You Gave Yourself As A Prostitute
But there's Hope even for you.
The people of God have turned from God. God chose you in spite of your pagan origins. You were an outcast , but God chose you. God provided for you, but you sought the love of other gods. You were given everything you needed in his Word, and you gave yourself to the world of confusion around you. You even went so far as paying for the world's lures.
Ezekiel 16:16-17
"You used the lovely things I gave you to make shrines for idols, where you played the prostitute. Unbelievable! You took the very jewels and gold and silver ornaments I had given you and made statues of men and worshiped them."
Clothed by God with the robe of righteousness, and adorned with the grace and mercy of the Holy Spirit, this was the covenant he made with his children. He gave her a great reputation, and she sold herself and her children to the devils.
What A Sick Heart You Have
Ezekiel 16:20
“Then you took your sons and daughters—the children you had borne to me—and sacrificed them to your gods. Was your prostitution not enough?"
She gave her inheritance for the affections of the corrupted men. She changed the truth of God into a lie and sold his glory into shameful practices. And God justly punished her by giving her over to a reprobate mind. He let her have her own way and allowed her to embrace her affections.
You Pay Your Lovers
Ezekiel 16:30b
"In fact, you have been worse than a prostitute, so eager for sin that you have not even demanded payment."
How did all this happen?
Pride.
Ezekiel 16:15
“But you thought your fame and beauty were your own. So you gave yourself as a prostitute to..."
In the abundance of the young people, in each new generation, the nations are ruined by pride and particularly pride in their own beauty. They were allowed by their parents to be weak in their understanding. And the strength of their animal lusts governs their lusts. They were not rubbed with salt to preserve the Word among them. Their umbilical cord was never cut between them and their natural lusts. And so the affairs, desires, and choices of men remained.
But there is still hope even for you wicked children.
Genesis 50:20
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.
Though you are not yet rid of your guilt, there is still mercy and grace that remains for you. God will use your rebellious heart to make a new heart of great love that will yield great worship. Through all the times of bondage to sin, and all the backsliding, through it all God remains faithful to keep his promise to you.
Jesus needs to go through Samaria.
John 4:4
But He needed to go through Samaria.
Why did he NEED to go that way?
Why visit Jacob's well? Why talk with a sinful Samaritan woman there?
Because that meeting was arranged since the beginning of time. God meant it to make good come from the evil of others. Jesus knew about the woman, and he wanted to make good on God's promises to come to his children, and offer his life giving blood to those who have whored themselves out to other gods.
The disciples returned and were surprised to find Jesus talking with a woman. And in many ways this encounter was for their benefit also. He was doing the will of The Father and making for them an example of how they (and we) should be helping the people to know God's deep living water forgiveness. He showed them that they are to seek this sort of spiritual food. He was speaking of the work of evangelism that EVERY disciple MUST be about. It must become their spiritual food.
And the audience is the lost, the harlots, the wicked pagans and the church that abuses the truth.
God loves the sinners and he goes to great lengths to resolve the situation. But the gate is narrow, you're going to need his help to guide you through it. And he NEEDS to meet you there. It's what he's all about. He's there waiting for you to come and draw from his well.
And she said...
“Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”
John 4:15
And Jesus said to her...
"The hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him."
John 4:23
And the harlot was redeemed.
Born again.
Amen.