Then washed I thee with water; yea, I throughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil.
Ezekiel 16:9 belongs to a parable portraying the history and sins of Judah, Jerusalem and Israel, rebuking their apostasy in joining surrounding nations in worshiping their gods while God earnestly pleads with them to turn to Him. In that parable a woman and a city are symbols of a church or professed people of God, and a lewd, unfaithful woman or harlot is the symbol of a corrupt or apostate church. The washing and anointing mean that when God's called-out church answers His authoritative call by His purpose and grace through the gospel to repent toward God and believe toward the Lord Jesus Christ, God Himself thoroughly washes her from all iniquity and uncleanness and makes His bride surpassingly lovely with His own beauty, clothing her with garments of salvation and the robe of righteousness. The Jewish church espoused to the Lord becomes a harlot when she turns from Him and joins herself to the world through apostasy and unlawful connection with the kings of the earth, which is spiritual adultery. Her portrayal as a harlot becoming unfaithful in the same manner as Babylon illustrates the fall of Babylon, which was her rejection by God because of alienation from God and union with the world, not her destruction, which was deferred and came later.
Context and Symbolism
Ezekiel 16 is a strong parable and allegory portraying the history and sins of Judah, Jerusalem, and Israel. It rebukes their apostasy when God's people joined the surrounding nations in worshiping their gods, picturing Jerusalem as an unfaithful woman who played the harlot. In that rebuke God is earnestly pleading with His people to turn to Him. The figure at the center of the allegory is a lewd woman, through whom Judah's history and sins are set forth.
In the chapter a woman and a city are symbols of a church or professed people of God. A harlot, a lewd woman, and an unfaithful woman are the symbol of a corrupt or apostate church. Jerusalem so portrayed stands for God's professed people in their unfaithfulness.
The Jewish church, espoused to the Lord, became a harlot through apostasy in the same manner as Babylon does. God's church as a woman becomes a harlot when she turns from Him and joins herself to the world. That fall is seeking the friendship of the world by unlawful connection with the kings of the earth and by union with the world. Such union of the church with the world is spiritual adultery.
Washing and Covenant
When Ekklesia, God's regularly called-out church, answers His authoritative call by His eternal purpose and grace through the gospel to repent and believe, with repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ, God Himself thoroughly washes her from all her iniquity and uncleanness. The washing with water and anointing with oil belong to His making His bride surpassingly lovely with His own beauty. He clothes her with garments of salvation and covers her with the robe of righteousness. He decks her with the ornament of grace, with bracelets and chain and resplendent crown.
The verse stands within the account of the Lord's covenant with His people, a covenant afterward broken when they trusted in another. In that covenant marriage is a solemn covenant accompanied by public customs and ceremony. Those customs included the bride's passage from her father's house to her husband's household. Marriage ceremonies, pledges, and covenants were thus recognized in Bible times.
Fall and Babylon
The chapter presents a harlot as a corrupt church, showing the Jewish church espoused to the Lord becoming a harlot in the same manner as Babylon by seeking the friendship of the world through unlawful connection with the kings of the earth. Her fall in that unfaithfulness illustrates the fall of Babylon.
That fall was rejection by God, not destruction. It came because of alienation from God and union with the world, while destruction was deferred for a considerable period and came later.
A woman means a church and a harlot means a corrupt church, so the symbols carry the same meaning as in Revelation. The woman and her seed are the true church of Revelation 12, and the harlot and her daughters are the corrupt church of Revelation 17. That harlot with her daughters is the entire corrupt church, the universal worldly church, not one ecclesiastical body alone.
Ezekiel 16:9 belongs to a parable portraying the history and sins of Judah, Jerusalem and Israel, rebuking their apostasy in joining surrounding nations in worshiping their gods while God earnestly pleads with them to turn to Him. In that parable a woman and a city are symbols of a church or professed people of God, and a lewd, unfaithful woman or harlot is the symbol of a corrupt or apostate church. The washing and anointing mean that when God's called-out church answers His authoritative call by His purpose and grace through the gospel to repent toward God and believe toward the Lord Jesus Christ, God Himself thoroughly washes her from all iniquity and uncleanness and makes His bride surpassingly lovely with His own beauty, clothing her with garments of salvation and the robe of righteousness. The Jewish church espoused to the Lord becomes a harlot when she turns from Him and joins herself to the world through apostasy and unlawful connection with the kings of the earth, which is spiritual adultery. Her portrayal as a harlot becoming unfaithful in the same manner as Babylon illustrates the fall of Babylon, which was her rejection by God because of alienation from God and union with the world, not her destruction, which was deferred and came later.
Context and Symbolism
Ezekiel 16 is a strong parable and allegory portraying the history and sins of Judah, Jerusalem, and Israel. It rebukes their apostasy when God's people joined the surrounding nations in worshiping their gods, picturing Jerusalem as an unfaithful woman who played the harlot. In that rebuke God is earnestly pleading with His people to turn to Him. The figure at the center of the allegory is a lewd woman, through whom Judah's history and sins are set forth.
In the chapter a woman and a city are symbols of a church or professed people of God. A harlot, a lewd woman, and an unfaithful woman are the symbol of a corrupt or apostate church. Jerusalem so portrayed stands for God's professed people in their unfaithfulness.
The Jewish church, espoused to the Lord, became a harlot through apostasy in the same manner as Babylon does. God's church as a woman becomes a harlot when she turns from Him and joins herself to the world. That fall is seeking the friendship of the world by unlawful connection with the kings of the earth and by union with the world. Such union of the church with the world is spiritual adultery.
Washing and Covenant
When Ekklesia, God's regularly called-out church, answers His authoritative call by His eternal purpose and grace through the gospel to repent and believe, with repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ, God Himself thoroughly washes her from all her iniquity and uncleanness. The washing with water and anointing with oil belong to His making His bride surpassingly lovely with His own beauty. He clothes her with garments of salvation and covers her with the robe of righteousness. He decks her with the ornament of grace, with bracelets and chain and resplendent crown.
The verse stands within the account of the Lord's covenant with His people, a covenant afterward broken when they trusted in another. In that covenant marriage is a solemn covenant accompanied by public customs and ceremony. Those customs included the bride's passage from her father's house to her husband's household. Marriage ceremonies, pledges, and covenants were thus recognized in Bible times.
Fall and Babylon
The chapter presents a harlot as a corrupt church, showing the Jewish church espoused to the Lord becoming a harlot in the same manner as Babylon by seeking the friendship of the world through unlawful connection with the kings of the earth. Her fall in that unfaithfulness illustrates the fall of Babylon.
That fall was rejection by God, not destruction. It came because of alienation from God and union with the world, while destruction was deferred for a considerable period and came later.
A woman means a church and a harlot means a corrupt church, so the symbols carry the same meaning as in Revelation. The woman and her seed are the true church of Revelation 12, and the harlot and her daughters are the corrupt church of Revelation 17. That harlot with her daughters is the entire corrupt church, the universal worldly church, not one ecclesiastical body alone.