The Gospel According to Ezekiel, Chapter 23

The Allegory of Two Sisters: Samaria and Jerusalem

To examine the contents of the 23rd chapter of the book of Ezekiel, we see something similar to the awkward chapter we studied in chapter 16, with the horrific and graphic language of Jerusalem pictured as an adulterous wife. She took God's blessings and used them as bedspreads to prostitute upon. We were clear of such graphic language until this chapter.

God uses this language to refer to two cities specifically: Samaria and Jerusalem. These two nations are illustrated as adulterous women who look to others for pleasure. This is nothing more than an illustration of the spiritual horror of idolatry. God uses strong, graphic language to show what idolatry looks like spiritually. It's not just building an idol out of gold, wood, hay, or straw. All sin is idolatry, and the spiritual implications are this vile picture God presents. You immediately understand why this is worthy of judgment. It's not just the ruin and misery of sin, but the graphic picture of unfaithfulness toward God.

This passage grants us tools for our Christian lives. As God details His judgment on these cities—what they were doing and not doing—we learn what we should do and avoid.

Ezekiel 23:1-4
"The word of the Lord came to me saying, 'Son of Man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother, and they played the harlot in Egypt. They played the harlot in their youth; their breasts were pressed, and their virgin bosoms were handled. Their names were Oholah the elder, and Oholibah her sister. And they became Mine, and they bore sons and daughters. As for their names, Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem is Oholibah.'"

God explains this parabolic language used throughout Ezekiel. Samaria is portrayed as a sister of Jerusalem. These nations belonged to God but, through harlotry and desire for sin, incurred significant problems. Samaria is listed as the elder sister, though historically younger than Jerusalem; it was bigger in size.

The Hebrew names Oholah and Oholibah refer to cultic tents where people engaged in pagan worship and idolatry, including child sacrifices and prostitution. Even their names reflect their sinful practices. Samaria lusted after Assyria, one of the most violent nations, known for cruelty like stacking heads of conquered foes on spikes outside Nineveh. Even allies faced violent initiation as vassal states.

Yet Samaria lusted after Assyrian culture, rituals, paganism, and warfare. Jerusalem saw Samaria's sins and judgment but tried to outdo her, lusting after the same violence.

The Folly of Imitating Godless Nations

Consider the significance: a nation set apart to follow God looks to godless nations whose gods cannot speak, interact, or walk. They envy Chaldeans (Babylon) and synchronize their cultures for joy and satisfaction.

The faithful in the Old Testament valued citizenship in heaven. Abraham entered the promised land not as permanent dwelling but to demonstrate desire for the heavenly city where God reigns and satisfies the soul.

Hebrews 11:13-16
"These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth... But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them."

Hebrews 12:28
"Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe."

Samaria and Jerusalem suffered by adopting surrounding cultures instead of living uniquely with a God who speaks. God is not interested in an ununique people or a bride stained by sin. He creates a particular people solely His. Jesus redeems a bride He will not share—eternally His.

Samaria's Lust and Judgment

Ezekiel 23:5-10
"'Oholah played the harlot while she was Mine; she lusted after her lovers, after the Assyrians, her neighbors, who were clothed in purple, governors and officials, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding on horses... She bestowed her harlotries on them... She did not forsake her harlotries from the time in Egypt, for in her youth men had lain with her and they had handled her virgin bosom and poured out their lust on her.' ... 'Therefore I gave her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the Assyrians, after whom she lusted. They uncovered her nakedness... slew her with the sword... thus she became a byword among women.'"

Assyria revolutionized warfare with horses, dressed in lavish purple—enticing. But Samaria did not forsake her harlotries from Egypt, her former life of slavery and worldly pleasures. Unrepentant sin leads to worse sin. Sin left unchecked grows and festers. As Romans shows, the law exposes sin, which multiplies.

If not forsaking harlotries merits judgment, forsaking them leads to eternal life. The Hebrew term means "abandon" or "divorce." Don't "work on" sin like a marriage—abandon it entirely. Joseph fled Potiphar's wife: he bailed. The most effective resistance to temptation is to remove yourself from it. God provides escape because no temptation is beyond endurance.

Divorce sin as you would a destructive marriage—destroy the sinful ties. Take spoils from victory over sin, but leave destructive elements behind. That's repentance: a 180-degree turn.

Jerusalem's Greater Corruption

Ezekiel 23:11-17, 20
"'Now her sister Oholibah saw this, yet she was more corrupt in her lust than she, and her harlotries were more than the harlotries of her sister. She lusted after the Assyrians... Then I saw that she had defiled herself; they both took the same way... She saw men portrayed on the wall, images of the Chaldeans... When she saw them, she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea.' ... 'She lusted after their paramours, whose flesh is like the flesh of donkeys, and whose issue is like the issue of horses.'"

Jerusalem saw Samaria's fate yet increased her harlotries, lusting after Babylonians. She defiled herself, grew disgusted with them, yet multiplied her sin, remembering Egypt's lewdness.

Sin's haunting reality: God gives them over to it as judgment (Romans 1 style). Pursuing sin invites God's use of it to punish. Like a child grabbing a hot pan, the burn teaches—but for unbelievers, it's terrifying judgment.

Jerusalem blamed her lovers, but God saw all. No sin hides from Him. She grew numb, defiled to exhaustion—debauchery crushing moral purity.

The Cup of Wrath and Call to Repentance

Ezekiel 23:22-35
"'They will set themselves against you on every side... I will set My jealousy against you... They will remove your nose and your ears... strip you of your clothes... Thus I will make your lewdness... from the land of Egypt to cease from you... You have walked in the way of your sister; therefore I will give her cup into your hand. You shall drink your sister’s cup... deep and wide... You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, the cup of horror and desolation... Then you will not remember Me and cast Me behind your back.'"

Judgment: given to what they find disgusting. The cup of wrath is deep, wide, full—drain it to fragments. Continual sin brings numbness, neglect of God, suppressed conscience. It exhausts sensitivity to sin.

Affection for God grows concern: "Do I love Him enough?" Acknowledging God means submission, devotion, enjoyment, worship. Repent by abandoning harlotries, re-embracing commitment to Him.

Ezekiel 23:49
"'You will know that I am the Lord God.'"

God paints idolatry's horror from His perspective. Wisdom sees sin as God does—not mere "oops" moments, but vile unfaithfulness worse than any affair. Seeing sin this way grows affection for our holy God. ```