How can we apply the message of Ezekiel 16:4 to our spiritual lives? Setting the Scene “On the day you were born, your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to cleanse you; you were not rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloths.” — Ezekiel 16:4 Our Original Condition: Unwashed, Unwanted, Unable • Helpless: Like an abandoned newborn, we enter this world spiritually powerless (Romans 5:6). • Unclean: Sin leaves every heart unwashed (Isaiah 64:6; Romans 3:23). • Unclaimed: Without God’s intervention we are outside His family (Ephesians 2:12). God’s Compassionate Intervention • He sees: “When I passed by you and saw you wallowing in your blood…” (Ezekiel 16:6). • He speaks life: “I said to you, ‘Live!’” (Ezekiel 16:6). • He washes: “Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word” (Ephesians 5:25-26). Cleansed, Covered, and Claimed • Cut cord – freedom: In salvation He severs our bondage to sin (Romans 6:6-7). • Washed with water – purity: “He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5). • Rubbed with salt – preservation: His covenant keeps and sustains us (Matthew 5:13). • Wrapped in cloths – care: We are clothed with Christ’s righteousness (Isaiah 61:10; 2 Corinthians 5:21). Responding to Grace • Humility: Remember the pit we were drawn from; pride melts before such mercy (1 Corinthians 1:26-31). • Gratitude: Continual praise arises from realizing we did nothing to earn cleansing (Psalm 103:1-4). • Compassion: View the spiritually abandoned around us with God’s eyes, offering the same rescue (Jude 22-23). Living the Lessons Daily - Start each morning acknowledging dependence: “Apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). - Stay under the Word’s cleansing flow; daily Scripture intake keeps the heart washed (John 17:17). - Guard purity like salt preserves meat—reject compromise, choose holiness (1 Peter 1:15-16). - Wrap others in gospel care: discipleship, encouragement, practical help (Galatians 6:2). - Celebrate identity: walk confidently as a beloved child, no longer an orphan but adopted and secure (Romans 8:15-17). |
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