Proverbs 7 speaks of a woman. A woman dressed like a prostitute with crafty intent. She came out to meet a man in the night and persuaded him to come into her home that was lavished with linens from Egypt, perfumed with myrrh, and enticed him to drink of love ‘til morning. she led him astray with her smooth talk. This woman is known as the adulteress.
In Ezekiel 16 it tells a second story. A story of a woman that was born into sin at birth. She was thrown into the field, covered in blood, kicking and screaming. But the Lord passed over her in her kicking and screaming and said to her as she was laying in her blood: “Live!” He had given her a second chance at life. He bathed her, and put ointments on her, washing the blood away. He allowed the girl to grow up, develop, and she became the most beautiful of jewels. He gave her everything he had and everything she deserved as a daughter of the King. She was still naked and bare. When she was old enough, he blessed her with His cloak to cover her nakedness. He entered into an oath with her, and everlasting covenant and she became His. She was dressed in fine linens, adorned her with jewelry of gold and silver, she was given fine foods and became like a queen. Her fame spread among many because of the beauty he had given her.
But she trusted in her beauty.
She used her loveliness and charm and became a prostitute. She lavished His favors upon anyone who passed by and her beauty became his. She took the garments, jewelry, and food and offered them to others to find satisfaction. She degraded beauty given her and offered her body with ever increasing promiscuity. She engaged in prostitution (unworthy and corrupt use of one’s talents for the sake of personal gain) acting weak-willed. She did not remember the covenant of her youth made with Him.
This woman is also the adulteress.
This woman was also me.
I have a confession: I am the guilty of deceptiveness, promiscuity, and prostitution. For the past few years I have trusted in the beauty that the Lord has blessed me with and used it for my own good, searching for satisfaction and love. I have used crafty intent, deceptive charm, and smooth talk to lure men toward me. I knew how to “dress the dress” “walk the walk” and “talk the talk” to bring men closer to me. It almost became something I was proud of. I would go out with friends and say things similar to “I bet I can get him to buy us drinks” or “I guarantee I can get that guy over there to give me his number”, using flirty smiles, silly humor, and enticing body language to allure a man. I walked with an attitude of “I know how to get what I want.” I was ready to give any man everything of me, lurking on every corner just like the adulteress, waiting to meet them in the night. All in search of something not worth searching for: satisfaction and love.
I had found this passage about a month ago, began reading it but quickly turned the page. I was afraid. I knew God wanted to show me something through it. In reading this passage I found myself so guilty of using my body and talents; the holy temple of the Lord, for my own good. I had been doing so for too many years.
I thought experiencing freedom from guilt and shame a few months ago was the end of a process and a new season would come. Wrong. I am free from guilt and shame but I still God had more to give even though I thought the process was over. He is bringing me into a place of purity. Something I can not even comprehend because I have seen myself as impure for so long. At the end of Ezekiel 16 He promises and new, everlasting covenant with the woman.
“I will make an everlasting covenant with them; I will never stop doing good” Jer. 32:40
The Lord has an unconditional love for me that is only a greater motive for purity. He has just recently lavished his love upon me in the last weeks while going through the book of Song of Solomon. He prepared me for coming to face with these issues of past life by showing me His crazy love. But these habits are no longer present. I can no longer believe that because of past sins my body and soul are impure. He has made a new covenant with me. I am not my own. I was bought with a price. I do not have to strive to be holy, honorable, and righteous out of self humiliation and mortification. I am coming into a new place of holy purity.
Song of Solomon 4:7 “All beautiful you are, my darling; there is no flaw in you”
