THOUSANDS OF FREE BLOGGER TEMPLATES

Thursday, October 9

Now About This Whore

In the book of Ezekiel you'll find the author's account of his visions of/from the Lord concerning warnings and other messages to the people of Isreal.
Before I get into what really hit me last night (well, perhaps it was this morning) let's just say, Ezekiel's probably the most colorful book I've ever read. Including the Chronicles of Narnia, which is saying quite a alot. The description of his vision of the glory of God alone is the most insane thing to try comprehending[1:4-28]. I can't even begin to wrap my head around what that must have looked like, which is why it's not so weird to think that when Ezekiel saw these things the Spirit had to actually enter into him and set him on his feet[2:2].

All throughout the book the Lord is constantly telling Ezekiel that the nation of Isreal is a rebellious house(big surprise). There are several pretty dark descriptions of the punishment that is coming for those who do not heed the warnings given, talk of dead bodies and scattered bones, the slain falling in their midst -- takes a tougher stomach than mine to handle it. In these accounts of the destruction and judgement to come for the rebellious house of Isreal there are always(or almost always) a few left alive. God gives his reasoning here in chapter 6 verses 8 through 10...

"Yet I will leave some of you alive. When you have among the nations some who escape the sword, and when you are scattered through the countries, then those of you who escape will remember me among the nations where they are carried captive, how I have been broken over their whoring heart that has departed from me and over their eyes that go whoring after their idols. And they will be loathsome in their own sight for the evils that they have committed, for all their abominations. And they shall know that I am the LORD. I have not said in vain that I would do this evil to them"


When I read that I kept picturing the scene from Redeeming Love where Michael finds his wife, Angel, returning to prostitution in the upper room of a bar. She's with some other man and in walks Michael, and he's all sorts of angry as he fights their way out of the saloon. I won't ruin the rest of the book for you, because you've gotta read it(guys and girls...) but sufice to say that his heart was ripped into pieces at this point. It's that picture of fiery brokenness that burns itself into your core.

In chapter 16 God give Ezekiel a vivid word picture of what has happened. From the day that Isreal was born she was rejected. No one even bothered to bathe the child or cut the cord, it was simply left to wallow in blood(can you imagine?). But the Lord came past and made the child to grow and flourish.I love the way He puts this where He just speaks the child into growth, "Live!". And this is my favorite part so I'm gunna quote it rather than paraphrase...

"When I passed by you again and saw you, behold, you were at the age for love, and I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness; I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord GOD, and you became mine...

...You grew exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty. And your renown went forth among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through the splendor that I had bestowed on you, declares the Lord GOD.


I love that... Anyways so at this point in the picture we see this amazing story of redemption and love. Surely the bride is about to start singing songs of devotion and bowing and all sorts of thanksgiving is about to take place. We're talking epic feasts, joy and dancing right? Not quite...

"But you trusted in your beauty and played the whore because of your renown and lavished your whorings on any passerby; your beauty became his...
...And you took your sons and your daughters, whom you had borne to me, and these you sacrificed to them to be devoured. Were your whorings so small a matter that you slaughtered my children and delivered them up as an offering by fire to them?"


Really? Does that not just break the heart?!

And in all your abominations and your whorings you did not remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, wallowing in your blood.


Can't get worse can it? Yeah... it can.

"How sick is your heart, declares the Lord GOD, because you did all these things, the deeds of a brazen prostitute, building your vaulted chamber at the head of every street, and making your lofty place in every square. Yet you were not like a prostitute, because you scorned payment. Adulterous wife, who receives strangers instead of her husband! Men give gifts to all prostitutes, but you gave your gifts to all your lovers, bribing them to come to you from every side with your whorings. So you were different from other women in your whorings. No one solicited you to play the whore, and you gave payment, while no payment was given to you; therefore you were different."


Let me get this straight. Not only was there no thanks, but there was adultery and prostitution. This new bride gave herself to any passerby. She gave the gifts from her husband to strangers. She gave her children as sacrifices to them. More than that... she paid them. Seriously?! What kind of messed up, off her rocker, crazy, ungrateful, evil... Oh wait... This is about Isreal. This is about me.

It's not a pleasant thing to think about, being a whore. There's no way to twist it into normality or explain it away. It is what it is. Oh and it's true. I've given all my best efforts towards countless idolatrous activities. When my best, that has never truly been mine, should have been given towards the works of God it has been spent towards the chasing after that which will not last. Chasing after my own personal pleasure and the acceptance of those I have set in a higher place than the One who gave me everything I am.

Ezekiel goes on to talk of this bride, this prostitute, and her abominations that seem to build upon each other for verse after verse after verse. I could hardley keep reading it for all the guilt that seemed to wash over me in buckets. The words from 16:28 kept echoing in my heart. "..and still you were not satisfied... and still you were not satisfied.."

However, I was in this deep so I had to keep going. There was no use stopping now.

And there it was. Chapter 16:59-63.

"For thus says the Lord GOD: I will deal with you as you have done, you who have despised the oath in breaking the covenant, yet I will remember my covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish for you an everlasting covenant. Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed when you take your sisters, both your elder and your younger, and I give them to you as daughters, but not on account of the covenant with you. I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall know that I am the LORD, that you may remember and be confounded, and never open your mouth again because of your shame, when I atone for you for all that you have done, declares the Lord GOD."


You remember that line from earlier about Isreal being at the the age for love? Think about a sweet, young, beautiful girl getting ready for her wedding. You know that feeling when everybody in the church stands up to watch her walk up the aisle? You have that picture in your head? Ok, now picture that she says "I do", kisses her husband and then as soon as the reception gets going somebody finds her in a closet with a wedding crasher. She goes on her honeymoon and she puts ads in papers seeking out new lovers. Her husband puts her up in a beautiful home, gives her everything she could ever want and she invites the neighbors over for all types of lewd, disgraceful things. Has the sweet, innocent character morphed into the picture of decadence and coldhearted betrayal yet?
Remember the look on the grooms face when his bride, the delight of his heart, walked toward him in the church. Do you see it now? The brokenheartedness, his wounded heart on display...

There is nothing more wonderful than this, that he takes his wife and rids her of the evil that has crept and slithered it's way into her heart. Because though she may have forgotten and disgraced the vows she made to him, though she may not remember how desperately lost she was before he took her as his own -- he remembers. He remembers and He will redeem His bride again.

And that,my friends, is what the Lord did for Isreal. What he did for me.

2 comments:

David said...

oh friend. oh friend.

yes.

this.

yes.

haha. Oh Praise the Lord. Thanks for writing all of this. Great words for a weekend.

Hope you are well.

mirmotchka said...

Oh sister.

I look at you. I read what you have written- I read your beautiful insightful thoughts and I am amazed.

I am astounded by who you have become.