Ezekiel 23
Scripture
Ezekiel 23: 35
“And because you have forgotten me and turned your back on me, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: You must bear the consequences of all your lewdness and prostitution.”
Observation-What does it say?
Ezekiel receives a word from God regarding the lewd and disobedient behavior of Samaria and Jerusalem. God compares the two cities as sisters who are prostitutes. They prostituted themselves to their pagan neighbors, taking on their pagan rituals and turning their back on God. All this to seek security in political alliances with these nations-a sin that deeply repulsed God. And because of their disobedience towards God, there must be consequences for their actions. God is going to allow them to be taken captive by their enemies, and God will delegate judgment to them, allowing their enemies to do with them what they please. When it's all said and done, and Jerusalem pays for their idolatrous sins, then God says, "they shall know that I am the Lord God."
Understanding-What does it mean?
There are consequences when we chase worldly things and turn away from God.
Jerusalem is going to have hell to pay for their disobedience against God. What makes it worse is they saw what had happened to their sister city Samaria, when Samaria turned away from God. You think this would be a teaching moment for Jerusalem. But instead they went down the same path as Samaria. They even did it in a manner that was worse than Samaria. They began prostituting themselves to their pagan neighbors, taking on their rituals and beliefs. All in hope that these neighbors would find favor in them, and they can form some sort of political alliance with them and use that to help them be protected from their enemies. But instead they infuriated God. Now God would have to discipline them for their behavior. They will soon come to realize that you don't break the covenant that God has made with you.
Now before we just point the finger at Israel for their foolishness against God, I think we should look into our own lives and see how we too can sometimes make the same mistakes they did. Israel's motive for doing what they did was basically to find protection from their enemies. Instead of trusting in God, they tried to make new friends, and pretty much caved into "peer pressure" by doing so. They lost the identity that they had with God, and instead sold out on their own beliefs, and took on the beliefs of the people they were trying to impress. Have I ever sold out my beliefs in order to fit in with the crowds and gain favor with them? Have I ever turned away from God to seek comfort and aid from someone/something else instead? Let's learn from Jerusalem in this passage. We just read of the consequences they will be experiencing because of their foolishness. Let's not go down the same path the way Jerusalem did when they didn't take heed from Samaria's downfall. Instead repent, and turn back to God and ask Him for His forgiveness.
Life Application
Living my life for an audience of One.