Ezekiel chapter 23

vs 1

Anyone who knew their Bibles knew this chapter was coming along eventually. I wonder if Ezekiel was quite expecting the word of the Lord to come to him in this fashion.

vs 2

These aren't really two women, but God explains it fairly well.

vs 3

Now, even right here in verse 3 we start wondering, "Who's doing the public Bible reading at church this week?" I don't think you could preach on this chapter without having read aloud - once all the kids are gone obviously - it is just too powerful, and in our church culture of not swearing or talking about such subjects at all, the strength of this language shows that God is serious.

Note that as far as God is concerned, it all traces back to Egypt. Israel was not an innocent victim in Egypt - they were idolators. Well, not just idolators - the sexual proclivity envisaged in the chapter seems to refer to idolatry and the aligning ones self to other foreign powers - which in fairness is also idolatry, because if you look to Egypt or Babylon to save you, instead of God, then that is idolatry.

vs 4

The names aren't super important. I can't remember what they mean, but trust me, you don't feel super enlightened when you hear it. Okay, so I went and looked them up, and Oholah means 'her tent', and Oholibah means, 'my tent is in her'. The idea is probably referring to God's tabernacle and temple in Jerusalem, and to Samaria's unauthorised places of worship. Why do I say that's unimportant? Well, because you already know that if you know that one is Samaria and one is Jerusalem.

I guess you could say it is important considering the tone of the whole chapter is about idolatry, and so that their names are related to where God is meant to be worshipped in them, and they do nothing of the sort, is rather damning.

vs 5

Ahhh yes, the Assyrians, who would come and crush them and take them away and disperse them, and they would be gone forever. Why does verse 6 start after the word 'warriors'? Crazy.

vs 6

The blue could be representative of many things, but since in this chapter Assyrians are dressed in blue and Babylonians in red, I think it's either cultural or just a good way to tell them apart.

We see that the political and military men are mentioned, and their strength and charisma are given as reasons for chasing after them.

vs 7

Did it actually start with chasing idols? No, it seems to have started with chasing a powerful friend. That friend says, "Hey, you know, we've got these idols," and so the northern kingdom jumps all over them. Because surely any god that made Assyria powerful is better than the two bit God of the divided kingdom, right? Right?

vs 8

Now you see, we get the idea, but God feels the need to go into sordid detail. Do you really want to feel ill about idolatry? Then think about it in these terms. Works for me. Remember that when the kingdoms split, God offered the king of the north the same relationship that he had with the king of the south - that he would still be their God. But the north turned its back on God, just like in Egypt.

vs 9

What you want, we got it! Possibly one of the biggest punishments God can give us is to just give us what we wanted. Ultimately, what we tend to want is freedom from God. So he gives it. Then you realise how pants that is. Sometimes it takes a while. Some people never realise.

vs 10

And so Samaria and the northen kingdom were destroyed by the very one she curried favour with. She was rebellious, terrible and deserving, and the punishment was not swift, but devastating, and could have even served as a lesson for Jerusalem.