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. 

Ezekiel 23:1

Ezekiel 23:1 says. The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying,  God’s word came to Ezekiel many different times, just as it will as He leads us as Christians today.  

Verse two adds, Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother:  God told Ezekiel that there were two women who had the same mother.  These two sisters represented the two kingdoms that God’s people were now divided into, Israel and Judah.  They both proclaimed themselves to be God’s people, when by their actions neither was.  No matter how many denominations we may have or how many countries we may be in, we as followers of Christ need to acknowledge that we are all one people.  

Verse three continues, And they committed whoredoms in Egypt; they committed whoredoms in their youth: there were their breasts pressed, and there they bruised the teats of their virginity.  God said both of these sisters committed whoredoms in Egypt and in their youth.  When they did this, they polluted both themselves and God’s name, since we understand this to refer to Israel and Judah and not just two actual sisters.  As a professed Christian nation and as professed Christians individually, if we defy God’s commandments, we are guilty of spiritual whoredom, which is one of the greatest sins.  

Verse four concludes, And the names of them were Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister: and they were mine, and they bare sons and daughters. Thus were their names; Samaria is Aholah, and Jerusalem Aholibah.  Though God gives these two sisters names, He then said they were Samaria and Jerusalem and that they had both been His people at one time.  Samaria was the ten tribes of Israel who had first turned away from God, and Jerusalem was Judah, the two tribes that had remained true to God longer.  Now, neither was obeying God as a nation, though some individuals still obeyed His commandments.  We should never assume, as individuals or as a nation that God will continue to bless us if we begin to disobey Him and follow the false gods of the world.

Ezekiel 22:23

Ezekiel 22:23 says, And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,  

Verse twenty-four adds, Son of man, say unto her, Thou art the land that is not cleansed, nor rained upon in the day of indignation.  God said that Ezekiel was in a land that was not purified by God.  Therefore, it had not rained on them.  They needed to go into the purifying furnace once more to continue the analogy from the last few verses, so they certainly didn’t need rain.  We are not purified by a furnace as followers of Christ but by His shed blood, and if we become spiritually unclean, we need to go back under His blood to be purified once more.   

Verse twenty-five continues, There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they have devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and precious things; they have made her many widows in the midst thereof.  God told Ezekiel that there was a conspiracy amongst His supposed prophets who were leading the people astray.  God equated this to their being like a roaring lion devouring not their bodies but their souls.  These false prophets were also taking riches for themselves while leaving many widows uncared for.  No matter how many preachers or religious leaders may together proclaim something that is against God’s law and enrich themselves while those in need are ignored, that doesn’t mean that what they are preaching or teaching is right.  One day, they will face His judgment for it, especially if they haven’t really accepted God’s gift of salvation.   

Verse twenty-six states, Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.  God then spoke of those who were supposed to be His priests.  He said they didn’t treat things that were holy to Him any different than they treated the profane things of life. They had also hidden His sabbaths from their eyes and had made Him profaned among them.  These were the people who were supposed to come to God on the part of the people, but today we as Christians are a part of the priesthood of believers and I believe this applies to every Christian, though it would especially apply to preachers and teachers.  Everything that we do should be considered holy or set aside from the world view of life and God, and too often we do not do this.  We live by the standards of the world during the week and then live by different standards when we gather in God’s name on Sunday.  This should never be the case.   

Verse twenty-seven adds, Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain.  God then spoken about the princes, those who were supposed to lead the people of Israel in a Godly way in their everyday life in accordance with His commandments.  God said instead of doing this, these princes were looking to enrich themselves while using the people to do so.  I don’t believe it is ever God's intention for a certain few, especially those who are supposed to be doing what is best for all people, to enrich themselves with no concern for those they may mistreat in order to do so.   

Verse twenty-eight continues, And her prophets have daubed them with untempered morter, seeing vanity, and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus saith the Lord God, when the Lord hath not spoken. God then returned to the prophets once again, saying they had daubed the people with untampered mortar.  They may have made things look secure like untempered mortar would, but it would not stand under pressure, and neither would what they were teaching. They said that they were proclaiming God’s word, but He said they weren’t.  We need to make sure that whatever we proclaim to be God’s word actually comes from Him, especially if we claim to be His speak for Him to other people.   

Verse twenty-nine says, The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully.  God then spoke about the people of Israel in general.  He said they were using oppression and robbery to vex the poor and the strangers.  I believe we can see a lot of that going on in America today and often being done in the name of God.  We can never blame our spiritual failures as followers of Christ on religious or secular rulers, since God gives each of us the ability to know what is right and what is wrong in His sight.   

Verse thirty adds. And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.  God said that He sought a man to be a hedge and stand in the gap against sin the world and He didn't find even one.  We need to pray that God can find many people in the church today who are willing to be a hedge and stand in the gap against the evil nature of the world.    

Verse thirty-one continues, Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord God.  God said because the people of Israel had turned away from their covenant relationship and had started to live by the laws and values of the world that He was going to pour out His wrath on them.  If we are God’s people in name only, He will one day pour out His wrath on us.  Even if we are a born-again Christian, if we begin to put the values of the world ahead of God’s commandments, He may pour out His wrath on us because of these actions.