“You became Mine” (Ezekiel 16:8)

Have you ever longed to know-that-you-absolutely-know that God loves you with a fiery love? If so, read on! I’d like to share a passage of Scripture that helped break open years of not being fully convinced in my heart.

It’s in Ezekiel chapter 16. The context is God’s passionate love for His people and the extremes to which He went to make her His own, beautiful bride. This, despite their extreme waywardness and their having been “thrown out” into slavery in Babylon, like an abandoned, bloodied, new-born child.

Jump forward some 500 years and we see that Ezekiel’s revelation foreshadowed an even more astounding expression of God’s fervent longing to be fully and intimately united with His people. And – of course – that expression is the incarnation and sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Now back to Ezekiel 16:6-14. I’ll express it in my own words here, and I invite you to take time to see yourself in this passage, and receive its heart-exploding message. Its power radiates from the Old Covenant context and leaps across the centuries, speaking even more forcefully to us, now, as New Covenant believers.  

So God saw the plight of His people, struggling desperately in their “natal blood” which speaks of our fallen, corrupted nature.

God doesn’t engage in conversation or activity at that stage. He “simply” sends forth a one-word instruction: “LIVE!” And He repeats it a second time: “LIVE!”  The frequency on this command is massive beyond description. God is speaking there of True Life – not fallen life which is limited and finite.

His passionate exhortation makes my heart leap into the New Covenant … right into the uncorrupted, unending Life imparted to us through the Blood of Jesus.

After this, God goes on to pour out extravagance upon His people, who, just a few verses earlier, had been described as “abhorrent and loathsome”. This is searingly strong language … but it sure makes a powerful point: that God is unrelentingly committed to every one of His children, no matter what they have done, or are doing at present. 

I believe it can also speak to God’s call upon us – as those made in His image in Christ – to love those people and situations which appear abhorrent and loathsome, with the same love with which He loves us. It is that kind of radical, laid-down love that will shift the world’s axis from evil to goodness. It is the shining ones (Isaiah 60) who will change the world.

Back to our passage and just look at what God does now! He makes weakly, new-born Israel grow and mature. He sees they are still naked – in other words, helpless in their own strength – and oh! How tender is His response: God stretches the edge of His own garment over their nakedness. Such a heart-stirring image of complete, loving protection, honour and Self-giving.   

Then, what He does next is utterly staggering! Without condition, without hesitation, God the suitor actually swears an oath of allegiance to His people. That the God of the universe, the Holy One who dwells in flames of scouring purity, should choose to plunge down through the realms to swear an oath and cut covenant with an unfaithful bride … is totally beyond words.

What kind of Love is this?!!

Then … these three words came from the mouth of God. They are the very pinnacle of His desire for us, His people: “You became Mine”. 

This is awesome and deeply moving, but the story doesn’t stop there. It can’t stop there! God’s Love roars like the surge of a million oceans. He won’t stop until He sees – made manifest – the exquisite Bride He had called and fashioned before the creation of the world.

It’s very significant that He starts the relationship by washing off the natal blood still clinging to His bride. God doesn’t wait for us to clean ourselves up before fully pledging His heart to us.

Then it’s as though God collects an enormous, divine basket of gorgeous things … and proceeds to place each one upon His bride. HE did it. All Israel has to do – and all we have to do – is to receive by faith. He clothed Israel with embroidered cloth, fine leather, linen, silk, bracelets, chains, jewels, earrings, gold, silver, fine flour, honey, oil … and placed a beautiful crown upon their heads.

What?!! … and none of these things are essential to life! Rather, they are extravagant, illogical (outside the logic of Love, that is), and very, very costly.

That is our God!!

In verses 13-14, we can imagine God dancing for absolute joy over His redeemed people. He proclaimed that they were “exceedingly beautiful and … prospered into royal estate.” He made it so clear that He – God alone – was the creator of their beauty; He wants us to know that, and declared that their beauty was made “perfect through My majesty and splendor which I had put upon you.”

This extraordinary passage powerfully foreshadows all that Jesus Christ undertakes and provides for us through His sacrifice on the cross. And that, of course, is infinitely more costly – and really beyond words.

The passage also makes clear that God chooses to relate to us through the eyes of Beauty – right from the get-go!  He sees far beyond our limited earthly timeline, and gazes at the glorious transformation that He Himself has already poured into us. In the quantum realm, we are already absolutely radiant with His Glory and Light.

His eyes and His heart are laser-focused upon our true, eternal nature in Christ. Oh! Let’s agree with our Father, declare and call forth His radiant Beauty that is already vibrating within every cell of our being!

How glorious is our King!!!

Images purchased under license from ChristianPhotoshops.com

By Ann Shakespeare  27 March 2024