Text: Ezekiel 23<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I. Two sisters from one mother<\/p>\n
A. The northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah<\/p>\n
B. Same imagery used in Jeremiah 3:7-10<\/p>\n
C. Named – Ezekiel 23:4<\/p>\n
1. Oholah – Her tent (Samaria)<\/p>\n
a. She had her own temple (tabernacle)<\/p>\n
2. Oholibah – My tent is in her (Jerusalem)<\/p>\n a. God’s temple (tabernacle) was in Jerusalem – Leviticus 26:11-12;\nPsalm 76:2\n
II. In their youth, committed harlotry in Egypt<\/p>\n
A. While in captivity in Egypt – Hosea 2:15<\/p>\n
B. Israel worshiped the Egyptian gods – Ezekiel 20:8; Leviticus 17:7; Joshua 24:14<\/p>\n
C. A parallel is made between idolatry and prostitution<\/p>\n 1. Adam Clarke notes that the original language is more graphic and specific\nthan the translations.\n 2. Why such a rough description that would make any reader squirm in\nembarrassment? \n
a. Because this was the nature of Israel’s sins. <\/p>\n b. It should have been embarrassing for their dirty laundry to be\ndisplayed in this fashion.\n
III. The sins of Israel – Ezekiel 23:5-10<\/p>\n
A. Though belonging to God, Israel longed for ties to Assyria – II Kings 15:19; 16:7-9; 17:3; Hosea 8:9<\/p>\n
1. Israel was seduced by the pomp and power of Assyria – Isaiah 10:5, 8-9<\/p>\n
2. She went so far as to worship the Assyrian gods – Hosea 5:3; 6:10<\/p>\n
B. In addition, Israel never gave up worshiping the Egyptian gods<\/p>\n
1. They also made political alliances – Isaiah 30:2-3; 31:1<\/p>\n 2. Some suggest the molten calf was borrowed from Egyptian worship –\nExodus 32:4; I Kings 12:28\n C. Since Israel desired Assyria, God gave them Assyria – Assyria came and\nconquered them – II Kings 17:3-6. 23\n
1. She was stripped naked of her possessions – Hosea 2:3,10<\/p>\n
2. Her people were carted off <\/p>\n
3. She became notorious among the nations <\/p>\n
IV. The sins of Judah – Ezekiel 23:11-21<\/p>\n
A. She did not learn the lesson from Israel – Jeremiah 3:8-11<\/p>\n
1. Hosea warned against it – Hosea 4:15; 11:12<\/p>\n
B. She became a worse harlot than Israel – Isaiah 1:21, II Kings 17:19<\/p>\n
C. She chased after Assyria<\/p>\n
D. She longed for Babylonia – Isaiah 39:2; II Kings 24:1<\/p>\n
1. Seeing the images displayed on Babylon’s palaces <\/p>\n
a. Vermilion – A red ochre color<\/p>\n
b. Jehoiakim copied the style – Jeremiah 22:14<\/p>\n
2. Awed by the fashion styles of the Babylonians – Ezekiel 16:29<\/p>\n
3. The alliance was sought for protection against Egypt – II Kings 23:29-24:7<\/p>\n
4. The problem was that Babylon’s idolatry came with the alliance<\/p>\n
5. Eventually Judah became tired of dealing with Babylon<\/p>\n E. Judah was so wrapped up in her alliances and idolatries that she didn’t notice that\nGod had withdrawn from her – Isaiah 3:9; Jeremiah 8:12; Jeremiah 6:8; 12:8;\nAmos 6:8\n
F. Judah sought to deal with Egypt<\/p>\n
1. Like a evil woman who thinks bigger is better – Jeremiah 5:8<\/p>\n
V. God will do to Judah what was done to Israel – Ezekiel 23:22-35<\/p>\n A. God will cause all the alliances to sour. All the nations will turn against Judah –\nHabakkuk 1:6-10; Jeremiah 12:9-12\n
1. The Babylonians and Chaldeans<\/p>\n 2. Pekod, Shoa, Koa – Either small countries near Babylon and apart of the\nempire, or descriptive terms (judgment, rich, noble)\n
3. Assyria, whom Babylon had conquered.<\/p>\n B. In irony, the desirable traits of Babylon that caused Judah to look to Babylon for\nprotection will be used against Judah in punishment. They will do to Judah as they\ndesire.\n
C. God will act as a jealous husband – Exodus 34:14; Deuteronomy 32:21-22<\/p>\n 1. God threatens to remove Judah’s ears and nose, a frequent punishment\nagainst adulterers used among the Egyptians and Chaldeans – Micah 5:10-14\n
2. Everything used to attract will be removed – Isaiah 3:17-24<\/p>\n
D. The result will cause Judah to give up idolatry – Hosea 3:4<\/p>\n
E. God will turn Judah over to her enemies – Jeremiah 34:20<\/p>\n 1. They will be treated poorly and what they have will be taken away –\nDeuteronomy 28:47-51\n
2. Their sinfulness will be exposed for all to see – Jeremiah 22:8-9<\/p>\n
3. It will be a just punishment – Jeremiah 2:18-20; 16:11<\/p>\n
F. God will give Judah Israel’s cup – Ezekiel 23:31-34<\/p>\n
1. Cup of God’s wrath – Psalm 11:6; 75:8; Jeremiah 25:15<\/p>\n
2. They will drink deeply of it – Isaiah 51:17<\/p>\n
3. Symbolism is used in New Testament – Matthew 20:22-23<\/p>\n
4. They will be scorned – Deuteronomy 28:37; I Kings 9:7<\/p>\n
5. “Drunk” on God’s anger – Jeremiah 25:27; Habakkuk 2:16; Isaiah 51:22<\/p>\n
6. They will drink it completely and then beat themselves up in their sorrow<\/p>\n
G. This because they had forgotten God – Jeremiah 2:32; 13:25; Hosea 8:14; 13:6<\/p>\n 1. Cast God behind their back (no longer giving Him consideration) – I Kings\n14:9\n
VI. God asks Ezekiel to judge and declare Israel and Judah’s sins – Ezekiel 23:36-45<\/p>\n
A. If Ezekiel understands their sins, he must declare them – Isaiah 58:1<\/p>\n B. They have committed spiritual adultery with their idols, even to the sacrificing of\ntheir sons\n 1. They have profaned God’s sanctuary and His Sabbaths – II Kings 21:4, 7;\nJeremiah 17:27\n
2. They did this the same day as going to their idols – Jeremiah 7:8-11; 11:15<\/p>\n
C. They have solicited deals with foreign nations – Isaiah 57:9; Jeremiah 4:30<\/p>\n
1. Sabeans – bandits of the wilderness – Job 1:15; Joel 3:8<\/p>\n 2. God is surprised that the other nations are interested in this worn out\nwhore, but they did\n
3. Righteous people will see it for what it is <\/p>\n
VII. God will punish – Ezekiel 23:46-49<\/p>\n
A. God calls for judgment and execution – Jeremiah 34:17<\/p>\n
1. Adultery brings the death penalty – Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 22:22<\/p>\n
2. What happened – II Chronicles 36:17-19; Jeremiah 39:8; 52:13<\/p>\n B. People will know that sins are punished – Deuteronomy 13:11; Isaiah 26:9; II Peter\n2:6\n C. The very ones Israel desired to join in sinning will serve as punishment for their\nsins – Isaiah 59:18\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPrior Lesson\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEzekiel\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNext Lesson\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Parable of Two Sisters Text: Ezekiel 23 I. Two sisters from one mother A. The northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah B. Same imagery used in Jeremiah 3:7-10 C. Named – Ezekiel 23:4 1. Oholah – Her tent (Samaria) a. She had her own temple (tabernacle) 2. Oholibah – My tent is in her (Jerusalem) a. God’s temple…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":14352,"menu_order":17,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-64897","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":14352,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/a-study-of-ezekiel\/","url_meta":{"origin":64897,"position":0},"title":"A Study of Ezekiel","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 27, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"A Study of Ezekiel by Jeffrey W. Hamilton The following are my class notes for teaching Ezekiel here in La Vista. They are presented here in hopes of helping you with your own study of Ezekiel. Contents Background to Ezekiel The Vision of Jehovah (Ezekiel 1) Ezekiel's Call to Preach\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/EzekielPreaching-239x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":22561,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/survey-of-the-bible\/survey-of-the-bible-ezekiel\/","url_meta":{"origin":64897,"position":1},"title":"Survey of the Bible: Ezekiel","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 18, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Survey of the Bible: Ezekiel Text: Ezekiel 18:20-32 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and Daniel were all prophets during the same period of time. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Jeremiah stayed Judah and witnessed the collapse. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Ezekiel was taken into captivity and lived among the captive Israelites \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Daniel was taken as a boy to Babylon and became\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":64761,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/a-study-of-ezekiel\/the-parable-of-the-eagles\/","url_meta":{"origin":64897,"position":2},"title":"The Parable of the Eagles","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 18, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The Parable of the Eagles Text: Ezekiel 17 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0God now turns his attention to the king of Israel, Zedekiah. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0He offers a riddle and a parable - Ezekiel 17:1-2 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0This is not to obscure, but to help fix the point in their minds. II.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The Parable - Ezekiel 17:3-10 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":64885,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/a-study-of-ezekiel\/the-parables-of-the-forest-and-the-sword\/","url_meta":{"origin":64897,"position":3},"title":"The Parables of the Forest and the Sword","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 23, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The Parables of the Forest and the Sword Text: Ezekiel 20:45\u201321:32 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A parable of the forest - Ezekiel 20:45-49 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0God now returns to dealing with the destruction of Israel. It is a prelude to the parable of chapter 21 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Ezekiel is to face south and preach against the forest\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":64766,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/a-study-of-ezekiel\/gods-justice-to-individuals\/","url_meta":{"origin":64897,"position":4},"title":"God\u2019s Justice to Individuals","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 18, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"God's Justice to Individuals Text: Ezekiel 18 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The inappropriate parable - Ezekiel 18:1-4 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Perhaps based on Exodus 20:4-6; 34:7; Numbers 14:18; Job 21:19; Jeremiah 32:18-19 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Jeremiah 31:28-30 - A parable that would no longer be used. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Lamentations 5:7 - It was a parable to pass the blame on those\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":22697,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/the-gospel-accounts-a-chronological-harmony\/parables-of-the-kingdom\/","url_meta":{"origin":64897,"position":5},"title":"Parables of the Kingdom","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 20, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Parables of the Kingdom Reading Assignment: Matthew 13:1-52 Mark 4:1-34 Luke 8:4-18 Joel 3:13 Did you understand what you read? What is the purpose of parables? What four places did the seed fall and what happened to the seed in each place? Why is a person with an abundance given\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/64897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64897"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/64897\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14352"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}