Sovereign Grace Baptist Church

Free Grace Media

Of Princeton, New Jersey

 

AuthorClay Curtis
TitleJuly 20
Bible TextEzekiel 16:2-10
Date20-Jul-2014
Series Daily Readings
Article Type Article
PDF Format pdf
Word Format doc
 

July 20

Ezekiel 16: 2: Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations, 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. 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. 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 lothing of thy person, in the day that thou wast born. 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. 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. 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 sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine. 9: Then washed I thee with water; yea, I throughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil. 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.

     What a description of the abomination—the sulfurous stench—of all God’s elect as were born fallen in Adam.  Our birth and nativity should be described in the worst possible terms. We were conceived from an idolatrous, heathen union of fornication and adultery.  Such a one described here was forbidden by God’s law to enter the congregation like as the justice of God forbad us to be received into that heavenly congregation in God’s presence. (Deu 23: 2)  When the Son of man fulfilled this word, causing the Pharisee’s to know their abominations, they answered, “We be not born of fornication.” (Jn 8: 41) But it is true of us, believer! Even worse, we are described as an aborted child, not washed, not salted, not swaddled, simply “cast out in the open field, to the lothing of thy person, in the day thou wast born.”
    Praise Grace, God passed by!  He saw us polluted in our own blood. And though none other eye pitied us or had compassion upon us, God says, “thy time was the time of love.”  While as yet we were in our blood, God said, “Live!”  (Is 55: 10-11)  Though all others would have nothing to do with us, God said, “I sware unto thee, and entered covenant with thee…and thou becamest mine.” Oh, thank God that he predestinated us to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to the praise of the glory of his grace. (Eph 1: 5) He did so justly because he washed away our blood by giving his own Son who justified us before his holy law; he anointed us with the oil of his Holy Spirit; and he clothed us with the broidered work of Christ our Righteousness.   
    How his great boundless love moves our broken hearts to have the deepest pity and compassion on every lost, polluted, child of fornication just like we were!  How could we possibly take one such child to the law and cast them further away into that field of blood when mercy reigned in justice for sinners like us!  Such grace make us no longer desire to live for self but to lay down our lives to spread this good news far and wide, praying for every sinner that hears it, that God might be pleased to send forth the Spirit of adoption into their hearts like he did us.  If ever we find ourselves rejoicing in judgment rather than mercy, let us look to that field of blood and remember our abomination then look to Christ where we are seated at God’s right hand and remember what great things he has done so freely for us.