Daily Bread for Sep 6, Eze 23-24

Today's readings are Eze 23-24. 

Eze 23 personifies the Northern Kingdom, Israel (Samaria), and the Southern Kingdom, Judah, in an allegory of two sisters. Oholah (Israel) acted unfaithfully with Egypt, then Assyria. Then Oholibah (Judah) did the same with Babylon. Though they belonged to the Lord and were blessed by Him, they lusted after other nations, looking to them for respect and emulating their lifestyles. Those nations, used by God, would turn on both sisters, humiliating and disgracing them.

It's impossible to seek respect and honor from the world and honor God at the same time. The world is lost and depraved. God is holy and pure. Those things the world values put it at odds with the character and nature of God. When His children take on the values and trappings of the world, their relationship with their Father in heaven suffers. Ezekiel’s repeated use of the term for whoring accurately describes the heart attitude of both kingdoms. They have replaced God with other nations and worldly pursuits in their priorities.

Think back to what we read in 1 Sam. The pre-divided kingdom of Israel wanted to king “like other nations had,” (1 Sam 8:5, 20). Well, in the years between Samuel and Ezekiel, the kingdom has divided over worldly issues, and both parts have become just what they asked for. They are like other nations. What made Israel unique was their relationship with God as His chosen instrument of blessing to the world (Gen 18:18). Instead of striving to set themselves apart, they have become like those who surround them. The result of all their worldly behavior is the removal of God’s protection and blessing.

Eze 24 is tragic. On the same day Babylon begins the siege of Jerusalem, Ezekiel gets a parable of a cooking pot, caked with deposits of bloodshed and idolatry. The people of Jerusalem are symbolized by the meat in the pot, being boiled and charred by the flames beneath (Babylon). The meat is removed, one piece at a time, a picture of the exile. The pot is left on the fire until all the deposits on the pot are burned away.  This is a graphic image of how God will use Babylon to burn away the sin that has plagued His people.

Sadly, God takes the life of Ezekiel's wife, instructing him not to mourn in public. This may seem overly harsh, but it has a purpose. Ezekiel symbolizes God, his wife, Jerusalem/Judah. When asked why he wasn't mourning, Ezekiel tells the people that through him God is showing them they are not to mourn the destruction of Jerusalem.

Making worldly aspirations and material acquisition our highest priority will have consequences, just as they did for Judah. Like Israel, believers have been set apart to be a blessing to the world, to be messengers of God’s grace, mercy and holiness. When those pious goals are set aside for worldly pursuits and concerns, God’s protection and provision will be removed. Our status as His children will not change, but our temporal circumstances may.