{"id":10790,"date":"2020-08-06T20:00:33","date_gmt":"2020-08-07T03:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/ezekiel-22_17-31-copy\/"},"modified":"2020-08-02T16:23:31","modified_gmt":"2020-08-02T23:23:31","slug":"ezekiel-23_1-31","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/ezekiel-23_1-31\/","title":{"rendered":"Where to Find True Freedom and Real Security"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ezekiel 23:1-31\u00a0 Click here for Bible Verses<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is Ezekiel 23:1-31.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go!<\/p>\n

Ezekiel 23:1-4 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n1\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The word of the\u00a0LORD\u00a0came to me:
\n2\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“Son of man, there were two women, daughters of the same mother.
\n3\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0They became prostitutes in Egypt, engaging in prostitution from their youth. In that land their breasts were fondled and their virgin bosoms caressed.
\n4\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The older was named Oholah, and her sister was Oholibah. They were mine and gave birth to sons and daughters. Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 1-4:\u00a0 Here the Lord begins to tell Ezekiel a parable concerning two sisters called Oholah and Oholibah.\u00a0 Oholah (whose name means \u201cher tent\u201d) is the older sister and represents the northern kingdom of Israel and in particular its capital city Samaria.\u00a0 Oholibah (whose name means \u201cmy tent is in her\u201d) is the younger sister and represents the southern kingdom of Judah and in particular its capital city Jerusalem.\u00a0 They were \u201cdaughters of the same mother\u201d (v2) in that Judah and Israel originally comprised the one nation called \u201cIsrael\u201d before they divided into two kingdoms.\u00a0 When verse 3 says that these two sisters were \u201cprostitutes in Egypt, engaging in prostitution from their youth\u201d (v3), this is likely a reference to how early on Israel looked to the Egyptians to save them from death (Genesis 42:1) but eventually became slaves to the Egyptians (Exodus 1:11).<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this?\u00a0 This entire parable is talking about the Israelites\u2019 tendency to look to other nations for help and deliverance instead of looking to God.\u00a0 As we will see in the verses that follow, in each case, the Israelites would find themselves becoming slaves or captives to the very people they thought would protect them and set them free.\u00a0 What they needed all along but shunned all too often was to place their hope in God alone.<\/p>\n

Likewise,\u00a0this entire parable illustrates for us\u00a0<\/strong>the grave dangers of\u00a0placing your hope in people instead of placing your hope in God.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ezekiel 23:5-10 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n5\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“Oholah engaged in prostitution while she was still mine; and she lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians–warriors
\n6\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0clothed in blue, governors and commanders, all of them handsome young men, and mounted horsemen.
\n7\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0She gave herself as a prostitute to all the elite of the Assyrians and defiled herself with all the idols of everyone she lusted after.
\n8\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0She did not give up the prostitution she began in Egypt, when during her youth men slept with her, caressed her virgin bosom and poured out their lust upon her.
\n9\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“Therefore I handed her over to her lovers, the Assyrians, for whom she lusted.
\n10\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0They stripped her naked, took away her sons and daughters and killed her with the sword. She became a byword among women, and punishment was inflicted on her.
\n<\/em>
\nOn verses 5-10:\u00a0 For many years Israel (represented by the capital of city of Samaria and symbolized in this parable by the woman \u201cOholah\u201d) had a hot-cold, on again-off again relationship with Assyria that was like a destructive love affair.\u00a0 This would play out in history between 743 B.C. and 722 B.C.<\/p>\n