Monday, September 14
Read Ezekiel 23
Think About It:
This symbolic story of the two sisters is a powerful description of how Judah (Jerusalem) followed in the sinful steps of Israel (Samaria).
- How was harlotry committed in Judah and Israel?
- Because Israel gave herself to foreign gods and morals, God allowed them to be conquered by foreign nations. When the Assyrians conquered Israel in 722 BC, they humiliated Israel, took her sons and daughterscaptive, and killed many with the sword. This was well known to Ezekiel’s listeners and readers, having happened more than 100 years before. Samaria and Israel had become a byword for well-deserved judgment. How did Judah surpass the sins of Israel?
Family Time:
- In Ezekiel Chapter 23, God gives a message to Ezekiel explaining how His people willfully turned from Him and the result of their sin. After Solomon, the kingdom was split into a Northern Kingdom called Israel that was ruled from Samaria, and a Southern Kingdom called Judah that was ruled from Jerusalem. All of them were God’s people. He describes them as two sisters who were Harlots (a person paid to do immoral sexual things for payment). This was a description of their hearts.
Their punishment might seem harsh, but they knew what God required. They knew and experienced His faithfulness, they knew the consequences, but still rejected Him.
What does the Lord require of you? (See Micah 6:8)
