There is a chapter in the Bible that means an awful lot to me. I found it some years ago and it taught me how the Lord feels about woman. Whoever you are, as a Christian you will find yourself somewhere in this chapter.
Cities are always in the feminine. Jerusalem is the Lord’s bride. This chapter is about Jerusalem and the Lord, is a picture of us and the Lord, and a picture of America and the Lord. It shows our condition, our actions, our needs and more than anything it shows the Lord’s thoughts and ways toward us. In verse 13 the Lord says Jerusalem was exceeding beautiful. My husband’s nick-name for me is, “Beautiful”. I am definitely not beautiful in my eyes, but if he wants to think of me as beautiful, I’m all for it. What is it we say about America? America the beautiful! Well, Jerusalem did not always look and act beautiful, and neither do we. America also does not always look beautiful. As a matter of fact, America doesn’t look very pretty to me at this time and I think we will know why she is not beautiful today when we look closely at this chapter.
HER NATIVITY
And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto Jerusalem; Thy birth and thy na- tivity is of the land of Canaan; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hit- tite.
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.
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 lothing of thy person, in the day that thou wast born.
Ezek 16:3-5
She had nothing to brag about when it came to her family background. She was left by her parents in an open field to die. There was no effort to save her. Her navel was not cut, she was not cleaned up and no eye pitied her. No one had compassion upon her. It was as if they loathed her person!!! What a beginning! How in the world did she survive her condition?
THE LORD PASSED BY!
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.
I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field, and thou hast in- creased 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.
Ezek 16:6-7
Do you know why we are alive today? Because at our birth the Lord said, “LIVE”. We have been granted a life; an opportunity to grow and pro- duce fruit in spite of our background! Aren’t we glad that the Lord passed by us and said, “LIVE”?
Not only did He say to her, “LIVE,” but she came to excellent ornaments. She grew into a fine young woman ready for love. The hair and the breast is what the Lord uses to show she is grown up and ready for love. What happens next? THE LORD PASSES BY AGAIN!
TIME OF LOVE
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 sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine.
Ezek 16:8
The Lord took her for His bride. This is a picture of our salvation. He births us into the family of God and enters into covenant with us. We become His bride.
The Lord loves those who come to Him and Satan uses those who come to him. Satan would just ask to move in and live with you for awhile. Then he would leave you high and dry when you were no longer what he needed. The Lord vows Himself to us for eternity and He also supplies all of our needs.
THE PROVISIONS OF THE LORD
In verses 9-14 we see how the Lord provided for her. He knows her and He know what is important to her and He provides in a way that makes her become beautiful.
Then washed I thee with water; yea, I throughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil.
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.
I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck.
And I put a jewel on thy fore- head, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head.
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.
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.
Ezek 16:9-14
The first thing He did was wash her with water (the Word). He didn’t clean her up the first time He passed by, He simply gave her the right to live. When she entered into covenant with the Lord, He washed her and cleansed her from all unrighteousness. Then He anointed her with oil (Holy Spirit).
Look at the clothes He put on her. Broidered work! There is a lot of time put into broidered work. Badger’s skin shoes make her feet protected from the water as she walks with Him. Notice! Before He puts silk on her, He girds her! In other words, do not let it all hang out and make sure you are not seductive. Silk is beautiful if worn properly.
Look at the jewelry He puts on her! Bracelets, chain, jewel on forehead, earrings and a beautiful crown! I cannot imagine wearing a jewel on my forehead since that is not our custom.
The Jewish wife would wear a jewel on her forehead and the size of that jewel would depict her husband’s wealth.
She wore gold and silver and ate fine flour, honey and oil. She had the best!!! She was His wife and He took joy in providing for her life. She became famous for her beauty, but why was she beautiful? It was because of the way Her husband provided for her and because He placed HIS COMELINESS upon her.
This woman had every opportunity to every benefit of life. She had everything a woman could desire, but she had some weaknesses that brought her great destruction and loss. We have the same benefits in Christ Jesus. We have promises that we have never claimed or we have abused those promises and lost the beauty of our lives.
Next month we will look at her downfall.