Salvation Changes How We Look - Ezekiel 13-18

 Ezekiel 16:8-14 (ESV)

“When I passed by you again and saw you, behold, you were at the age for love, and I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness; I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord GOD, and you became mine. Then I bathed you with water and washed off your blood from you and anointed you with oil. I clothed you also with embroidered cloth and shod you with fine leather. I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk. And I adorned you with ornaments and put bracelets on your wrists and a chain on your neck. And I put a ring on your nose and earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen and silk and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour and honey and oil. You grew exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty. And your renown went forth among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through the splendor that I had bestowed on you, declares the Lord GOD.

If you had to describe what God did in your life when you were saved from your sin by the death of Christ, what would you say?  We often here words or phrases like:

1. Set free

2. Received peace

3. Had great joy

4. Can live guilt free

5. Found worth

6. Burdens gone

In the above passage are they words that God uses to describe the salvation He brought to Israel when He called Abraham out of a land of idolatry.   Notice “how” God describes His salvation.  In God’s Word we find that He often goes from the “known” to the “unknown” to tell us about what He does in our lives.  He uses “known” word pictures to describe “unknown” Theological concepts.  Jesus did this by using the parables.  He told us about a prodigal son (a known concept) to tell us about God’s amazing forgiveness (an unknown concept).  

It is interesting that God uses the above word pictures of jewelry around the neck and in the nose to describe His salvation of Israel by taking them out of Egypt.   The world picture He uses through Ezekiel’s writings are not word the modern church would use to describe what we should even wear to church, much less the description of our salvation.   But, God is not lost on the things we get wrapped up in.  The point He is making here is the “unknown” truth that when God saves us, He changes us.   We might get caught up in the “outward” picture presented in the text (and even in our lives).  But, God is saving us to change us so that we love Him.  The prophet Ezekiel was sent to tell Israel that despite how God changed them, they turned right back, inwardly, to worship idols.   The lesson in this text is that God changes us to love Him and that will mean we look incredible different than we did before.   But, the outside should simply be a reflection of what He did on the inside by putting His love in our hearts.