Ezekiel 22:1-22; 23
If reading Ezekiel 23 feels a bit like déjà vu, that may be because it sounds a lot like Ezekiel 16, which we read just a few days ago. We again see Jerusalem (and Judah) “looking for love in all the wrong places” and doing so despite having observed the LORD’s judgment upon her sister, Samaria (Israel), making the Southern Kingdom’s sin that much worse than that of the Northern Kingdom. (Ez. 23:11) Lest we think that the use of the terms “harlotry” and “adultery” is merely metaphorical, just a graphic way of describing Jerusalem’s (and Samaria’s) unfaithfulness to the LORD, Ezekiel 22:9-11 declares quite plainly that there is quite a lot of very real sexual immorality going on. But Jerusalem’s sin goes well beyond sexual immorality. There is the shedding of blood, idolatry, extortion, mistreatment of orphans and widows, bribery, fraud, slander, dishonoring of parents, profaning the Sabbath, child sacrifice — you name it! (Ez. 22:6-12; 23:37-39) The LORD’s sentence against Oholah and Oholibah (Samaria and Jerusalem, Israel and Judah) is more than justified.
Before we start congratulating ourselves on being so much more civilized than ancient Jerusalem, think again. It should be fairly plain that our society as a whole is guilty of every single one of these sins, including child sacrifice. We might think of all that as “out there” in our messed-up society, but what about we ourselves, here in the Church, here in our little RTB group? Can any of us really claim any degree of innocence? Sure, I may not have physically murdered anyone (yet!), but I can’t say I haven’t wished some folks didn’t exist. No, I’ve never actually blackmailed anyone for money, but I’ve certainly “manipulated” a few people to get my way. And how many of us can say that we’ve never treated our parents with contempt, even a little bit? Or how many of us truly observe the Sabbath?
With plenty of planks in my own eye, I’m not here to point out the speck or two in yours. (Mt. 7:3-5) But I hope that we would each take an honest look at ourselves and let the Holy Spirit convict us of our sin. It is only when we can see and acknowledge (i.e., confess) our sin that we can begin to repent and turn to be healed and forgiven.