Ezekiel 16:35

Ezekiel 16:35 says, Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of the Lord:  God called on the people of Israel, who He referred to as a harlot, to hear His word.  If people go away to everlasting punishment, it will never be because God didn’t call them to repentance.  If people are teaching anything other than God's word while professing to be a part of His people, they are being a spiritual harlot, but I believe that God will always make them aware of this.   

Verse thirty-six adds, Thus saith the Lord God; Because thy filthiness was poured out, and thy nakedness discovered through thy whoredoms with thy lovers, and with all the idols of thy abominations, and by the blood of thy children, which thou didst give unto them;  God then listed all the ways that the people of Israel had failed in keeping their covenant relationship with Him.  Their following of false god’s and worshipping idols had even led them to sacrificing their children to these idols.  Today, people follow many false gods and some even sacrifice their unborn children to the god of self-will and pleasure in life.   

Verse thirty-seven continues, Behold, therefore I will gather all thy lovers, with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all them that thou hast loved, with all them that thou hast hated; I will even gather them round about against thee, and will discover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness.  God said He was going to gather all the ones that they had put their faith in around them and that their spiritual nakedness would be discovered.  God was very displeased with those who professed to be His people failing to live by His commandments.  If we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we are forever a part of His kingdom, but if we have called ourselves His people without doing so, one day we will be held accountable for our actions.   

Verse thirty-eight states, And I will judge thee, as women that break wedlock and shed blood are judged; and I will give thee blood in fury and jealousy.  God said He was going to judge them as a woman who committed adultery was judged.  We might ask why He said a woman and not men and women, but we need to remember that the church is called the bride of Christ, so it would apply to everyone who professed to be a part of God’s kingdom and not just women.   

Verse thirty-nine adds, And I will also give thee into their hand, and they shall throw down thine eminent place, and shall break down thy high places: they shall strip thee also of thy clothes, and shall take thy fair jewels, and leave thee naked and bare.  God said when He removed His protection from the people of Israel that they would lose everything and be left naked.  Those that they had looked to for protection, the Egyptians and the Assyrians, would be the ones to destroy them.  If we refuse God’s call to salvation, one day we will stand before Him spiritually naked.   

Verse forty continues, They shall also bring up a company against thee, and they shall stone thee with stones, and thrust thee through with their swords.  God said that the people of Israel were going to be killed in horrible ways.  Still, this destruction would be nothing compared to the everlasting punishment that awaits those who do not put their faith in God.    

Verse forty-one says, And they shall burn thine houses with fire, and execute judgments upon thee in the sight of many women: and I will cause thee to cease from playing the harlot, and thou also shalt give no hire any more.  God said that their houses were going to be destroyed in the sight of many of the women, and God would cause them to quit playing the harlot.  When God’s final judgment comes, it will be in the sight of all who have not accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, and they will then know that God is God, but it will be too late to save them.  This is why it is so important that we proclaim to gospel to the world today.   

Verse forty-two adds, So will I make my fury toward thee to rest, and my jealousy shall depart from thee, and I will be quiet, and will be no more angry.  God said that once those who had disobey their covenant relationship with Him were destroyed that He would be quiet and would no longer be angry.  One day, those who are not a part God’s will be sent away to everlasting punishment and sin will be no more.  If we are a follower of Christ, we will never face this everlasting punishment and when God calls us to our heavenly home, sin will be no more.  Of course, we need live our lives today by faith and not allow sin back into our lives,  

Verse forty-three continues, Because thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, but hast fretted me in all these things; behold, therefore I also will recompense thy way upon thine head, saith the Lord God: and thou shalt not commit this lewdness above all thine abominations.  God said that since they had not remained true to their covenant relationship with Him, having forgotten all about it, that He would pay them what their disobedience had earned them, which was everlasting separation from Him.  I believe these were the people who had never put their faith in God and not those who had but temporarily strayed away.  If we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord but have then committed sin once again, we are still a part of God’s people, but we need to repent and ask His forgiveness.  If we haven’t, then we will face God based on our own righteousness, which will lead to everlasting separation from Him.   

Ezekiel 16:26

Ezekiel 16:26 says, Thou hast also committed fornication with the Egyptians thy neighbours, great of flesh; and hast increased thy whoredoms, to provoke me to anger.  God said that the people of Israel, whom He had delivered from bondage in Egypt, were now worshipping the gods of Egypt and looking to them to help them. God had shown the people of Israel how worthless the gods of Egypt were when He delivered them out of Egypt, but now they were worshipping the gods of Egypt.  Once God has delivered us from our sins and into a covenant relationship with Him, we should never allow ourselves to worship anything in the world.  As stated before, the people in Israel at that time had not experienced the deliverance of their ancestors out of Egypt, but their parents should have taught them about it.  We did not see the life of Christ while He was here to redeem all of mankind, but we have God’s written word and the call of the Holy Spirit to tell us about it.  As Christians, we need to teach our children about Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit will also be calling people to God.    

Verse twenty-seven adds, Behold, therefore I have stretched out my hand over thee, and have diminished thine ordinary food, and delivered thee unto the will of them that hate thee, the daughters of the Philistines, which are ashamed of thy lewd way.  God said because the people of Israel had forsaken Him, He was going to remove His protective had from them and they would be delivered to their enemies.  We cannot put our faith in God and worship the things of the world at the same time.  If we try to do so, we will find ourselves under the bondage of sin once more.   

Verse twenty-eight continues, Thou hast played the whore also with the Assyrians, because thou wast unsatiable; yea, thou hast played the harlot with them, and yet couldest not be satisfied.   God said they then looked to Assyria for help instead of looking to Him.  They played the harlot instead of remaining a pure bride.  People still look everywhere today for peace and fulfillment in life instead of looking to God.  The people of Israel then and we today will never find satisfaction outside the will of God, which that we put our faith in Him for salvation and then to find spiritual peace in the world.   

Verse twenty-nine states, Thou hast moreover multiplied thy fornication in the land of Canaan unto Chaldea; and yet thou wast not satisfied therewith.   Once they turned away from God, they started to be more and more sinful, just as we will today if we turn away from God.

Verse thirty adds, How weak is thine heart, saith the Lord God, seeing thou doest all these things, the work of an imperious whorish woman;  When God asked about the weakness of their heart, He wasn't talking about physically, but about how weak was their heart in faithfulness to Him.  It is our spiritual condition that we should be concerned about more than our physical condition.  One day, we will get a new body, but we will not get a new spirit.   

Verse thirty-one continues, In that thou buildest thine eminent place in the head of every way, and makest thine high place in every street; and hast not been as an harlot, in that thou scornest hire;  God said the people of Israel, who were supposed to be in a covenant relationship with Him where they acknowledged that He alone was God were worshipping other gods in all their high places instead of worshipping Him.  This would be more of a warning to those who profess to be God’s people today, but who worship other things more than they do Him than to those who do not even profess to know Him I believe.   

Verse thirty-two says, But as a wife that committeth adultery, which taketh strangers instead of her husband!  God said that they weren't even receiving pay for being like a harlot, but that they were like a woman who was committing adultery against her husband and was doing so for free.  Whatever the people of Israel thought they were getting out of denying God and worshipping other gods was worthless, so they were denying Him without anything in return.  In this case, these were people who were known as God’s chosen people, but they were being unfaithful to their covenant with Him.  Today, I guess it would apply to those who profess to be Christians, but who have turned away from God’s word and put their faith in anything else.   

Verse thirty-three continues, They give gifts to all whores: but thou givest thy gifts to all thy lovers, and hirest them, that they may come unto thee on every side for thy whoredom.  God said the people of Israel not only committed adultery against Him, but they did so willing and even calling other lovers to themselves.  This was not something that was forced on them, but something that they called for themselves.  We will never have sin forced on us, but it will always be something that we choose to do of our own will.   

Verse thirty-four concludes, And the contrary is in thee from other women in thy whoredoms, whereas none followeth thee to commit whoredoms: and in that thou givest a reward, and no reward is given unto thee, therefore thou art contrary.  God had let them follow their own desires since He never forces anyone to follow Him.  This is still true today.