The Danger of Dissatisfaction With One’s Lot in Life - Part XV

                                         Mark 8:14-21

                   Ezekiel 16:18-63;  Proverbs 5:15-23; et. al.

                         September 8, 2024

 

 

In doing some research, I learned a new word - egalitarian - which is believing

in principles where all are considered equal, regardless of gender, race,

 

These are some of the major causes of dissatisfaction in some individuals.

 

 

In Christ we are all the same — we are equal with one another.

 

 

Last week I read you Matthew 22:30  - “....they neither marry nor are given in

marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.”  

 

The biblical explanation of male/female for me is best understood

from  I Peter 3:7 “Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according

to knowledge, giving honor unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel,

and as being heirs together of the of the grace of life, that your prayers

be not hindered.”  (I wonder how much damage has been done in society

because of lack of prayer over the issue, not only for the cause of

egalitarianism but for the ruin of the soul of the individual involved.

CY - 2024)

 

 

Galatians 3:28

 

28 "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither

male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus."  There is neither Jew nor

Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female (οὐκ ἔνι

Ἰουδαῖος ουδε ελλην, οὐκ ἔνι δοῦλος ουδε ἐλεύθερος, οὐκ ἔνι ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ - 

ouk eni Ioudaios oude ellaen, ouk eni doulos oude eleutheros, ouk eni arsen kai

thaelu - there is no Jew here nor Gentile [literally, Greek], there is no bond man

here nor freeman, there is not here male and female)The word ἔνι (there is in),

occurring also in I Corinthians 6:5 (according to the now accepted reading);

James 1:17; Ecclesiasticus. 37:2; and very noticeably in Colossians 3:11, is

probably (see Winer's 'Gram. N. T.,' § 14, 2, 'Anm.') an adverbialized form of the

preposition ἐν (in), of the same description as the thus accented πάρα and ἔπι.

The prepositional element implies a somewhat indefinite indication of a sphere in

which the statement of the clause holds good. The Revised Version renders, "there

can be," and Bishop Lightfoot, "there is no room for;" but Ecclesiasticus. 37:2 and

I Corinthians 6:5 do not much favor this particular modification. In Colossians 3:11

we have a very similar passage; there, after describing Christians as "having put on

(ἐνδυσάμενοι - endusamenoi -  putting onthe new man, which is being renewed unto

knowledge after the image of Him that created him," the apostle adds, "Where there

is not Gentile [Greek, 'Greek'] and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian,

Scythian, bondman, freeman; but Christ is all [literally, 'all things'] and in all." We

may group with them also I Corinthians 12:12-13"So also is Christ; for in one Spirit

were we all baptized into one body, whether Jews, whether Gentiles [literally,

'Greeks'], whether bondmen, whether freemen." In all three of these passages we

see the reference both to "Jew and Gentile" and to "bondman and freeman." The

particular mention of these two forms of outward classification was suggested by

the circumstances of the Christian Church generally at that time. Wherever the

apostles went, they were sure to be confronted by questions and difficulties arising

both from the one and from the other. In the kingdom of God were Jew and Gentile,

were circumcised and uncircumcised, to stand on the same footing? Should believers

as such be concerned to vary their treatment of one another or to modify their own

condition from regard to these circumstances? Questionings of this description were

being agitated everywhere, and most especially just now in the Galatian Churches.

And, on the other point, the universal existence of slavery more or less throughout

the civilized world would necessarily give occasion to a variety of questions relative

to the position which bondmen should hold in the Christian community; how a

bondman on becoming a Christian should stand, or what he should do, in respect to

obedience to his owner or to seeking a change in his condition. St. Paul, in his

Epistles, has briefly discussed some of these points, as in I Corinthians 7:20-24;

Ephesians 6:5-9. So often had the apostle occasion to affirm the perfect identity

of Christian privilege possessed by all believers in Christ, that the statement would

naturally mold itself into a sort of formula. In Colossians he varies the form by

inserting "barbarian, Scythian;" degrees of national civilization made no difference.

In place of this, he here adds the particular, that diversity of sex made no difference.

We cannot tell what especial reason he had for introducing these modifications in

writing to the Colossians and the Galatians respectively. Possibly he had none beyond

the pleasure which he felt in dilating on the large universality of the Divine grace.

In the clause, οὐκ ἔνι ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ"there is here no male and female," the neuter

is used (remarks Alford) as being the only gender which will express both. The change

of form, "male and female," from "no Jew nor Gentile," "no bondman nor freeman,"

was perhaps suggested by the passage in Genesis 1:27 (ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ), "male and

female created He them," which is quoted in Matthew 19:4Mark 10:6. If so, the

clause may be regarded (as Bishop Lightfoot says) as forming a climax: "even the

primeval distinction of male and female." But perhaps the change is simply made

for the sake of variety; as in the way in which several of the classes are introduced

in the Colossians. For ye are all one in Christ Jesus (πάντες γάρ ὑμεῖς εἷς ἐστὲ ἐν

Ξριστῷ Ἰησοῦ - pantes gar humeis eis este en Christo Iaesou - for all ye are one and

the same man in Christ Jesus. The pronoun ὑμεῖς (ye), is inserted to recite emphatically

the qualification already expressed; as if it were, "ye being what ye are, believers

baptized into Christ." The apostle's object here is not, as in I Corinthians 12:13;

Colossians 3:11-15, to exhort to the performance of certain mutual duties on the

ground of the unity which in Christ is established among all believers, but to enforce

the view that each individual's title to the inheritance is altogether irrespective of

external distinctions, and is based entirely, in one case as well as in another, upon

his being clothed with Christ. The word εῖς is "one and the same," as in τὸ ἓν
φρονοῦντες - to hen phronountes - of one mind (Philippians 2:2); and in εῖς Θεός,

εῖς μεσίτης - eis Theos, eis mesitaes - One and the same God, one and the same

Mediator" (I Timothy 2:5). So Chrysostom: "That is, we have all one form and

one mold, even Christ's. What," he adds, "can be more awful than these words?

He that was a Greek, or Jew, or bondman yesterday, carries about with him the

form, not of an angel or archangel, but of the Lord of all, yea, displays in his

own person THE CHRIST." The distribution of the universal quality to each

individual, so far as the grammar of the sentence is concerned, is imperfectly

expressed. But the grammatical inadequacy of the verbal exposition is not

greater than in 1 Corinthians 6:5, "Decide (ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ -

ana meson tou adelphou autouu - between his brethren) literally, "between

his brother;" and in vs. 19-20 of the same chapter, σῶμα ὑμῶν - soma humon -

your body; not "thy body," nor "your bodies." The apostle has in view the

subjective application only of the principle here stated; each was to feel that,

having the qualification which he has explained, he himself is a son of God

and full inheritor, without casting about for any further qualification, as, for

example, from ceremonial Judaism. The principle plainly is pregnant with an

objective application also; namely, as to the manner in which they were to

estimate and treat each other and every baptized believer, notwithstanding

any circumstances of extrinsic diversity whatever.

 

 

The Unity of Believers (v. 28)

 

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is not

male and female: for ye are ALL ONE in Christ  Jesus.”

 

  • It is an Organic Unity -  Believers are “one body in Christ” (Romans 12:4-5);

      “one man;” “one new man” (Ephesians 2:15). The unity in question is no

      ecclesiastical unity; for it joins together those who are ecclesiastically

      separated, and it connects together the believers of all generations.

 

o        It has a sevenfold relationshipThere is one body, and one Spirit,

     one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one hope of your calling, one

                        God and Father of all” (Ephesians 4:4-6).

 

o        It is created in Christ by the Holy Spirit. It is Christ, not the Spirit,

     who“hath made both one” (Ephesians 2:14); and we, “being

     many, are made one body in Christ” (Romans 12:5). But wherever

     the Spirit is there is union with Christ. The indwelling of the Spirit is          

     herefore the bond of unity in the Church.

 

·         It is a Unity which Obliterates or Ignores Many Worldly or Natural

  Distinctions.. All distinctions, whether of condition, or nature, or sex, are in

  Christ lost sight of or forgotten.

 

o        National distinctions“There is neither Jew nor Greek.”

     This distinction meant much in pre-Christian ages. The Jews were

     God’s peculiar people, blessed with great privileges and prepared for

     great destinies. The Greeks, representing the Gentile world, stood apart

     from the Jews - “aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and    

     strangers to the covenants of promise” (Ephesians 2:12). But Jew

     and Greek stand on exactly the same footing in the kingdom of God,        

     possessed of equal privilege, equally sons of God, and equally heirs

     of GodChrist broke down the middle wall of partition that

     severed them for ages, and made them one commonwealth.

 

o        Distinctions of human station. There is neither bond nor free.”

     Slaves were excluded from certain rites of heathen worship. But

     Christ takes the slave by the hand and places him in His kingdom

     side by side with the free man. The largest body of practical counsel

     in the apostolic Epistles is directed to slaves.

 

o        The distinction of sexThere is not male and female.” The

     apostle does not touch the original subordination of the woman to

     the man, which is a still existing fact (1 Timothy 2:11-14), but shows

     how, religiously regarded, men and women are equal. Their relation

     to Christ does not destroy the old fact, but causes it to be lost sight of.      

     How true it is that Christianity alone has elevated women, has

     created the sentiment which destroys slavery everywhere, and

     creates a better understanding among the nations of the world!

     (What God has done through Christ for man and woman is to make

     them “heirs together of the grace of life” [I Peter 3:7} – CY – 2009)

 

“So God created man in His own image, in the image of God, in the

image of God created He him; male and female created He them.”

(Genesis 1:27)

 

“Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.”

(I Corinthians 16:13)

 

ἀνδρίζεσθε - andrizesthe - to behave like a man

 

from ἀνδρίζω - andrizo - to make a man, to play a man = quit you like men.

 

Play the Man: Becoming the Man God Created You to Be

 

This is a Mark Batterson book that offers encouragement and advice

for what it is and takes to be a man of God based on the word of God.

 

 

           

Watch! Stand firm in the faith! Be tough[a]! Make yourself strong!

Be you watching, be you standing-resolute in the trust, be you

manning-up, be you enstaunced.  (loyal and committed in attitude

 

 

The idea of a macho-man who is in reality, spiritually impotent.

 

This seems to me to be a paradox (a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory

statement or proposition that when investigated or explained may prove to

be well founded or true.)  So strong physically, yet so weak spiritually.

 

We have a body, a soul, and a spirit.

 

 

 

I Corinthians 6:9-11

 

9  Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of

God?  Be not deceived:  neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor

adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind.

10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor

extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are

sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by

the Spirit of our God.

 

Revelation 22:10-15

 

10 And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this

book: for the time is at hand.

11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let

him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still:

and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give

every man according as his work shall be.

13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

14 Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have

right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

15 For without are dogs (κύνες - kunes - dogs - used here metaphorically

of those whose moral impurity will exclude them from the New Jerusalem)

and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and

whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

 

Jeremiah 5:3 “......they have refused to return.”

 

“O Lord, are not thine eyes upon the truth?  Thou has stricken them, but they

have not grieveed; thou hast consumed them but they have refused to receive

correction:  they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused

to return.”

 

 

I want to read to you the introduction to Spurgeon’s sermon Decided Ungodliness

delivered August 20, 1882 (142 years ago - He being dead, yet speaketh)

 

THERE is, in the heart of every one of us, the primary evil of sin; we have

all transgressed against the Lord. So far, so bad; but that natural sin of ours

may be greatly increased by a refusal to turn from it. It is bad enough to

have violated God’s righteous law, but to refuse to repent, and to continue

presumptuously in our iniquity, must greatly increase our guilt in the sight

of God. This guilt may also be still further increased if we refuse to return

unto the Lord when we are earnestly and affectionately invited to yield

submission to Him. If gracious terms of peace are presented to us, and

matchless promises of blessing are made to us on condition that we do

return,— and if we are often warned, and often entreated, and often

threatened, and yet we still refuse to return, then we continue to pile sin

upon sin, till we make our first transgression to be incredibly great. (Some of

you are no doubt financially savvy and understand what compound interest *is in

money (*  Compound interest is interest calculated on both the initial principal and all

of the previously accumulated interest. Generating "interest on interest" is known

as the power of compound interest. Interest can be compounded on a variety of

frequencies, such as daily, monthly, quarterly, or annually - Google), but are

unaware of the compound interest of sin.  CY - 2024)  If I were now to preach to

men as simply sinners, it would be a weighty message for me to have to tell them

that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” but, alas! I have to

preach to impenitent sinners, to those who, as our text puts it, “have refused

to return,” ay, and to some who have given that refusal with great deliberation,

after having been long entreated and persuaded. to turn from the error of

their ways. Some have been addressed in such tender, pleading language as this,

Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?”

or this: “Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is

near: let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and

let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our

God, for He will abundantly pardon.” If we have heard such language as

that, and yet have persisted in refusing to return, we have heaped guilt

upon guilt, and the wrath of God will be in proportion to our sin.

 

The coming of Christ to a soul, to a community, is a moral probation (subjection

of an individual to a period of testing and trial to ascertain fitness, as for a job or

school) , involving the most serious responsibility.  TO REJECT

JESUS CHRIST AND THE WITNESS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT is the

only UNFORGIVABLE SIN.

 

 

The first stages of Christian life in the individual and in the historic Church

are marked by low ideas of the person and work of Christ, producing

estrangement from Him, fear, and weakness.

 

 

In Christ we are all the same — we are equal with one another.

 

 

 

 

A couple of months back, at a Bible Study, our teacher, Bro. David Smith, mentioned

coincidently, about those with dissatisfaction in life, always seeking for something,

but basically not knowing what they want, never finding it.

 

I add until fortunately, meeting Jesus Christ.

 

Have I not mentioned U2 - I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking?

 

In Psalm 16:8-11 is a remedy, as the Bible, in many other passages offers:

 

8 I have set the LORD always before me: because He is at my right

   hand, I shall not be moved.

9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also

   shall rest in hope.

10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer

     thine Holy One to see corruption.

11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of

     joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

 

But there is another side:   There is a clear explanation of the problem in v. 4.

 

4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another God:

 

 “The Lord is known by the judgment which He executeth: 

the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion.*  Selah.** 

The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all nations

that forget God.  (Psalm 9:16-17)

 

* A technical term of musical direction - The word may signify either a solemn,

deep-toned harp interlude or a solemn pause conducive to meditation.

 

How much thought have you put into your situation?

 

** A transliterated Hebrew expression found frequently in the Psalms and also

appearing in Habakkuk chapter 3.  Selah indicates a pause in the text.

Selah is a synonym of Hebrew words that mean “forever.” 

 

eternal implications??  CY  (Wow!)

 

The Scripture reveals that  “Blessed is the nation whose God is

the Lord.”  (Psalm 33:12)  At first I put happy in my browser,

the word being hid in my heart, but not knowing where to find it. -

 

Bro. Christian always said that “blessed” - means happy.

 

Oh the blessings of the man, the family, the city, the country side,

the nation - that has realized the truth of vs. 5-7 of Psalm 16

 

 

 

5 The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou

    maintainest my lot.

6 The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a

    goodly heritage.

 

“Thus saith the Lord; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth,

the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness,

in a land that was not sown.  Israel was holiness unto the LORD, and

the firstfruits of his increase: all that devour him shall offend;

evil shall come upon them, saith the LORD.”  (Jeremiah 2:2-3)

 

7 I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins* also

   instruct me in the night seasons.

 

νεφρός - nephros - kidney

νεφροί

 

* mind, heart, kidneys - metamorphically of the will and the affections which

                                          were regarded as having their seat in the “kidneys.”

 

instruct - they-CHASTEN/CORRECT/TRAIN - discipline/teach/educate

 

                                               

 

                                                Job 19:25-27

                                               

25 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the

latter day upon the earth:

26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh

shall I see God:

27  Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not

another; though my reins be consumed within me.

 

 

                                    Revelation 2:20-23

 

20 Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou

sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to

teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat

things sacrificed unto idols.

21 And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented

not.   (Do you think that God would give that wicked woman, Jezebel space

to repent and not you!!???   How much space have you used up or abused?  -

CY - 2024)

22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery

with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.

23 And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall

know that I am He which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will

give unto every one of you according to your works.

 

There seems to be something in the word bed - do you remember last

week me mentioningnor abusers of themselves with mankind

ἀρσενοκοῖται - arsenokoitai - malebedders; from αρσενος - apsoenos -

 male and κοιτην - koitaen - bed. It has a sexual connotation, but with

whom the male is bedding is not specified.

 

Thinking about sexual matters now is a good place to go back to

Ezekiel 16 where I began and left off on May 26, ten weeks ago, at v.18.

 

                                               

 

                                                Ezekiel 16

 

                                    This still from the NIV

 

The use of Ezekiel 16 from the NIV to get ideas across of what I am trying to

illustrate today.  The first seventeen verses I discussed on an earlier occasion

and if interested, see May 26, 2024 lesson.

 

 

18 And you took your embroidered clothes to put on them, and you offered my oil

     and incense before them. 

19 Also the food I provided for you—the flour, olive oil and honey I gave you

     to eat—you offered as fragrant incense before them. That is what happened,

     declares the Sovereign Lord.

20 “‘And you took your sons and daughters whom you bore to me and sacrificed

     them as food to the idols. Was your prostitution not enough? 

21 You slaughtered my children and sacrificed them to the idols. 

22 In all your detestable practices and your prostitution you did not remember

     the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, kicking about in

     your blood.

23 “‘Woe! Woe to you, declares the Sovereign Lord. In addition to all your other

     wickedness, 

24 You built a mound for yourself and made a lofty shrine in every public square. 

25 At every street corner you built your lofty shrines and degraded your beauty,

     spreading your legs with increasing promiscuity to anyone who passed by.  

26 You engaged in prostitution with the Egyptians, your neighbors with

     large genitals, and aroused my anger with your increasing promiscuity.

     For modesty’s sake, I will substitute “sexual prowess” for the term used.  What

     was really said can be found in the NIV’s rendition of Ezekiel 16:26 - CY - 2024)

27 So I stretched out my hand against you and reduced your territory;

     I gave you over to the greed of your enemies, the daughters of the Philistines, 

     who were shocked by your lewd conduct. 

28 You engaged in prostitution with the Assyrians too, because you were insatiable;

     and even after that, you still were not satisfied.   (I am going to take the liberty

     to add, what I perceive as a bedfellow of insatiability, incorrigiblity.  Often a person

     who is insatiable, ends up incorrigible.

 

Insatiable = unquenchable, unappeasable, uncontrollable, voracious, prodigious (huge).

unsatiable - impossible to satisfy; incapable of being satisfied

 

Incorrigible =  incapable of being corrected, amended, or reformed, not manageable :

 Incorrigibility = bad and impossible to change or improve

 

Elementary school - heard of Reform School

High School - heard of marijuana in locker at a high school in the county -

I knew the person accused -

 

Rarity of this in my upbringing.

 

29 Then you increased your promiscuity to include Babylonia, a land of merchants,

     but even with this you were not satisfied.  (Somewhere along the line in my life

     I ran across the idea that “Man wants what he can’t get but if he ever gets it,

     that is not what he wanted after all!  - a non -sexual reference but holds true in

     physical escapades also - I cite the teaching of Proverbs 5:15-23 * below -CY - 2024)

 

                                                Proverbs 15 

 

          *15 Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.

16 Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets.

17 Let them be only thine own, and not strangers’ with thee.

18 Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.

19 Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts

satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love.

20 And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and

embrace the bosom of a stranger?

21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and He

pondereth all his goings.

22 His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be

holden with the cords of his sins.

23 He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he

shall go astray.  (Proverbs 5:15-23)

 

Also:  “Marriage is honorable in all and the bed undefiled;  but whoremongers

             and adulterers, God will judge.”  (Hebrews 13:5)

 

While I am at it - “....whosoever committeth adultery with a woman lacketh

                              understanding:  he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.

                              A wound and dishonor shall he get, and his reproach shall

                              not be wiped away.”  (Proverbs 6:32-33)

 

Compare the case of the woman taken in adultery (John 8:3-11)

 

The words of Jesus are:  “....all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be

forgiven unto men:  but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be

forgiven unto men......neither in this world , neither in the world to come.”

(Matthew 12:31-32)

 

30 “‘I am filled with fury against you, declares the Sovereign Lord, when you do

     all these things, acting like a brazen prostitute! 

31 When you built your mounds at every street corner and made your lofty

     shrines in every public square, you were unlike a prostitute, because you

     scorned payment.

32 “You adulterous wife! You prefer strangers to your own husband! 

33 All prostitutes receive gifts, but you give gifts to all your lovers, bribing

     them to come to you from everywhere for your illicit favors. 

34 So in your prostitution you are the opposite of others; no one runs after you

     for your favors. You are the very opposite, for you give payment and none is

     given to you.

35 “‘Therefore, you prostitute, hear the word of the Lord! 

36 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you poured out your lust

     and exposed your naked body in your  promiscuity with your lovers, and

     because of all your detestable idols, and because you gave them your

     children’s blood, 

37 Therefore I am going to gather all your lovers, with whom you found pleasure,

     those you loved as well as those you hated. I will gather them against you

     from all around and will strip you in front of them, and they will see

     you stark naked. 

38 I will sentence you to the punishment of women who commit adultery

     and who shed blood; I will bring on you the blood vengeance of my wrath

     and jealous anger. 

39 Then I will deliver you into the hands of your lovers, and they will tear

     down your mounds and destroy your lofty shrines. They will strip you

     of your clothes and take your fine jewelry and leave you stark naked. 

40 They will bring a mob against you, who will stone you and hack you to

     pieces with their swords. 

41They will burn down your houses and inflict punishment on you in the

     sight of many women. I will put a stop to your prostitution, and you will

     no longer pay your lovers. 

42Then my wrath against you will subside and my jealous anger will turn away

     from you; I will be calm and no longer angry.

43 “‘Because you did not remember the days of your youth but enraged me with

     all these things, I will surely bring down on your head what you have done,

     declares the Sovereign Lord. Did you not add lewdness to all your other

     detestable practices?

44 “‘Everyone who quotes proverbs will quote this proverb about you:

     “Like mother, like daughter.” 

45 You are a true daughter of your mother, who despised her husband and her

     children; and you are a true sister of your sisters, who despised their husbands

     and their children. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite. 

46 Your older sister was Samaria, who lived to the north of you with her

     daughters; and your younger sister, who lived to the south of you with her

     daughters, was Sodom.  (Neighbors - CY - 2024)

47 You not only followed their ways and copied their detestable practices,

     but in all your ways you soon became more depraved than they. 

48 As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, your sister Sodom and

     her daughters never did what you and your daughters have done.

49 “‘Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were

     arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. 

50They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away

     with them as you have seen.  (Although not here, sixty-tw0 [62] times in

     Ezekiel, it is said, “and they shall know that I am the Lord”  I would say

     that this statement is its equivalent, stated  in other words  - see

   # 223.

 Ezekiel – Study of God’s Use of  the Word Know

  - this website - CY - 2024)

51 Samaria did not commit half the sins you did. You have done more

     detestable things than they, and have made your sisters seem righteous

     by all these things you have done. 

52 Bear your disgrace (KJV - Bear thine own shame)  Take it like a man

     for you have furnished some justification for your sisters.  Because your

     sins were more vile than theirs, they appear more righteous than you.

     So then, be ashamed and bear your disgrace, for you have made your

     sisters appear righteous.

53 However, I will restore the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters and of

      Samaria and her daughters, and your fortunes along with them, 

54 So that you may bear your disgrace and be ashamed of all you have done in

     giving them comfort. 

55 And your sisters, Sodom with her daughters and Samaria with her daughters,

     will return to what they were before; and you and your daughters will return to

     what you were before. 

56 You would not even mention your sister Sodom in the day of your pride, 

57 Before your wickedness was uncovered. Even so, you are now scorned by

     the daughters of Edom and all her neighbors and the daughters of the

     Philistines  —all those around you who despise you. 

58 You will bear the consequences of your lewdness and your detestable

     practices, declares the Lord.

59 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will deal with you as you deserve,

     because you have despised my oath by breaking the covenant. 

60 Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your

      youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you. 

61 Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed when you receive your

     sisters, both those who are older than you and those who are younger. I will

     give them to you as daughters, but not on the basis of my covenant with you. 

62 So I will establish my covenant with you, and you will know that I am the Lord. 

63 Then, when I make atonement for you for all you have done, you will

      remember and be ashamed and never again open your mouth because of

      your humiliation, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”

Proverbs 6:24-35

24 To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue

of a strange woman.

25 Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee

with her eyelids.

26 For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of

bread: and the adultress will hunt for the precious life.

27 Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?

28Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?

29 So he that goeth in to his neighbor’s wife; whosoever toucheth her

shall not be innocent.

30 Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is

hungry;

31But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the

substance of his house.

32 But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh

understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.

33 A wound and dishonor shall he get; and his reproach shall not be

wiped away.

34 For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the

day of vengeance.

35 He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though

thou givest many gifts

1 I am satisfied with Jesus,

He has done so much for me: