16:1 The word of the Lord came to me:
Ezekiel received another message from Jehovah. This message was not Ezekiel's personal opinion. If a pastor stands in the pulpit and gives his own message instead of the message of the Lord, then pity that pastor and the congregation who listens to him and supports him.
16:2 “Son of man, confront Jerusalem with her abominable practices
Ezekiel was a “son of man,” meaning that he was made from the dust of the ground. He was told to confront Jerusalem, because Jerusalem was doing some evil things.
This Scripture was so sexually graphic, that rabbis said it must not be taught in public. This chapter is skipped in their synagogue readings. However, the entire counsel of the Word of God is to be expounded. Satan wants to confine sex education to public education and Hollywood. He wants to keep sex quiet and mysterious, so that teenagers will be curious and try it out. True sex education for children comes from the bible doctrine of the entire counsel of the Word of God. Love of Christ, not secular sexual education, will keep people out of sexual sin. Love of Christ comes from the study of the entire counsel of the Word of God at the deepest level. When one masters Bible doctrine, then he will love the One who sent it. When one really loves Christ, then he will obey the Word of God. He will apply the Bible doctrine which has been received into his soul.
16:3 and say, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says to Jerusalem: Your origin and your birth were in the land of the Canaanites; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite.
Notice that the text does not say “the land of Canaan,” but “the land of the Canaanites.” The first option would focus on the geography of the land. The second option would focus on the immorality of the people inside of the land. The Amorite and the Hittites were both Canaanites. Israel was born in an immoral land with immoral parents.
16:4 As for your birth, on the day you were born your umbilical cord was not cut, nor were you washed in water; you were certainly not rubbed down with salt, nor wrapped with a swaddling blanket,
Jehovah gave four metaphorical details about Israel’s birth. First, if the umbilical cord is not cut, then the baby would die. Second, if the baby was not washed with water, then filth and impurities would remain on the baby. Third, salt was used to cleanse and purify the baby to eliminate some of the other harmful impurities. Fourth, if the baby was not wrapped in blankets, then the baby was left to die. Just as many ancient cultures left female babies to die in the wilderness, Israel was also born, abandoned, and left to die in the wilderness.
16:5 No eye took pity on you to do even one of these things for you to spare you; you were thrown out into the open field because you were detested on the day you were born.
As a a baby, Israel was abandoned in the field and left to die. No one had compassion for Israel. Israel the baby was detested by the other Gentile nations.
16:6 “ ‘I passed by you and saw you kicking around helplessly in your blood. I said to you as you lay there in your blood, “Live!” I said to you as you lay there in your blood, “Live!”
Israel would have died of famine if God would not have raised Joseph to save her.
16:7 I made you plentiful like sprouts in a field; you grew tall and came of age so that you could wear jewelry. Your breasts had formed and your hair had grown, but you were still naked and bare.
Israel began to grow up as a beautiful teenage girl in Egypt, but she was living in poverty as a slave girl.
16:8 “ ‘Then I passed by you and watched you, noticing that you had reached the age for love. I spread my cloak over you and covered your nakedness. I swore a solemn oath to you and entered into a marriage covenant with you, declares the sovereign Lord, and you became mine.
God purchased Israel out of the slavery of Egypt and married her. The marriage contract was the Mosaic Covenant.
16:9 “ ‘Then I bathed you in water, washed the blood off you, and anointed you with fragrant oil.
God washed away Israel’s sins. He washed her in fragrant oil. The fragrant oil is the Word of God. Of all of the nations of the world, only Israel was bathed by God in this fragrant oil.
16:10 I dressed you in embroidered clothing and put fine leather sandals on your feet. I wrapped you with fine linen and covered you with silk.
God dressed Israel in a beautiful wedding dress made of valuable seal skins from the Mediterranean Sea. Seal skins were used in the tabernacle. Israel was clothed by worship in the Tabernacle.
16:11 I adorned you with jewelry. I put bracelets on your hands and a necklace around your neck.
Israel was given royal jewelry as a wedding gift. This showering of royal jewelry upon Israel happened during the days of David and Solomon, when the wealth of the Gentiles was brought into the Davidic kingdom. David and Solomon cornered the gold market of their days.
16:12 I put a ring in your nose, earrings on your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head.
Israel was married to a king, so she was given a crown. She was not born beautiful, but Jehovah dressed her and made her beautiful.
16:13 You were adorned with gold and silver, while your clothing was of fine linen, silk, and embroidery. You ate the finest flour, honey, and olive oil. You became extremely beautiful and attained the position of royalty.
Israel was the wife of Jehovah, making her a queen. She was the wealthiest woman in the world. These events took place during the reigns of David and Solomon.
16:14 Your fame spread among the nations because of your beauty; your beauty was perfect because of the splendor which I bestowed on you, declares the sovereign Lord.
Every nation came to see the glory of Solomon. Israel lived next door to the Phoenicians. The Phoenician sailors took news of Israel to all of the seaports of the world. All of the nations of the world traveled to israel to see her beauty. Many of the philosophies and religions of the world were inspired and shaped from these visits to Israel. Around 500 B.C., the teachings of Confucius, Buddha, Zoroaster, and Socrates began to flourish. Those visitors from China, India, Persia, and Greece may have picked up some of these new teachings from their prior visits to Solomonic Israel.
16:15 “ ‘But you trusted in your beauty and capitalized on your fame by becoming a prostitute. You offered your sexual favors to every man who passed by so that your beauty became his.
Israel forgot that she was not a natural beauty. She forgot that God made her beautiful. She prostituted herself by worshiping false demonic gods.
16:16 You took some of your clothing and made for yourself decorated high places; you engaged in prostitution on them. You went to him to become his.
Israel took the wedding gifts that Jehovah had given her and gave them to her other Gentile lovers. God gave Israel clothing, but she gave the clothing to demonic idols of other Gentile nations.
16:17 You also took your beautiful jewelry, made of my gold and my silver I had given to you, and made for yourself male images and engaged in prostitution with them.
God gave Israel jewelry, but she gave the jewelry to demonic idols.
16:18 You took your embroidered clothing and used it to cover them; you offered my olive oil and my incense to them.
God gave embroidered clothing and olive oil to Israel, but she gave the embroidered clothing and the olive oil to demonic idols.
16:19 As for my food that I gave you—the fine flour, olive oil, and honey I fed you—you placed it before them as a soothing aroma. That is exactly what happened, declares the sovereign Lord.
God gave Israel exotic foods, but she gave the exotic foods to demonic idols.
16:20 “ ‘You took your sons and your daughters whom you bore to me and you sacrificed them as food for the idols to eat. As if your prostitution not enough, 16:21 you slaughtered my children and sacrificed them to the idols.
God gave Israel beautiful children, but Israel sacrificed her children to demonic idols. These historical incidents are snapshot pictures of the total depravity of man. If God leaves man alone, then parents will sacrifice their children to demonic idols.
It is important to note that today’s modern culture is too sophisticated to sacrifice their babies to demonic idols. Instead, the gods of today’s modern culture are atheism, evolutionism, feminism, and materialism. Hollywood is the modern gospel. Abortion is the modern infant sacrifice. Today’s modern culture is even more evil than Israel, because they possess more light. They possess the entire counsel of the Word of God, but they refuse to read it and obey it. Instead of studying and applying the Word of God, the modern culture teaches that nothing created everything, lifeless dirt became alive, homosexuality and transvestism is normal, and young girls should commit fornication and murder their innocent babies. God hates those who shed innocent blood.
16:22 And with all your abominable practices and prostitution you did not remember the days of your youth when you were naked and bare, kicking around in your blood.
Israel forgot her past. She forgot how Jehovah rescued her when she was abandoned in the wilderness as a newborn baby.
16:23 “ ‘After all of your evil—“Woe! Woe to you!” declares the sovereign Lord —
Two woes were pronounced against Israel. Woes were terrible judgments.
16:24 you built yourself a chamber and put up a pavilion in every public square.
Israel built small shrines to foreign gods at the end of every street. If one could travel back into the past, then Jerusalem would be a city full of prostitution temples and shrines to demonic idols on every street corner.
16:25 At the head of every street you erected your pavilion and you disgraced your beauty when you spread your legs to every passerby and multiplied your promiscuity.
As Israel engaged in foreign policy with other Gentile nations, she spread her legs to every foreign demonic idol. She was raised to become special priests to all of the Gentile nations of the world, but she forsook her call and became like the rest of the world.
It is important to note that Christians are given a special call and supernatural gifts to make a positive impact on the world. Christians are commanded to be separated from the world, because they are God’s special priests. Instead, they refuse to study God’s manual. They become carnal. They ignore their special call. They become like the world. They commit the sin unto death. God gives their ministry to another who is more obedient.
16:26 You engaged in prostitution with the Egyptians, your sexually aroused neighbors, multiplying your promiscuity and provoking me to anger.
Israel did not trust her own Divine Husband (Jehovah) to protect her against the Assyrians, so she made a military covenant with Egypt. Then, she spread her legs to the Egyptian demonic idols. She began to worship the insect demonic idols of Egypt. Moses removed Israel from this idolatry, but Israel returned to Egypt to worship demonic bug idols.
16:27 So see here, I have stretched out my hand against you and cut off your rations. I have delivered you into the power of those who hate you, the daughters of the Philistines, who were ashamed by your obscene conduct.
The Israelite women were even more promiscuous than the Philistine women. Delilah give one example of the typical Philistine woman. The Philistine women would murder their husbands for money.
16:28 You engaged in prostitution with the Assyrians because your sexual desires were insatiable; you prostituted yourself with them and yet you were still not satisfied.
Israel did not trust Jehovah her husband to protect her, so she made a military covenant with the Assyrians. Israel worshiped the Assyrian demonic idols as well.
16:29 Then you multiplied your promiscuity to the land of merchants, Babylonia, but you were not satisfied there either.
Israel did not trust Jehovah to protect her, so she made a military covenant with Babylon. Babylon was the beginning of all idolatry. She was “the mother of all harlots.” Israel worshiped these demonic idols as well.
16:30 “ ‘How sick is your heart, declares the sovereign Lord, when you perform all of these acts, the deeds of a bold prostitute.
Israel was “sick at heart,” meaning that her personality was not filled with bible doctrine. This weakness in bible doctrine caused her to commit spiritual adultery by worshiping these demonic idols.
It is important to note that if one does not master Bible doctrine, then they will grow sick and worship demons, evolution, or some other cult or ism. Man was created to worship God. He is very religious. However, the man without Bible doctrine will worship demonic idols instead of God.
16:31 When you built your chamber at the head of every street and put up your pavilion in every public square, you were not like a prostitute, because you scoffed at payment.
Israel was a different kind of prostitute. She placed prostitution shrines at every street corner and paid others to fornicate with her.
16:32 “ ‘Adulterous wife, who prefers strangers instead of her own husband!
Israel chose to worship demonic idols over Jehovah.
16:33 All prostitutes receive payment, but instead you give gifts to every one of your lovers. You bribe them to come to you from all around for your sexual favors!
Normally, prostitutes received money for their services, but not in Israel! Israel paid her lovers to have sex with her. The adultery of Israel was the worship of foreign demonic idols.
16:34 You were different from other prostitutes because no one solicited you. When you gave payment and no payment was given to you, you became the opposite!
Israel bribed others to commit adultery with her. Israel was receiving gifts from God and giving them to demonic idols.
16:35 “ ‘Therefore O prostitute, hear the word of the Lord:
Jehovah the husband had a message for Israel, his adulterous and prostitute wife.
16:36 This is what the sovereign Lord says: Because your lust was poured out and your nakedness was uncovered in your prostitution with your lovers, and because of all your detestable idols, and because of the blood of your children you have given to them,
God was about to judge Israel for four different prostitution sins. First, she poured out her lust on foreign demons. Second, she danced naked in front of demons. Third, she worshiped demonic idols. Fourth, she sacrificed her children to demons.
16:37 therefore, take note: I am about to gather all your lovers whom you enjoyed, both all those you loved and all those you hated. I will gather them against you from all around, and I will expose your nakedness to them, and they will see all your nakedness.
The punishment for prostitution was to strip the woman naked in front of the community. Then, she was to be stoned to death. This was a witness to the young girls of the community. Prostitution would not be tolerated in Israel.
Since Israel made a military covenant and worshiped the demonic idols of Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon, then God would command these three nations to conquer Israel. God would strip Israel of her clothes and allow her foreign lovers to see her naked.
16:38 I will punish you as an adulteress and murderer deserves. I will avenge your bloody deeds with furious rage.
Since Israel was an adulteress and a murderer, then she was to be punished as an adulteress and a murderer.
16:39 I will give you into their hands and they will destroy your chambers and tear down your pavilions. They will strip you of your clothing and take your beautiful jewelry and leave you naked and bare.
Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon would defeat Israel and tear down her prostitution temples. These three nations would strip away all of the treasures of Israel and leave Israel naked. According to the Mosaic Law, adulterers were to be stripped naked in front of those who were going to stone them. This type of judgement would be a powerful deterrent to future Jewish teenagers that God was seriously against sex before marriage. This type of capital punishment deterrent was a message that rebellious teenagers would understand.
It is important to note that the leaders of the educational institutions of the satanic world system have it backwards. Placing free rubbers in school will not solve teenage pregnancy. It will increase fornication and cause a sexual addiction in teenagers.
16:40 They will summon a mob who will stone you and hack you in pieces with their swords.
Israel the adulteress was to be stoned by her lovers.
16:41 They will burn down your houses and execute judgments on you in front of many women. Thus I will put a stop to your prostitution, and you will no longer give gifts to your clients.
God would strip away all of Israel’s material possessions so that she would have no more gifts to pay her lovers.
16:42 I will exhaust my rage on you, and then my fury will turn from you. I will calm down and no longer be angry.
After God exhausted His wrath on Israel, then He would calm down and no longer be angry at her.
16:43 “ ‘Because you did not remember the days of your youth and have enraged me with all these deeds, I hereby repay you for what you have done, declares the sovereign Lord. Have you not engaged in prostitution on top of all your other abominable practices?
Israel had been given more light than the other Gentile nations. Since Israel did not remember her early days when God redeemed her, then God would repay her for all of the evil that she has done.
16:44 “ ‘Observe—everyone who quotes proverbs will quote this proverb about you: “Like mother, like daughter.”
Verses 44-59 deal with the City of Jerusalem. In America, it is “Like father, like son.” It is the opposite in Israel. Mothers were responsible for teaching their children. All of the Gentiles would mock Jerusalem with this proverb, “Like mother, like daughter.”
16:45 You are the daughter of your mother, who detested her husband and her sons, and you are the sister of your sisters who detested their husbands and their sons. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite.
The reputation of the Hittites and Amorites was that of extremely evil people. Israel picked up her character traits from these two nations who gave her birth.
16:46 Your older sister was Samaria, who lived north of you with her daughters, and your younger sister, who lived south of you, was Sodom with her daughters.
Samaria was the older sister, because of her geographical size. She was the first sister to go astray into idolatry and fall. Samaria was so evil, that God destroyed her with the Assyrian army.
Sodom was the younger sister, because of her geographical size. She was so evil, that God destroyed her with fire and brimstone. Jerusalem was influenced by her two evil sisters.
16:47 Have you not copied their behavior and practiced their abominable deeds? In a short time you became even more depraved in all your conduct than they were!
Jerusalem copied the sins of Samaria and Sodom. In a short time, Jerusalem would become even worse than both of her sisters. The idolatry of Jerusalem would surpass that of Samaria, who worshipped the calf god. The sexual sins of Judah would surpass those of Sodom, who was destroyed for gang-rape homosexuality.
It is important to note that man is so totally depraved and evil, that if left alone, his culture will devolve into a Sodom and Gomorrah culture. These cultures will eventually devolve into a society of homosexual gang rape.
16:48 As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, your sister Sodom and her daughters never behaved as wickedly as you and your daughters have behaved.
Jerusalem was even worse than Sodom. Sodom was destroyed supernaturally by fire and brimstone as a warning to all other nations.
16:49 “ ‘See here—this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters had majesty, abundance of food, and enjoyed carefree ease, but they did not help the poor and needy.
Ezekiel listed the sins of Sodom. She was a majestic city of wealth. She possessed an abundant food supply. She lived a life of ease. However, she did not help the poor or needy.
16:50 They were haughty and practiced abominable deeds before me. Therefore when I saw it I removed them.
Sodom was haughty and prideful against God. She practiced evil deeds, such as homosexuality, sex with animals, and human sacrifice. Therefore, God purged her out of this world. She was a cancer who would have infected and brought down other nations.
16:51 Samaria has not committed half the sins you have; you have done more abominable deeds than they did. You have made your sisters appear righteous with all the abominable things you have done.
Jerusalem was worse than her sister Samaria. Samaria introduced calf worship to Israel as the national religion. This calf worship idolatry brought down the entire nation and caused them to become captives to Assyria.
16:52 So now, bear your disgrace, because you have given your sisters reason to justify their behavior. Because the sins you have committed were more abominable than those of your sisters; they have become more righteous than you. So now, be ashamed and bear the disgrace of making your sisters appear righteous.
Jerusalem’s sins became worse than that of her two sisters. The two sisters would complain to God that Jerusalem was worse than bot of them, but they received no punishment. Therefore, God would have to punish Jerusalem as well.
16:53 “ ‘I will restore their fortunes, the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters, and the fortunes of Samaria and her daughters (along with your fortunes among them),
God would not only restore Jerusalem during the Millennial Kingdom, but he would restore Sodom and Samaria during the Millennial Kingdom as well. There will be two cities called Sodom and Samaria in the Millennial Kingdom, but they will originate as righteous cities who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
16:54 so that you may bear your disgrace and be ashamed of all you have done in consoling them.
Since Jerusalem was guilty of a greater sin than Sodom and Samaria, then God must restore the other two sisters as well.
16:55 As for your sisters, Sodom and her daughters will be restored to their former status, Samaria and her daughters will be restored to their former status, and you and your daughters will be restored to your former status.
All three of these cities will exist in the Millennial Kingdom. God will return them to their beautiful status. Everyone in the world will be able to witness these three cities at their peak of natural beauty. The difference is that believers will be living in these cities. There will be many beautiful vacation places to visit during the Millennial Kingdom. Every city will glorify God.
16:56 In your days of majesty, was not Sodom your sister a byword in your mouth,
Sodom was such an evil city, that Jerusalem citizens would not even mention her by name.
16:57 before your evil was exposed? Now you have become an object of scorn to the daughters of Aram and all those around her and to the daughters of the Philistines—those all around you who despise you.
Aram was ancient Syria. Just as Jerusalem would not pronounce the name of Sodom or Samaria, then neither would Syria or the surrounding nations pronounce the name of Jerusalem. Why? Jerusalem had become more evil than Sodom and Samaria.
16:58 You must bear your punishment for your obscene conduct and your abominable practices, declares the Lord.
Since Jerusalem had become so obscene and evil, then God must punish her.
16:59 “ ‘For this is what the sovereign Lord says: I will deal with you according to what you have done when you despised your oath by breaking your covenant.
The oath was the Mosaic Covenant. Other nations had committed spiritual fornication against Jehovah. However, Israel had committed spiritual adultery against Jehovah, because she was the queen wife of Jehovah. She had signed the marriage contract. The marriage contract was the Mosaic Covenant. Since she had committed spiritual adultery against Jehovah from the marriage bed, then she was to be punished like an adulteress.
16:60 Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish a lasting covenant with you.
The earlier covenant was the Mosaic Covenant. Jehovah entered into this marriage contract with Israel when she was in her teenage days during the wilderness. The wilderness wanderings were the days of Israel’s youth. God will remarry Israel and establish another marriage contract with her. This new marriage contract will be the New Covenant of Jeremiah 31-34. This marriage contract will be eternal, and not temporary like the Mosaic Covenant.
16:61 Then you will remember your conduct, and be ashamed when you receive your older and younger sisters. I will give them to you as daughters, but not on account of my covenant with you.
During the Millennial Kingdom. Israel will be ashamed of her past behavior in worshiping demons. The cities of Samaria and Sodom will be rebuilt. They will once again become the sisters of Jerusalem. Jehovah will give Jerusalem authority over these two cities on account of the New Covenant of Jeremiah 31:31-34.
16:62 I will establish my covenant with you, and then you will know that I am the Lord.
When God establishes the New Covenant of Jeremiah 31:31-34 with Israel, then the entire nation will know Jesus as the Messiah. All of Israel will be saved during the Millennial Kingdom.
16:63 Then you will remember, be ashamed, and remain silent when I make atonement for all you have done, declares the sovereign Lord.’ ”
When God establishes the New Covenant with Israel during the Millennial Kingdom, then there will be four eternal results. First, she will know Jehovah (v. 62). Second, she will remember her past sins. Third, she will be ashamed of her past sins. Fourth, because of her shame, she will never open her mouth and boast again.
In conclusion, Israel was abandoned at birth and left to die in the wilderness. God picked her up as an infant and raised her in the way of the Lord. God married her and made her a queen over all of the nations. He brought her many material possessions. Israel used these possessions to commit adultery with demons. God attempted to woo her back to Him. Israel refused to listen and became worse than her two sisters (Sodom and Samaria). God divorced Israel. God took away all of her possessions so that she could not pay her demonic lovers. Israel’s lovers abused her. God rescued her. God will remarry her. God will make her queen of all of the nations. God will restor Samaria and Sodom as her sisters.