he saw heaven open and the Lord
Jesus Christ standing at the side of His Father ready to welcome Stephen
home.
Abram was an idol worshiping man before the Lord called
Him from his idols and told him to go to what would become the Promised
Land. Abraham obeyed the Lord as we read
in the 12th chapter of the book of Genesis. The rest of the book of Genesis tells the
story of Israel’s beginnings and at the end of the chapter we see the children
of Israel in the land of Egypt where over the next 400 years God makes a nation
out of them as they swell to over two million people.
Next we see God raise up Moses and led the children of
Israel out of the land of Egypt as God does ten great miracles against the gods
that Egypt worshiped in order to defeat this mighty nation and allow Israel to
leave with great spoils.
God marries Israel at the ceremony which took place at
Mount Sinai, as He gives the marriage covenant to her, and she accepts this
covenant. However Israel continues to
disobey the Lord as she has to wonder around the desert for forty years because
of her unbelief. Finally Israel goes
into the Promised Land and conquers most of it, but does not obey the Lord to get
rid of all its sinful inhabitants, and this will haunt them until the time when
God takes them out of the Promised Land and sends them to Babylon where they
are now hearing this story from Ezekiel to remind them of their unfaithfulness
to the Lord.
God raises up David and unites the country and gives them
great prosperity which continues through the reign of Solomon. Israel was the crown of the Middle East as
rulers come to Israel to seek advice from them during this golden age of
Israel. This is where we will leave the
story at this time, but will pick it up in our next SD as we continue to look
at the history of Israel through the pen of Ezekiel.
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: You cannot help
but see the grace and love of God in this story of Israel, but you will also
see His wrath and justice in this story because of the unfaithfulness that
Israel had against God. To learn this
important lesson is what I as a true believer in God need to continue to do and
that is to obey the covenant that I have with the Lord. Jesus said that if you love Me you must keep
my commandments.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Walk with the King today and be a blessing.
Memory verses for the
week: 2 Peter 1:5-6.
5 Now for this very reason
also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in
your moral excellence, knowledge, 6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in
your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness,
Answer to our last Bible
question: “Jesus” (John 20:15).
Today’s Bible
question: “Where were the people from
who fought against Jephthah?”
Answer in our next SD.
12/26/2014 9:14 AM
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