Ezekiel 16: 1 – 12
‘Betrayed’ Part 1
1 Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations, 3 and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD to Jerusalem: “Your birth and your nativity are from the land of Canaan; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. 4 As for your nativity, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed in water to cleanse you; you were not rubbed with salt nor wrapped in swaddling cloths. 5 No eye pitied you, to do any of these things for you, to have compassion on you; but you were thrown out into the open field, when you yourself were loathed on the day you were born.6 “And when I passed by you and saw you struggling in your own blood, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ Yes, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ 7 I made you thrive like a plant in the field; and you grew, matured, and became very beautiful. Your breasts were formed, your hair grew, but you were naked and bare. 8 “When I passed by you again and looked upon you, indeed your time was the time of love; so I spread My wing over you and covered your nakedness. Yes, I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine,” says the Lord GOD. 9 “Then I washed you in water; yes, I thoroughly washed off your blood, and I anointed you with oil. 10 I clothed you in embroidered cloth and gave you sandals of badger skin; I clothed you with fine linen and covered you with silk. 11 I adorned you with ornaments, put bracelets on your wrists, and a chain on your neck. 12 And I put a jewel in your nose, earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head.
Our Holy Lord God Almighty depicted the nation of Israel in chapter 15 as a useless vine. Now in chapter 16 the Lord Yahweh will remind the Jews of their former despised status among the Canaanite nations. He will describe Jerusalem representing all of the people of Israel as an unwanted child. He will use the imagery of a young baby girl orphan from childhood to maturity. In fact not only is this little baby girl an orphan, the Magnificent Creator God points out that He rescues her from just being thrown away.
Out of all the people in the world the Holy One had pity on Israel and selected them out of His Own Mercy and Grace and bestowed blessings beyond what anyone could imagine. In effect He selected them as His Own as a man would select a bride as his own. How did this bride respond to this great love? I like the musical the ‘Phantom of the Opera’ and the words of one of my favorite songs reveal the answer here. ‘He was bound to love you, when he heard you sing. And now how you repaid me. Denied me and betrayed me.’ Man that hurts! Hearing that song breaks the strings of my heart in how the nation of Israel and more importantly me, have done the same to this Holy Special Loving God.
Our Precious God teaches us how His bride prostituted herself by seeking relationships with pagan nations and ultimately forsaking Him for their phony gods. As we study His Word let us examine ourselves to see if we likewise have done or are doing the same awful things to Him. Are we placing anything in our lives such as family, education, careers, or pleasure as our first love instead of Him, then, we are as guilty as the people He describes here. Our Lord Jesus Christ says this to us directly in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 10, “37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.”
“1 Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations, 3 and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD to Jerusalem: “Your birth and your nativity are from the land of Canaan; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite.”
Have you ever wished that you also could hear from God the way Ezekiel did? What was it like? We know from our past studies that he had a unique vision of the Holy Yahweh. He then heard from Him directly and knew His voice every time He spoke directly to him. How can we get to experience this same awesome and wonderful interaction with the God we claim as our own? This might sound as an old lame answer but I strongly cling to the belief in prayer and thorough study of His Word. I like these Scriptures.
James 4: 8, “8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”
Matthew 7: 7 – 8 “7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”
Psalm 37: 4 – 5, “4 Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.”
Our Holy God lays it out for us in print. You want something, then, this is how you go about getting it. You want more of God in your life, then He spells out the right path for you to take.
The statement ‘to know her abominations’ is God’s direct lesson by experience. We have eyes to see but do not see. What mankind thinks he is doing is okay. However, what counts is what God thinks about our thoughts and actions. He is going to teach them through a story their real character. The term ‘abominations’ carries with it something that makes one physically ill. So, we start out right away with a nauseating report.
I want you to catch what our Lord has said in verse 3. Do you see something here that is a little different? He says to us this, ‘your birth and your nativity..” Are they not the same thing? No, they are not. There is more deep gold here being brought out by our Amazing God in few words. The word ‘Nativity’ means more than birth. It references the place, time, and accompanying conditions.
In the Gospel of Luke chapter 2 we derive all the information of our Lord Jesus’ Nativity.
“ 1 And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. 3 So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. 6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. 8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 14 “ Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. 17 Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. 18 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them”.
Boy, has our Lord really been hurt by betrayal of His Love. ‘The Amorite was your father, and your mother was a Hittite.’ Take that! Our Lord whose heart is broken says that which is exactly that which the insult was intended to be. The Israelites then and even today pride themselves on their ancestry. The Canaanites had become festered with immorality and sin. The Jews knew that was the reason for our Lord ordering their total destruction. Our Lord pointed out to the Jews that they were not in fact racially pure as they espoused themselves to be. To a large degree like America they were a melting pot of other nations. Abraham came from Iraq. There was a mix multitude that came out of Egypt. In addition, the Jews failed to obey God and utterly eliminate the pagan people of the land when God allowed them to enter the Promised Land. Therefore, Hittites and Amorites continued to dwell in the land and wound up intermarrying with the Israelites. In fact, here is a good question for you to think about. What good friend of David did he have killed? The answer - Uriah the Hittite. We read that Uriah is listed as one of David’s valiant friends in the book of 2 Samuel 23, 8 These are the names of David’s mighty men:……. 39 and Uriah the Hittite. There were thirty-seven in all.
The Lord Almighty God was to be the Israelites God alone. He was everything to them. He treated them as a perfect Father would. We read here that the Lord is telling the Israelites that their parents who raised them and taught them was not their true Father, but their parents were these pagan parents. The kids [Jews] behaved as they watch these false parents. A true statement is ‘much more is caught than taught.’
“4 As for your nativity, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed in water to cleanse you; you were not rubbed with salt nor wrapped in swaddling cloths. 5 No eye pitied you, to do any of these things for you, to have compassion on you; but you were thrown out into the open field, when you yourself were loathed on the day you were born.”
I know that you are aware of why we study the Scriptures. We do not come together to get smarter but our need is to get wiser. What lessons we find out from the lives of the Jewish people of Bible times are for our learning. We need to understand the things that the nation of Israel did wrong and were punished for, hopefully we do not repeat. A rule of study is to first pray that God would help you understand what you are reading. Then you need to look at them on a personal level to see if they apply in your life.
Our Holy Ruler has given us a story in chapter 16 that deals with the current abominable positions the nation of Israel was at and we can also derive a vivid description of our own lives. The Holy Father Creator God reminds the occupants of the city of Jerusalem its national pastime. He reminded them that in reality they were nothing when He first found them. The picture image He uses is that of an abandoned newborn little girl.
As mentioned earlier, the ‘nativity’ refers to the nation of Israel being born and what immediately followed. The prior mentioning of ‘your mother was an Amorite and your father a Hittite’ helps us recognize that this time frame is when the nation of Israel came out of Egypt heading towards the land of Canaan. As slaves the Jews were treated horribly.
They were unwanted. Look at how bad this is. “On the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed in water to cleanse you; you were not rubbed with salt nor wrapped in swaddling cloths. 5 No eye pitied you, to do any of these things for you, to have compassion on you; but you were thrown out into the open field, when you yourself were loathed on the day you were born.”
Does this shock you? Here is a baby that was never even separated from the mother’s uterus. The little baby is throw out in the field still alive – connected still to the afterbirth. The bloody stains from the birth were not washed. No antiseptics were used [salted]. The child was not wrapped in anything for protection from the cold. [Swaddling]. The child was just cast away as garbage. Sadly, this goes on today in the millions of what medically would be called ‘late term abortion’.
Our parents gave us life and we thank them for that, yet this description of a helpless newborn is a perfect spiritual picture of everyone of us. First of all the infant was unwashed. We can also say the child was unclean.
Romans 3: 10 “10 As it is written: “ There is none righteous, no, not one;
Isaiah 64: 6, “6 But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteous nesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”
Sin is not something our Holy God takes lightly. He informs us in Isaiah chapter 59 this, “2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.” Our sins create a huge gap between God and us. If not corrected this situation would result in us having the same condition throughout this life and the eternal life to come.
2 Thessalonians chapter 1 informs us, “8 in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,” We see that there will be not only be the problems here in life but also eternal suffering.
In addition we see from this passage in Ezekiel that we are also unsanitary. In other words - we stink! No cologne or perfume will cover up our stench. What happened during the time of the prophet Amos also applies to our conditions?
Amos 4: 10 says, “I made the stench of your camps come up into your nostrils; yet you have not returned to Me,” says the LORD.”
In the book of Psalms chapter 38 we see a true picture of a man who has come to identify his exact state of existence. 1 O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your wrath, nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure! 2 For Your arrows pierce me deeply, and Your hand presses me down. 3 There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your anger, nor any health in my bones because of my sin. 4 For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me. 5 My wounds are foul and festering because of my foolishness. 6 I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long. 7 For my loins are full of inflammation, and there is no soundness in my flesh. 8 I am feeble and severely broken; I groan because of the turmoil of my heart. 9 Lord, all my desire is before You; and my sighing is not hidden from You. 10 My heart pants, my strength fails me; as for the light of my eyes, it also has gone from me. 11 My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague, and my relatives stand afar off. 12 Those also who seek my life lay snares for me; Those who seek my hurt speak of destruction, and plan deception all the day long. 13 But I, like a deaf man, do not hear; and I am like a mute who does not open his mouth. 14 Thus I am like a man who does not hear, and in whose mouth is no response. 15 For in You, O LORD, I hope; You will hear, O Lord my God. 16 For I said, “Hear me, lest they rejoice over me, lest, when my foot slips, they exalt themselves against me.” 17 For I am ready to fall, and my sorrow is continually before me. 18 For I will declare my iniquity; I will be in anguish over my sin. 19 But my enemies are vigorous, and they are strong; and those who hate me wrongfully have multiplied. 20 Those also who render evil for good, they are my adversaries, because I follow what is good. 21 Do not forsake me, O LORD; O my God, be not far from me. 22 Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!”
Like the child described in Ezekiel we were also unclaimed. No one wanted this baby. The mother just threw this baby away as trash. Satan has convinced the world again that human life is not important. One of the biggest insults mankind has made against God is not denying the fact that He Is The Wonderful Creator God, but that man gives credit to nothingness. Every thing just happened by chance. Evolution I believed has been developed and promoted by Satan. I believe that he thinks that he just came into existence and was not created. I believe he thinks the same thing happened to God. He just happened to evolve before Satan. So, Satan thought that he had a right to the top position, which belongs to the only true and lasting Sovereign Ruler. Mankind, which likes the appeal to the senses can easily adopt evolution. We just evolved from monkeys’ right? I like this poem written by an unknown author entitled Three monkeys in the coconut tree,
Three monkeys sat in a coconut tree
Discussing things as they are said to be
Said one to the others, "Now listen, you two,
There’s a rumor around that can’t be true
That man descended from our noble race
The very idea is a great disgrace."
"No monkey has ever deserted his wife
Starved her babies and ruined her life
And you’ve never known a mother monk
To leave her babies with others to bunk
Or pass from one on to another
Till they scarcely knew who is their mother."
"Here’s another thing a monkey won’t do
Go out at night and get in a stew
Or use a gun or club or knife
To take some other monkey’s life
Yes, man descended, the ornery cuss
But, brother, he didn’t descend from us."
We therefore realize that this child’s situation in life was uncontrollable. The baby girl had no way to change its situation. It would just die or be killed and eaten by a wild animal. How about you? Do you think that you can correct your life all by yourself? If you could make this life really great and satisfying, is this all that is left to your existence? Is there a future life? Is there a heaven? If so, then how do you get there? There are correct answers to these questions. But we may not want to hear them. Like this baby girl we also are totally helpless to save ourselves. But we like the story in Ezekiel have Someone real who has watched us struggle. He didn’t have to, but He had compassion and rescued us. Let us stop playing games and recognize Who has been the true rescuer of our souls and give Him the thanks, appreciation, and love that He really deserves.
6 “And when I passed by you and saw you struggling in your own blood, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ Yes, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’
Our Loving God describes that He found the baby girl in her dreadful condition. Just picture the infant kicking and struggling in her own blood to live. Our Lord Jesus describes Himself similarly when He said this as indicated in the Gospel of Luke, “25 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?” 27 So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’”28 And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.” 29 But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ 36 So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” 37 And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
Our Lord has saved the child and us from wallowing in our own blood. He is the One Who has had compassion when no one else would or could. Look at this verse in the Gospel of Luke chapter 19, “10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Our Holy Father gave His Command twice – ‘to live’. He only spoke once to Lazarus to come out of the grave. How much more Is His Heart stirred to command not just once but twice. His command is the same for us. These Scriptures take on more meaning;
John 3: 16. “16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
John 6: 47, “47 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.”
If God has come to you and you have responded to Him in faith then He causes you to live because He gave His Blood for you. A Blood transfusion from Him gives you everlasting life.
“7 I made you thrive like a plant in the field; and you grew, matured, and became very beautiful. Your breasts were formed, your hair grew, but you were naked and bare.”
Our Holy Lord could have used any example to explain His Blessings upon the Jews yet He used the example of flowers. He planted them in the land that He selected. They grew into a plant [nation] that was beautiful to behold. People would come from all over the world just to see this people who had a God that was alive and very active in human interaction.
Our Almighty Sovereign Ruler also selected a special city – Jerusalem. He looked upon it as a young woman that had matured [ your breast were formed ] and that it was beautiful. Yet, without His Presence the city was nothing [ naked and bare ]. It was just like any other city.
The idea of nakedness not only suggests need but also purity. In Genesis 2 we find the first mention of ‘nakedness’, “25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.” As we see from this passage before sin entered the picture the couple were pure and had nothing to be ashamed about. Such was the view that our Holy Father had of His people the Jews at first.
8 “When I passed by you again and looked upon you, indeed your time was the time of love; so I spread My wing over you and covered your nakedness. Yes, I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine,” says the Lord GOD.”
As the Holy Yahweh observed the maturity of His elect people He desired a deeper relationship. Just as a young woman comes into maturity and is ready for marriage, so our Holy Lord compared His people with this example of deep love. This act began after He freed them from the bondage in Egypt. He had led them to Mount Sinai as described for us in the book of Exodus chapter 19, “1 In the third month after the children of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on the same day, they came to the Wilderness of Sinai. 2 For they had departed from Rephidim, had come to the Wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness. So Israel camped there before the mountain.3 And Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: 4 ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. 5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. 6 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”
The New International Version of the bible displays verse 8 as this, 8 " ’Later I passed by, and when I looked at you and saw that you were old enough for love, I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness. I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Sovereign LORD, and you became mine.”
Notice that instead of wings as the Kings James interprets we see the husband – wife relationship explained as the spreading of the man’s garment over the woman. We read of a similar example of this in the book of Ruth chapter 3, “1 Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, shall I not seek security for you, that it may be well with you? 2 Now Boaz, whose young women you were with, is he not our relative? In fact, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. 3 Therefore wash yourself and anoint yourself, put on your best garment and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. 4 Then it shall be, when he lies down, that you shall notice the place where he lies; and you shall go in, uncover his feet, and lie down; and he will tell you what you should do.”5 And she said to her, “All that you say to me I will do.” 6 So she went down to the threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law instructed her. 7 And after Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was cheerful, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain; and she came softly, uncovered his feet, and lay down. 8 Now it happened at midnight that the man was startled, and turned himself; and there, a woman was lying at his feet. 9 And he said, “Who are you?” So she answered, “I am Ruth, your maidservant. Take your maidservant under your wing, for you are a close relative.”
We see the interactive role of ‘wing’ to the ‘spreading of the garment’ over the woman signifying the man’s role of taking the woman under his protection as a marriage covenant.
9 “Then I washed you in water; yes, I thoroughly washed off your blood, and I anointed you with oil. 10 I clothed you in embroidered cloth and gave you sandals of badger skin; I clothed you with fine linen and covered you with silk. 11 I adorned you with ornaments, put bracelets on your wrists, and a chain on your neck. 12 And I put a jewel in your nose, earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head.”
God Is Love. He Is The One Who created love and He definitely knows how to lavish it out on His own. Our Holy Father has taken the one(s) He loves and has washed away all our impurities. He has taken our sins and has cast them away as far as the east is from the west and has promised to remember them no more. Just stop and meditate on this fact. He has cleansed every stain of our past, present, and future lives – forever. The prophet Isaiah has this to say, 18 “ Come now, and let us reason together,” says the LORD, “ Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
1 Corinthians chapter 6 speaks about two of the three wonderful conditions God does for us after we are saved, “11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” When you are Justified by God you are free from the penalty of sin. As the song of worship goes, ‘What can wash away my sin, nothing but the Blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again, nothing but the Blood of Jesus.’ As His child living on this earth, He then Sanctifies us. We are freed from the power of sin. Yes we still bear about the old man but our Precious God has given us His Great Holy Spirit Who lives in us. The last action not mentioned in verse eleven is Glorification. God will remove from us the presence of sin. Thank you Oh Holy Father!
‘I anointed you with oil’, that is from olives, has a great amount of uses in biblical times. Then and still today you can cook your food with olive oil. It was also used as medicine. If we follow along with our Lord’s description of rescuing this unwanted child, He applied oil to the wounds of this baby after washing her. In this act you can see Him care for all emotional, physical, and spiritual needs. As a Loving Father, he cured all the ailments that afflicted her.
Oil was also set apart as something special. It pictured the anointing of a person by the Holy Spirit. It’s first use in this important dedication is listed in Exodus chapter 40, “1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “On the first day of the first month you shall set up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. 3 You shall put in it the ark of the Testimony, and partition off the ark with the veil. 4 You shall bring in the table and arrange the things that are to be set in order on it; and you shall bring in the lampstand and light its lamps. 5 You shall also set the altar of gold for the incense before the ark of the Testimony, and put up the screen for the door of the tabernacle. 6 Then you shall set the altar of the burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. 7 And you shall set the laver between the tabernacle of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. 8 You shall set up the court all around, and hang up the screen at the court gate.9 “And you shall take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it; and you shall hallow it and all its utensils, and it shall be holy. 10 You shall anoint the altar of the burnt offering and all its utensils, and consecrate the altar. The altar shall be most holy. 11 And you shall anoint the laver and its base, and consecrate it. 12 “Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the tabernacle of meeting and wash them with water. 13 You shall put the holy garments on Aaron, and anoint him and consecrate him, that he may minister to Me as priest. 14 And you shall bring his sons and clothe them with tunics. 15 You shall anoint them, as you anointed their father, that they may minister to Me as priests; for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.” 16 Thus Moses did; according to all that the LORD had commanded him, so he did.”
Kings were also set apart and consecrated to God with oil. The prophet Samuel was sent by God to the family of Jesse to anoint a new king of Israel. We pick up the story in 1 Samuel chapter 16, “11 And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all the young men here?” Then he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him. For we will not sit down till he comes here.” 12 So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking. And the LORD said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!” 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah.”
We also have been blessed with the same anointing of the Holy Spirit that only a few people in the past were allowed to experience. When the Lord Jesus Christ became our Lord and Savior, he put His Holy Spirit in us. Look at some of this great information.
Romans 8: 9, “9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.”
! Corinthians 6: 19, “19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?”
1 Corinthians 12: 13, “13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.”
You know if we just take some time daily in just reflecting on those three verses, how much more will we get our priorities right. We will again recognize that we are not the masters of our own ships. That we were bought with an expensive price, that is, by the Precious Blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
10 I clothed you in embroidered cloth and gave you sandals of badger skin; I clothed you with fine linen and covered you with silk. 11 I adorned you with ornaments, put bracelets on your wrists, and a chain on your neck. 12 And I put a jewel in your nose, earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head.”
You cannot out love the Lord. This child in this Scripture passage represents the nation of Israel. She was given life by God and has now matured into a beautiful woman. The items listed here are gifts from a man to his bride. The Loving God Himself gave this same type of expensive material goods to Israel.
We see in the book of 1 kings chapter 10 that the Holy Yahweh made this tiny country the most influential in the world. “23 So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.”
We have eyes to see but do not see what God sees. Our Lord God sees us clothed in the Rishteousness of our Master and King Himself – Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Isaiah 61: 10, “10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”
Philippians 3: 7 – 9, “7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;”
God cannot wait to pour out His Blessings upon you if you will only let Him. If you have never committed your life to Him or if you want to come back to Him, look at what He says about you as written down in the gospel of Luke, chapter 15, 11 Then He said: “A certain man had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. 13 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. 14 But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. 15 Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”’ 0 “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
Remember this all started off with no one caring whether this child lived or died. Then, the Lord stepped in and look what happened. She was the envy of the whole world. Everyone wanted what she had been given. Does that apply to you and me today? Do people want what you have? Have you stored away all the precious gifts He has give you, or have you tarnished His jewels? Give it all back to Him now. He will clean everything up.
.
