Ezekiel 23:18

Ezekiel 23:18 says, So she discovered her whoredoms, and discovered her nakedness: then my mind was alienated from her, like as my mind was alienated from her sister.  God said that when the people of Judah began committing spiritual whoredom that He alienated Himself from them just as He had done with her sister, Israel.  Now, the vast majority God’s chosen people in both halves of the kingdom had turned away from God and He therefore removed is protection from them.  We cannot be a Christian nation if we turn our backs on God and begin to worship false gods and don't even acknowledge Him.  

Verse nineteen adds, Yet she multiplied her whoredoms, in calling to remembrance the days of her youth, wherein she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt.  God said the people of Judah had multiplied their unfaithfulness to Him, just as they had in Egypt. God had set them free of bondage in Egypt, but now they were in bondage once more because of their sin.  If we are to be a Christian nation, we need to follow God’s commandments and be obedient to Him by faith, and if we don’t, we need may find ourselves in bondage to sin once more, even if we aren’t physically in bondage.  

Verse twenty continues. For she doted upon their paramours, whose flesh is as the flesh of asses, and whose issue is like the issue of horses.  God said that the people of Judah doted on the people of Babylon, even though they were no better than a donkey and their offspring were no better than horses.  Both an ass and a horse are animals to bear burdens with no say in whether they will or not.  If we reject God’s love and mercy, we are no better than animals that bear burdens without any say so in the matter. 

Verse twenty-one concludes, Thus thou calledst to remembrance the lewdness of thy youth, in bruising thy teats by the Egyptians for the paps of thy youth.  God called on the people of Judah to remember how badly they were treated in Egypt before they called on Him by faith, and He delivered them.  As Christians, we were in bondage to sin before we came to God by putting our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, and we should never return to putting our faith in anyone or anything other than Him.

Ezekiel 23:11

Ezekiel 23:11 says, And when her sister Aholibah saw this, she was more corrupt in her inordinate love than she, and in her whoredoms more than her sister in her whoredoms.   This warning was to the people of Judah, the two tribes, who had remained true to God longer than the people of Israel, the other ten tribes had.  Now, they had become even more corrupt than Israel.  Of course, neither was ever accepted by God because they were better or worse than the other, but they were accepted when they lived up to their covenant relationship with Him.  We can never hope to get into heaven based on whether we are better or worse than someone else but can only know that we will by confessing our sins and putting our faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord.  

Verse twelve adds, She doted upon the Assyrians her neighbours, captains and rulers clothed most gorgeously, horsemen riding upon horses, all of them desirable young men.  God said the people of Judah had turned to the Assyrians, who looked strong and prosperous, for protection instead of looking to God.  People today are still putting their faith in many things that may look powerful and beautiful to them instead of putting their faith in God to save and empower them, but they are one day going to realize how futile this is.  If we are a Christian, we can never afford to do this but must always look to God for our strength if we are going to be successful spiritually.  

Verse thirteen continues, Then I saw that she was defiled, that they took both one way,  God said He then saw that the people of Judah had become defiled just as the people of Israel had.  Both parts of the nation of Isreal when it was united had followed the same way, chasing after other gods instead of being faithful to God.  If everyone else turns way from God and worships other gods, we as followers of Christ should never do so, and if we do find that we have allowed sin back into our life, we need to repent and return to Him.  

Verse fourteen states. And that she increased her whoredoms: for when she saw men pourtrayed upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans pourtrayed with vermilion,  God said that the people of Judah continued to worship false gods because they were portrayed as rich people by having beautiful pictures painted of themselves on the wall.  This was after they had seen the nation of Israel, the other part of the divided kingdom, fall.  I believe we should be wary of anyone who wants to portray images of themselves everywhere so that they may be idolized instead of God being glorified.  All those who are powerful and admired by the world will one day fall if they haven't put their faith in God.

Verse fifteen adds, Girded with girdles upon their loins, exceeding in dyed attire upon their heads, all of them princes to look to, after the manner of the Babylonians of Chaldea, the land of their nativity:  God said that the people of Judah then began to adorn themselves as the people of Assyria did, so that they might also be idolized instead of living humbly under their covenant with God.  Too many professed Christians today want to live in luxury like the rich people of the world instead of living humbly by their relationship with God I believe.  

Verse sixteen continues, And as soon as she saw them with, her eyes, she doted upon them, and sent messengers unto them into Chaldea. When the people of Israel saw all the images of the Babylonian rulers, they doted on them.  Then, the people of Judah sent messages to the rulers of Babylon wanting to be like them.  They were still looking to the powers of the world for protection as they idolized them instead of looking to God.   People today look to those who are rich and famous and idolize them instead of looking to God worshipping Him, but this shouldn’t be the case with those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.  

Verse seventeen concludes, And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their whoredom, and she was polluted with them, and her mind was alienated from them.  God said that the people of Babylon joined the people of Judah, though it was not as equals but as a superior power.  Then the people of Judah defiled themselves by worshipping the false gods of Babylon.  There are many false gods in the world today that people reject God for because it makes them rich and powerful in the world. 

Ezekiel 23:5

Ezekiel 23:5 says, And Aholah played the harlot when she was mine; and she doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbours,  The people of Judah bore the name Aholah, which meant, ‘My tabernacle is in you,’ according to Matthew Henry, but they began to worship Baal instead of worshipping the one true God.  Matthew Henry also points out that the people of Israel, the ten tribes, had set up idols in their worship, but they still professed to worship God lone, whereas the people of Judah had set up Baal as an equal to God.  Neither was correct in what they were doing, but God judged what the people of Judah were doing to be worse.  We may allow some idol to come into our lives as followers of Christ, and if we do, this is wrong, but we should not even profess to be a Christin if we see other gods as equal to God and begin to worship them as well.   

Verse six adds, Which were clothed with blue, captains and rulers, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding upon horses.  God said that the captains and rulers as well as all the desirable young men were dressed up to please this false god.  They thought that by being finely dressed that this meant this false god was blessing them.  Some people today equate prosperity with being blessed by God, even as they fail to live by His commandments.   

Verse seven continues, Thus she committed her whoredoms with them, with all them that were the chosen men of Assyria, and with all on whom she doted: with all their idols she defiled herself.  God said that the people of Israel began to commit spiritual whoredom by worshipping a false god with the people of Assyria.  We should never be guilty of worshipping false gods with other people, even if it may benefit us spiritually if we profess to be a follower of Christ.   

Verse eight states, Neither left she her whoredoms brought from Egypt: for in her youth they lay with her, and they bruised the breasts of her virginity, and poured their whoredom upon her.  God said not only were the people of Judah worshipping Baal, but they were also worshipping gods that they had brought with them out of Egypt.  Assyrians and Egyptians before them had seen the people of Israel as a people to be enslaved and had never seen them as equals.  Matthew Henry points out that when Satan was telling God that people only worshipped Him because they were blessed by Him that God didn’t say behold My people Israel because they were often guilty of doing just that.  They would worship God during times of prosperity and then look to other gods in times of adversity.  Some professed Christians today gladly worship God when they are being blessed in life, but then they turn away from Him and look to other gods in time of adversity.   

Verse nine adds, Wherefore I have delivered her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the Assyrians, upon whom she doted.  God said that since the people of Judah doted on the Assyrians that He had delivered them into their hand.  God was no longer going to be their source of power, and He was always the only reason that the people of Israel, the whole nation, had been victorious over their enemies.  If we are to be victorious over the power of sin in our life, then we must put our faith in God alone.  If we only put our faith in God because we believe He is bringing us prosperity in the world and then look to other gods when we think He is no longer blessing us, then we have not really put our faith in God alone as the only God that there is.   

Verse ten continues, These discovered her nakedness: they took her sons and her daughters, and slew her with the sword: and she became famous among women; for they had executed judgment upon her.   God again used the analogy of the people of Israel being a woman and said that the Assyrian discovered her nakedness.  God said that the sons and daughters of Israel were slain by the Assyrians whom they had out their faith in instead of remaining faithful to Him.  They were spiritually naked without God, and so will be today if we do not put our faith in Jesus Christ alone.  Anything else that we look to or help is only going to leave us defeated spiritually, even if we are rich in the things of the world.