We have almost finished the first half of the book of Ezekiel in which God was seen disciplining Israel for her unfaithfulness. For twenty-two chapters, we saw the history of Israel’s harlotry and how God took them to task for their seemingly endless years of ungodliness. They were enticed into pursuing pagan idols, a ploy of the enemies to disconcert their walk with God.
They had indulged in some of the most deplorable behaviors in
their rampant immorality, depravity, and downright wickedness. Because of all
their egregious conduct, they were brought through periods of drought and
starvation. The protective hedge from their enemies that they enjoyed as God’s
covenant people was lifted and their beloved Jerusalem had fallen, and the
glory of God withdrawn. At this juncture, the nation was on the brink of
destruction.
Since his call into the prophetic ministry, Ezekiel had spent
several years warning those in exile that the invasion of the Babylonians would
occur again. When that happens, they would be facing a disaster more than they
could imagine. Sadly, his warnings fell on deaf ears. They refused to face the
truth and persisted in entertaining their false hope of being rescued.
Ezekiel 23-24 contained messages first in an allegory, then in a
parable making explicitly clear how deserving and why the wrath of God was warranted.
The allegory in 23 portrays Israel and Judah as two harlot sisters who
prostituted themselves. Through that allegory, God revealed Israel's long
history of idolatry. In chapter 24, through a parable, God was pointing to the
judgment of the third Babylonian invasion.
Ezekiel 23:1-4 began the allegory of a mother with two harlot
daughters. The mother points to the time when Israel was one united nation. The
two daughters without doubt were the northern kingdom of Israel and the
southern kingdom of Judah after the split that took place after Solomon’s
reign. However, from the very onset of Israel and long before the ink of the
written covenant had dried, the nation had already indulged in harlotry in
Egypt. Using very graphic illustrations of sexual lewdness, God showed Israel
provocative impropriety from the very start. The names God called these two
sisters were Oholah and Oholibah. The former refers to Samaria representing the
northern kingdom and the latter, to Jerusalem representing Judah in the south.
Oholah means “she who has a tent” and Oholibah means “my tent is in her”.
Oholah represents what Jeroboam did to Israel. He blatantly
introduced idolatry in Samaria. Here’s what 1 Kings 12:31-32 said he did, “And he (Jeroboam)
made houses on high places and made priests from among all the people
who were not of the sons of Levi. Jeroboam instituted a feast in the eighth month on
the fifteenth day of the month, like the feast which is in Judah, and
he went up to the altar; thus he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves
which he had made. And he stationed in Bethel the priests of the high
places which he had made.” The
shrine for the idols that he built in Samaria was Oholah’s tent. Whereas
Oholibah’s tent represents the Lord’s true temple in Jerusalem. Though
Jerusalem had the true temple, Judah eventually also pivoted into idolatry. In
referring to the nation’s idolatry in Egypt, God was showing both the sisters’
inclinations right from the very start.
Idolatry to God is prostitution. It is engaging in an elusive act. Because genuine spiritual experience can only be found in our relationship with the true God. Idolatry never gives us true fulfillment in life. It’s like chasing after shadows. When we go for God, the shadows will follow us. But if we chase the shadow, we won’t be able to find the true God we yearn for. That’s why “we must seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all else will be added to us.”
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