From Lewdness to Faithfulness

God’s Word verifies what modern research says happens to those who become addicted to sexual perversion. Delving into disordered “love” releases a chemical in the brain (endorphins) that can be addictive. As a person does it more and more, they have to go to more hardcore material and activities to get the same chemical response as when they first began. Finally, they lose control of themselves, and become enslaved to destructive behavior.

The Word of God exposes similarities between Jerusalem’s behavior before it was destroyed and America’s behavior now. Surely, we were nothing when God found us, but He made us into a great nation. Why have we turned from God’s noble purpose for us to that which is ruining us?

God compared Jerusalem to the children of pagans because of her detestable practices. After birth, no one cut her umbilical cord, and no one washed the blood from her. No one clothed her. No one pitied her or had compassion on her. She was cast into an open field. She was despised the day she was born. [1]

God saved and nurtured her. She entered puberty. Her breasts and hair grew, but she was still naked. When God saw that she was old enough for love, He spread the corner of His garment over her and covered her nakedness. God made a solemn oath and covenant with her. So that she became His. He bathed her in water to wash the blood off of her and put ointments on her skin. He clothed her in a beautifully embroidered dress and put fine sandals on her feet. He adorned her with jewelry, put bracelets on her arms and a necklace around her neck. He put a ring on her nose, earrings on her ears and a beautiful crown on her head. So she was clothed with gold, silver, fine and costly fabric that was embroidered. He gave her honey, olive oil and the finest flour for her food. She became very beautiful and enjoyed the status of a queen. Her fame spread among the nations because of her beauty. The splendor God gave her made her beauty perfect. [2]

Jerusalem replaced trust in God with trust in her beauty. She prostituted herself in exchange for popularity. She gave her beauty to any passersby. She traded her beautiful garments for idols. The idols enslaved her. She sacrificed to demons. She formed her fine jewelry into idols. She had intimate relations with them. She gave her beautiful garments from God to her idols. She gave her fine food from God to idols. She presented her slaughtered children to idols. She gave her blessings from God to the devil. She forgot what God did for her. [3]

The Lord lamented with woes over her. She built shrines in public squares to her idols. She gave herself to Egypt because of their large genitals. The culture of Egypt focused on oversized sex parts just as pornographers and Hollywood filmmakers do today. She aroused God’s anger so that He stretched His hand against her and reduced her property. He handed her over to the Philistines. They were shocked by her behavior. She gave herself to the Assyrians. She had an insatiable desire for sex. Nothing could satisfy her. She went to the Babylonians for sex. Like an addict, she needed ever increasing amounts of fixes. She enraged God. She was sacrificed to increase not purge sin. [4]

God rightly called her an adulterous wife who preferred strangers to her own husband. Prostitutes receive gifts, but she gave gifts to anyone who would have sex with her. She defiled people. [5]

God promised to compel her lovers to strip her naked and execute her for being an adulteress. His jealous anger will judge her because she poured out her lust and exposed her nakedness to detestable idols. She slaughtered her children for them. God promised to compel people to destroy her idolatrous ways. To remove her fine clothing and jewelry! A mob will attack, stone, and hack her to pieces. They will burn down her houses and inflict punishment on her in the sight of many women. God will stop her prostitution. She will no longer pay people to use her. Then God’s anger will subside, and His jealousy will end. God is going to judge her for forgetting from where He brought her and because she enraged Him with her behavior. He will cause her to reap what she sowed. She was so lewd. [6]

God quotes a proverb, “Like mother, like daughter.” God says her mother was a pagan who despised her husband and children. Her sisters and father were all pagans. Her older sister was Samaria, and younger sister was Sodom. She followed their ways, copied their practices, and became more depraved than they were. Sodom never became as detestable to God as she did. [7]

Sodom’s sins were arrogance, gluttony, and apathy. She refused to help the poor and needy. She was haughty and detestable before the Lord. So, He put her away. Samaria did not commit half the sins Jerusalem did. Jerusalem made Samaria and Sodom seem righteous. Jerusalem’s sins were more vile than those who were previously the most famous cities for promiscuity. [8]

Jerusalem’s deeds deserved to be shamed. Previously, Jerusalem would not even mention Sodom because of her pride, but after her sin was exposed, the daughters of Edom and Philistia looked down on her for her lewdness. Everyone despised her. She was now experiencing the consequences of her detestable practices. [9]

God dealt with her as she deserved because she despised His promises to her by breaking covenant with Him. Yet, God promised to keep His covenant with her. The covenant He made with her before she became lewd. He made an everlasting covenant with her. His faithfulness will bring her to repentance. She will know that HE is the Lord. God will make atonement for her sin. She will know the Lord and never again open her mouth against Him because of her humiliation. [10]

May the Lord graciously bring America back from lewdness to faithfulness.

Jesus said, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.” [11]

The truth is we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We all need the sacrifice that Christ made for our sins. He alone lived a sinless life in this world. His blood was not tainted by sin and therefore He is God’s perfect sacrifice for our sins. That is why He is called the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. The Father gives those who serve His Son Jesus the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit helps us discern sin as a fiend not a friend. He gives us the power to live to glorify God. Only He can do that. True freedom comes from knowing Christ. [12]

[1] Ezekiel 16:1-5
[2] Ezekiel 16:6-14
[3] Ezekiel 16:15-22; 1 Corinthians 10:20
[4] Ezekiel 16:23-31
[5] Ezekiel 16:32-34
[6] Ezekiel 16:35-43
[7] Ezekiel 16:44-48
[8] Ezekiel 16:49-52
[9] Ezekiel 16:54-58
[10] Ezekiel 16:59-63
[11] John 8:32
[12] Romans 3:22-23; John 1:29; 1 Peter 1:18-20; John 17:3

The Moabites

The Lord lamented for Moab. “He [Moab] is very proud in his loftiness, his pride, his arrogance, and the arrogance of his heart.” The Lord describes Moab’s demise as sudden. One moment, a healthy creature and the next the prey of an eagle. “Behold, he will fly as an eagle, and will spread out his wings against Moab.” [1]

The Moabites worshipped Chemosh. In the days of Balaam, Moabite women seduced the Israelites to worship their god. Later, King Solomon married Moabite women and set up an altar to Chemosh. Chemosh worship yielded bad results. [2]

Moab was arrogant. “We have heard of the pride of Moab. He is very proud in his loftiness, his pride, his arrogance, and the arrogance of his heart.” The Lord grieved over them. “My heart sounds for Moab like pipes…” “The abundance that he has gotten has perished.” “Moab will be destroyed from being a people, because he has magnified himself against the Lord.” Moab’s pride preceded their downward plunge. [3]

The Lord forewarned them that their cities would be destroyed. Even so, they continued to trust in their works and treasures. The Lord predicted, “The destroyer will come on every city, and no city will escape; the valley also will perish, and the plain will be destroyed.” [4]

Casual living ruined Moab. “Moab has been at ease from his youth, and he has settled on his lees, and has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, neither has he gone into captivity: Therefore, his taste remains in him, and his scent is not changed.” [5]

The nature of God is to pour out Himself for others. God the Father poured out Himself for us by giving us His Son. The Son poured out Himself for us on the cross to give us eternal life. The Spirit poured out Himself into human flesh that we might have God’s abiding presence in us. If we want to remain fresh for God, we too must be poured out for God and others.

The Lord warned the Moabites that their judgment day was near. Their strong staff and beautiful rod would be broken! He named eleven of their cities that would be plundered. [6]

The Lord said, “Make him [Moab] drunken; for he magnified himself against the Lord. Moab will wallow in his vomit, and he also will be in derision. For was not Israel a derision to you? Was he found among thieves? For as often as you speak of him, you shake your head.” Moab would reap contempt because contempt was what he had sown against Israel and others. The Lord declared, “I know his wrath… that it is nothing; his boastings have done nothing.” [7]

God wept for the Moabites because their summer fruits were about to be pillaged. Their joy and gladness were about to cease. Their winepresses would be dry. They would have no grapes to celebrate with joyous shouts. [8]

The Lord was going to remove those who offered incense to false gods. Their abundance would perish. Every head would be bald. Every beard clipped. God was breaking Moab up like a potter breaks up a vessel in which no one delights. Moab’s strongholds would be seized. The hearts of her mighty men would become like the hearts of women experiencing birth pangs. They would be destroyed as a people. The Moabites erred when they magnified themselves against God. [9]

The Moabite who fled in fear would fall into a pit. He who escaped from the pit would be trapped in a snare. A fire was ready to consume them. They were destined for captivity. [10]

Despite Moab’s sin, the Lord ended His prophecy to them with a promise. “Yet I will reverse the captivity of Moab in the latter days.” [11] The Lord is gracious. Although the Moabites deserved ruin, He promised to them restoration.

[1] Jeremiah 48:29, 40
[2] Numbers 25:1-2; 1 Kings 11:1, 7
[3] Jeremiah 48:29, 36, 42; Proverbs 16:18
[4] Jeremiah 48:8
[5] Jeremiah 48:11
[6] Jeremiah 48:18-24
[7] Jeremiah 48:26-27, 30
[8] Jeremiah 48:31-33
[9] Jeremiah 48:35-42
[10] Jeremiah 48:43-44
[11] Jeremiah 48:47