What can we learn from ancient Tyre in countries at their peak of prosperity today? Let’s look at Ezekiel 26.
What did God say about Tyre, along the coast north of Israel, and her gloating over Jerusalem’s fall?
In the eleventh year, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, because Tyre said about Jerusalem, ‘Good! The gateway to the peoples is shattered. She has been turned over to me. I will be filled now that she lies in ruins,’ therefore this is what the Lord God says: See, I am against you, Tyre! I will raise up many nations against you, just as the sea raises its waves.
They will destroy the walls of Tyre and demolish her towers. I will scrape the soil from her and turn her into a bare rock. She will become a place in the sea to spread nets, for I have spoken.” This is the declaration of the Lord God. “She will become plunder for the nations, and her villages on the mainland will be slaughtered by the sword. Then they will know that I am Yahweh.” (Ezek 26:1-6 HCSB)
Which nation would God use to punish the people of Tyre?
“This is what the Lord God says: ‘Watch out! I’m about to bring from the north King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, that king of kings. He’ll come with horses, chariots, cavalry, and a vast army. He’ll execute your citizens who live on the mainland with swords. He’ll build siege engines to attack you. Then he’ll construct siege ramps against you and build huge shields to protect themselves against you.
“‘He’ll direct the blows of his battering rams against your walls and will breach your fortified towers with axes. There will be so many horses that the dust raised by them will cover you completely. The walls of your city will tremble from the noise of Nebuchadnezzar’s cavalry, wagons, and chariots when they enter through the gates of your city, as men enter a city that has been breached.
“‘Their horses will trample all the public places as he executes your inhabitants with swords. The most fortified of your pillars will be torn to the ground. They will plunder your riches and loot your businesses. They’ll tear down your walls and demolish your luxurious homes. They’ll grab the stones, wood, and rubble from the destruction and dump it all into the Mediterranean Sea.
“‘I’ll silence the noise of your songs and the music of your harps won’t be heard anymore. I’ll turn you into bare rock, and your city will become a place to spread nets. You will never be built again, because I the Lord have decreed this,’ declares the Lord God.” (Ezek 26:7-14 ISV)
Was Tyre a strong and renowned city? Can great human powers fall if God wills?
Thus saith the Lord God to Tyrus; Shall not the isles shake at the sound of thy fall, when the wounded cry, when the slaughter is made in the midst of thee? Then all the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones, and lay away their robes, and put off their broidered garments: they shall clothe themselves with trembling; they shall sit upon the ground, and shall tremble at every moment, and be astonished at thee.
And they shall take up a lamentation for thee, and say to thee, How art thou destroyed, that wast inhabited of seafaring men, the renowned city, which wast strong in the sea, she and her inhabitants, which cause their terror to be on all that haunt it! Now shall the isles tremble in the day of thy fall; yea, the isles that are in the sea shall be troubled at thy departure. (Ezek 26:15-18 KJV)
Can even today’s great nations suffer a similar fate to Tyre unless we repent?
For thus says Lord Yahweh, “When I make you a city laid waste, like the cities which are not inhabited, when I bring up the deep over you and the great waters cover you, then I will bring you down with those who go down to the pit, to the people of old, and I will make you inhabit the lower parts of the earth, like the ancient waste places, with those who go down to the pit, so that you will not be inhabited; but I will set glory in the land of the living. I will bring terrors on you, and you will be no more; though you will be sought, you will never be found again,” declares Lord Yahweh. (Ezek 26:19-21 LSB)
Are there places worse than Tyre in the history of the world?
Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that occurred in you had occurred in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. (Mat 11:21-22 NASB)
What can we learn from ancient Tyre in countries at their peak of prosperity today? You decide!
Gloating Punished (Ezekiel 25)
When God punished Israel, did some nations gloat over their suffering? Is God happy when others celebrate our pain? Let’s look at Ezekiel 25.
What did God say about Ammon, northeast of Jerusalem across the Jordan River?
Then this message came to me from the Lord: “Son of man, turn and face the land of Ammon and prophesy against its people. Give the Ammonites this message from the Sovereign Lord: Hear the word of the Sovereign Lord! Because you cheered when my Temple was defiled, mocked Israel in her desolation, and laughed at Judah as she went away into exile, I will allow nomads from the eastern deserts to overrun your country. They will set up their camps among you and pitch their tents on your land. They will harvest all your fruit and drink the milk from your livestock. And I will turn the city of Rabbah into a pasture for camels, and all the land of the Ammonites into a resting place for sheep and goats. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you clapped and danced and cheered with glee at the destruction of my people, I will raise my fist of judgment against you. I will give you as plunder to many nations. I will cut you off from being a nation and destroy you completely. Then you will know that I am the Lord. (Ezek 25:1-7 NLT)
What did God say about Moab, east of the Dead Sea?
The Lord Yahweh says: “Because Moab and Seir say, ‘Behold, the house of Judah is like all the nations,’ therefore, behold, I will open the side of Moab from the cities, from his cities which are on its frontiers, the glory of the country, Beth Jeshimoth, Baal Meon, and Kiriathaim, to the children of the east, to go against the children of Ammon; and I will give them for a possession, that the children of Ammon may not be remembered among the nations. I will execute judgments on Moab. Then they will know that I am Yahweh.” (Ezek 25:8-11 WEB)
What did God say about Edom, south of the Dead Sea?
The Lord God proclaims: Edom acted with excessive force against the house of Judah. The Judeans were guilty, but Edom’s vengeance was excessive. So the Lord God now proclaims: I’ll overpower Edom, eliminate all living creatures, and make it a wasteland from Teman to Dedan. They will fall by the sword. I will execute my vengeance in Edom through my people Israel’s power. They will act in Edom according to my anger and fury, and they will know my vengeance. This is what the Lord God says. (Ezek 25:12-14 CEB)
What did God say about Philistia, along the south coast west of Judah?
The Lord God said, “The cruel Philistines have taken revenge on their enemies over and over and have tried to destroy them. Now it's my turn to treat the Philistines as my enemies and to kill everyone living in their towns along the seacoast. In my fierce anger, I will take revenge on them. And when I punish them, they will know that I am the Lord.” (Ezek 25:15-17 CEV)
When enemies hurt us, should we take revenge or let God handle things?
Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” (Rom 12:19 ESV)
When God punished Israel, did some nations gloat over their suffering? Is God happy when others celebrate our pain? You decide!
What did God say about Ammon, northeast of Jerusalem across the Jordan River?
Then this message came to me from the Lord: “Son of man, turn and face the land of Ammon and prophesy against its people. Give the Ammonites this message from the Sovereign Lord: Hear the word of the Sovereign Lord! Because you cheered when my Temple was defiled, mocked Israel in her desolation, and laughed at Judah as she went away into exile, I will allow nomads from the eastern deserts to overrun your country. They will set up their camps among you and pitch their tents on your land. They will harvest all your fruit and drink the milk from your livestock. And I will turn the city of Rabbah into a pasture for camels, and all the land of the Ammonites into a resting place for sheep and goats. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you clapped and danced and cheered with glee at the destruction of my people, I will raise my fist of judgment against you. I will give you as plunder to many nations. I will cut you off from being a nation and destroy you completely. Then you will know that I am the Lord. (Ezek 25:1-7 NLT)
What did God say about Moab, east of the Dead Sea?
The Lord Yahweh says: “Because Moab and Seir say, ‘Behold, the house of Judah is like all the nations,’ therefore, behold, I will open the side of Moab from the cities, from his cities which are on its frontiers, the glory of the country, Beth Jeshimoth, Baal Meon, and Kiriathaim, to the children of the east, to go against the children of Ammon; and I will give them for a possession, that the children of Ammon may not be remembered among the nations. I will execute judgments on Moab. Then they will know that I am Yahweh.” (Ezek 25:8-11 WEB)
What did God say about Edom, south of the Dead Sea?
The Lord God proclaims: Edom acted with excessive force against the house of Judah. The Judeans were guilty, but Edom’s vengeance was excessive. So the Lord God now proclaims: I’ll overpower Edom, eliminate all living creatures, and make it a wasteland from Teman to Dedan. They will fall by the sword. I will execute my vengeance in Edom through my people Israel’s power. They will act in Edom according to my anger and fury, and they will know my vengeance. This is what the Lord God says. (Ezek 25:12-14 CEB)
What did God say about Philistia, along the south coast west of Judah?
The Lord God said, “The cruel Philistines have taken revenge on their enemies over and over and have tried to destroy them. Now it's my turn to treat the Philistines as my enemies and to kill everyone living in their towns along the seacoast. In my fierce anger, I will take revenge on them. And when I punish them, they will know that I am the Lord.” (Ezek 25:15-17 CEV)
When enemies hurt us, should we take revenge or let God handle things?
Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” (Rom 12:19 ESV)
When God punished Israel, did some nations gloat over their suffering? Is God happy when others celebrate our pain? You decide!
Jerusalem Punished (Ezekiel 24)
Was Jerusalem punished for her many sins? Do our cities deserve divine punishment? Let’s look at Ezekiel 24.
Did God ask Ezekiel to create a parable of a boiling pot?
The word of the Lord came to me in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month: “Son of man, write down today’s date, this very day. The king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day. Now speak a parable to the rebellious house. Tell them: This is what the Lord God says: Put the pot on the fire—put it on, and then pour water into it! Place the pieces of meat in it, every good piece—thigh and shoulder. Fill it with choice bones. Take the choicest of the flock and also pile up the fuel under it. Bring it to a boil and cook the bones in it.” (Ezek 24:1-5 NKJV)
Did God publicly expose Jerusalem as a blood-filled city?
This is what the Lord God says: ‘How terrible it is for that blood-filled city, to the pot whose rust remains in it, whose rust won’t come off. Empty it one piece at a time. Don’t let a lot fall on it. Her blood was in it. She poured it out onto bare rock. She didn’t pour it out on the ground, intending to cover it with dirt. In order to stir up my anger and in order to take vengeance, I set the blood on a bare rock so that it cannot be covered.’ (Ezek 24:6-8 ISV)
Did the pot’s destruction foretell that their symbol of divine protection, the temple, would no longer exist?
Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Woe to the bloody city! I will even make the pile for fire great. Heap on wood, kindle the fire, consume the flesh, and spice it well, and let the bones be burned. Then set it empty upon the coals thereof, that the brass of it may be hot, and may burn, and that the filthiness of it may be molten in it, that the scum of it may be consumed.
She hath wearied herself with lies, and her great scum went not forth out of her: her scum shall be in the fire. In thy filthiness is lewdness: because I have purged thee, and thou wast not purged, thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more, till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee. Did God ask Ezekiel to create a parable of a boiling pot? (Ezek 24:9-14 KJV)
What did God command Ezekiel to do as he lost his wife?
And the word of Yahweh came to me saying, “Son of man, behold, I am about to take from you the desire of your eyes with a blow; but you shall not mourn, and you shall not weep, and your tears shall not come. Groan silently; make no mourning for the dead. Bind on your headdress and put your shoes on your feet and do not cover your mustache and do not eat the bread of men.” So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. And in the morning I did as I was commanded. The people said to me, “Will you not tell us what these things that you are doing mean for us?” (Ezek 24:15-19 LSB)
How was Ezekiel’s quiet mourning without public display also God’s command to Israel regarding the temple?
Then I said to them, “The word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Speak to the house of Israel, “This is what the Lord God says: ‘Behold, I am about to profane My sanctuary, the pride of your power, that which is precious in your eyes and the longing of your soul; and your sons and your daughters whom you have left behind will fall by the sword. And you will do just as I have done; you will not cover your mustache, and you will not eat the bread of other people. Your turbans will be on your heads, and your sandals on your feet. You will not mourn and you will not weep; but you will rot away in your guilty deeds, and you will groan to one another. So Ezekiel will be a sign to you; according to all that he has done, you will do. When it comes, then you will know that I am the Lord God.’” (Ezek 24:20-24 NASB)
When they also receive news of Jerusalem and their precious temple’s destruction would they also be too stunned to mourn?
And you, son of man, on the day I take away their stronghold, their joy and glory, the delight of their eyes, their heart’s desire, and their sons and daughters as well—on that day a fugitive will come to tell you the news. At that time your mouth will be opened; you will speak with him and will no longer be silent. So you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the Lord. (Ezek 24:25-27 NIV)
Did Jesus also predict a similar time of Jerusalem’s destruction?
But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. (Luke 21:20 NKJV)
Was Jerusalem punished for her many sins? Do our cities deserve divine punishment? You decide!
Did God ask Ezekiel to create a parable of a boiling pot?
The word of the Lord came to me in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month: “Son of man, write down today’s date, this very day. The king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day. Now speak a parable to the rebellious house. Tell them: This is what the Lord God says: Put the pot on the fire—put it on, and then pour water into it! Place the pieces of meat in it, every good piece—thigh and shoulder. Fill it with choice bones. Take the choicest of the flock and also pile up the fuel under it. Bring it to a boil and cook the bones in it.” (Ezek 24:1-5 NKJV)
Did God publicly expose Jerusalem as a blood-filled city?
This is what the Lord God says: ‘How terrible it is for that blood-filled city, to the pot whose rust remains in it, whose rust won’t come off. Empty it one piece at a time. Don’t let a lot fall on it. Her blood was in it. She poured it out onto bare rock. She didn’t pour it out on the ground, intending to cover it with dirt. In order to stir up my anger and in order to take vengeance, I set the blood on a bare rock so that it cannot be covered.’ (Ezek 24:6-8 ISV)
Did the pot’s destruction foretell that their symbol of divine protection, the temple, would no longer exist?
Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Woe to the bloody city! I will even make the pile for fire great. Heap on wood, kindle the fire, consume the flesh, and spice it well, and let the bones be burned. Then set it empty upon the coals thereof, that the brass of it may be hot, and may burn, and that the filthiness of it may be molten in it, that the scum of it may be consumed.
She hath wearied herself with lies, and her great scum went not forth out of her: her scum shall be in the fire. In thy filthiness is lewdness: because I have purged thee, and thou wast not purged, thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more, till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee. Did God ask Ezekiel to create a parable of a boiling pot? (Ezek 24:9-14 KJV)
What did God command Ezekiel to do as he lost his wife?
And the word of Yahweh came to me saying, “Son of man, behold, I am about to take from you the desire of your eyes with a blow; but you shall not mourn, and you shall not weep, and your tears shall not come. Groan silently; make no mourning for the dead. Bind on your headdress and put your shoes on your feet and do not cover your mustache and do not eat the bread of men.” So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. And in the morning I did as I was commanded. The people said to me, “Will you not tell us what these things that you are doing mean for us?” (Ezek 24:15-19 LSB)
How was Ezekiel’s quiet mourning without public display also God’s command to Israel regarding the temple?
Then I said to them, “The word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Speak to the house of Israel, “This is what the Lord God says: ‘Behold, I am about to profane My sanctuary, the pride of your power, that which is precious in your eyes and the longing of your soul; and your sons and your daughters whom you have left behind will fall by the sword. And you will do just as I have done; you will not cover your mustache, and you will not eat the bread of other people. Your turbans will be on your heads, and your sandals on your feet. You will not mourn and you will not weep; but you will rot away in your guilty deeds, and you will groan to one another. So Ezekiel will be a sign to you; according to all that he has done, you will do. When it comes, then you will know that I am the Lord God.’” (Ezek 24:20-24 NASB)
When they also receive news of Jerusalem and their precious temple’s destruction would they also be too stunned to mourn?
And you, son of man, on the day I take away their stronghold, their joy and glory, the delight of their eyes, their heart’s desire, and their sons and daughters as well—on that day a fugitive will come to tell you the news. At that time your mouth will be opened; you will speak with him and will no longer be silent. So you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the Lord. (Ezek 24:25-27 NIV)
Did Jesus also predict a similar time of Jerusalem’s destruction?
But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. (Luke 21:20 NKJV)
Was Jerusalem punished for her many sins? Do our cities deserve divine punishment? You decide!
Corrupt Sisters (Ezekiel 23)
What kind of bad example were the nations of Israel and Judah? Let’s look at Ezekiel 23.
Who are the two sisters, Oholah and Oholibah, both harlots?
The word of Yahweh came to me again, 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; there their breasts were pressed, and there their virgin bosom was handled. Their names were Oholah the elder and Oholibah her sister. And they became Mine, and they bore sons and daughters. And as for their names, Samaria is Oholah [her tent] and Jerusalem is Oholibah [my tent is in her]. (Ezek 23:1-4 LSB)
After what lovers did Oholah lust and what did she worship?
Oholah prostituted herself while she was Mine; and she lusted after her lovers, after the Assyrians, her neighbors, who were clothed in purple, governors and officials, all of them handsome young men, horsemen riding on horses. She bestowed her obscene practices on them, all of whom were the choicest men of Assyria; and with all whom she lusted after, with all their idols she defiled herself.
She did not abandon her obscene practices from the time in Egypt; for in her youth men had slept with her, and they handled her virgin breasts and poured out their obscene practice on her. Therefore, I handed her over to her lovers, to the Assyrians, after whom she lusted. They uncovered her nakedness; they took her sons and her daughters, but they killed her with the sword. So she became a subject of gossip among women, and they executed judgments on her. (Ezek 23:5-10 NASB)
After what lovers did her sister Oholibah lust and what did she worship?
Her sister Oholibah saw this, yet in her lust and prostitution she was more depraved than her sister. She too lusted after the Assyrians—governors and commanders, warriors in full dress, mounted horsemen, all handsome young men. I saw that she too defiled herself; both of them went the same way.
But she carried her prostitution still further. She saw men portrayed on a wall, figures of Chaldeans portrayed in red, with belts around their waists and flowing turbans on their heads; all of them looked like Babylonian chariot officers, natives of Chaldea. As soon as she saw them, she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea. Then the Babylonians came to her, to the bed of love, and in their lust they defiled her. After she had been defiled by them, she turned away from them in disgust.
When she carried on her prostitution openly and exposed her naked body, I turned away from her in disgust, just as I had turned away from her sister. Yet she became more and more promiscuous as she recalled the days of her youth, when she was a prostitute in Egypt. There she lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses. So you longed for the lewdness of your youth, when in Egypt your bosom was caressed and your young breasts fondled. (Ezek 23:11-21 NIV)
And what did God say to Oholibah, Judah and Jerusalem?
Therefore, Oholibah, thus says the Lord God: ‘Behold, I will stir up your lovers against you, From whom you have alienated yourself, And I will bring them against you from every side: The Babylonians, All the Chaldeans, Pekod, Shoa, Koa, All the Assyrians with them, All of them desirable young men, Governors and rulers, Captains and men of renown, All of them riding on horses. And they shall come against you With chariots, wagons, and war-horses, With a horde of people. They shall array against you Buckler, shield, and helmet all around.
‘I will delegate judgment to them, And they shall judge you according to their judgments. I will set My jealousy against you, And they shall deal furiously with you; They shall remove your nose and your ears, And your remnant shall fall by the sword; They shall take your sons and your daughters, And your remnant shall be devoured by fire. They shall also strip you of your clothes And take away your beautiful jewelry. Thus I will make you cease your lewdness and your harlotry Brought from the land of Egypt, So that you will not lift your eyes to them, Nor remember Egypt anymore.’ (Ezek 23:22-27 NKJV)
Would the shame of her prostitution be exposed to all the world?
For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will surely hand you over to your enemies, to those you loathe, those you rejected. They will treat you with hatred and rob you of all you own, leaving you stark naked. The shame of your prostitution will be exposed to all the world. You brought all this on yourself by prostituting yourself to other nations, defiling yourself with all their idols. Because you have followed in your sister’s footsteps, I will force you to drink the same cup of terror she drank. (Ezek 23:28-31 NLT)
Would Jerusalem drink deeply from the same cup as Samaria?
The Lord Yahweh says: ‘You will drink of your sister’s cup, which is deep and large. You will be ridiculed and held in derision. It contains much. You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, with the cup of astonishment and desolation, with the cup of your sister Samaria. You will even drink it and drain it out. You will gnaw the broken pieces of it, and will tear your breasts; for I have spoken it,’ says the Lord Yahweh. “Therefore the Lord Yahweh says: ‘Because you have forgotten me and cast me behind your back, therefore you also bear your lewdness and your prostitution.’” (Ezek 23:32-35 WEB)
Was God going to judge both sisters for murdering their children and adultery?
Then the Lord said to me, Human one [Son of man], judge Oholah and Oholibah, and make known their detestable practices to them. They committed adultery, so now blood is on their hands. They committed adultery with their idols, and they even took their children whom they had borne to me and offered them up to be consumed for them. They also did this to me: On the same day, they made my sanctuary unclean and made my sabbaths impure. When they slaughtered their children for their idols, they came into my sanctuary and made it impure on that very same day. They actually did this inside my temple. They even sent for men who came from a great distance. No sooner than a messenger was sent, they arrived! For these men you bathed, you painted your eyes, and you put on your jewelry. You took your place on a splendid couch with a richly set table in front of it, and you set my incense and my oil on it. The sound of a noisy crowd was around her. Men from the common multitude, drinkers of wine, were brought from the desert. They put bracelets on their wrists and beautiful crowns on their heads. Then I thought, For a foolish woman they become adulterers! Incited by her seduction, they prostitute themselves—for her! They come as if coming to a prostitute, first to Oholah, and then to Oholibah, those traitorous women. But men who do the right thing will judge them, and they will be punished as adulterers and murderers, because they are in fact adulterers, and blood is on their hands. (Ezek 23:36-45 CEB)
What punishment would God bring upon these two sisters?
So I, the Lord God, now say to these sisters: I will call together an angry mob that will abuse and rob you. They will stone you to death and cut you to pieces; they will kill your children and burn down your houses. I will get rid of sinful prostitution in this country, so that women everywhere will be warned not to act as you have. You will be punished for becoming prostitutes and for worshiping idols. Then you will know that I am the Lord God. (Ezek 23:46-49 CEV)
Does James offer a similar analogy for following the world instead of God?
You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (James 4:4 ESV)
What kind of bad example were the nations of Israel and Judah? You decide!
Who are the two sisters, Oholah and Oholibah, both harlots?
The word of Yahweh came to me again, 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; there their breasts were pressed, and there their virgin bosom was handled. Their names were Oholah the elder and Oholibah her sister. And they became Mine, and they bore sons and daughters. And as for their names, Samaria is Oholah [her tent] and Jerusalem is Oholibah [my tent is in her]. (Ezek 23:1-4 LSB)
After what lovers did Oholah lust and what did she worship?
Oholah prostituted herself while she was Mine; and she lusted after her lovers, after the Assyrians, her neighbors, who were clothed in purple, governors and officials, all of them handsome young men, horsemen riding on horses. She bestowed her obscene practices on them, all of whom were the choicest men of Assyria; and with all whom she lusted after, with all their idols she defiled herself.
She did not abandon her obscene practices from the time in Egypt; for in her youth men had slept with her, and they handled her virgin breasts and poured out their obscene practice on her. Therefore, I handed her over to her lovers, to the Assyrians, after whom she lusted. They uncovered her nakedness; they took her sons and her daughters, but they killed her with the sword. So she became a subject of gossip among women, and they executed judgments on her. (Ezek 23:5-10 NASB)
After what lovers did her sister Oholibah lust and what did she worship?
Her sister Oholibah saw this, yet in her lust and prostitution she was more depraved than her sister. She too lusted after the Assyrians—governors and commanders, warriors in full dress, mounted horsemen, all handsome young men. I saw that she too defiled herself; both of them went the same way.
But she carried her prostitution still further. She saw men portrayed on a wall, figures of Chaldeans portrayed in red, with belts around their waists and flowing turbans on their heads; all of them looked like Babylonian chariot officers, natives of Chaldea. As soon as she saw them, she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea. Then the Babylonians came to her, to the bed of love, and in their lust they defiled her. After she had been defiled by them, she turned away from them in disgust.
When she carried on her prostitution openly and exposed her naked body, I turned away from her in disgust, just as I had turned away from her sister. Yet she became more and more promiscuous as she recalled the days of her youth, when she was a prostitute in Egypt. There she lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses. So you longed for the lewdness of your youth, when in Egypt your bosom was caressed and your young breasts fondled. (Ezek 23:11-21 NIV)
And what did God say to Oholibah, Judah and Jerusalem?
Therefore, Oholibah, thus says the Lord God: ‘Behold, I will stir up your lovers against you, From whom you have alienated yourself, And I will bring them against you from every side: The Babylonians, All the Chaldeans, Pekod, Shoa, Koa, All the Assyrians with them, All of them desirable young men, Governors and rulers, Captains and men of renown, All of them riding on horses. And they shall come against you With chariots, wagons, and war-horses, With a horde of people. They shall array against you Buckler, shield, and helmet all around.
‘I will delegate judgment to them, And they shall judge you according to their judgments. I will set My jealousy against you, And they shall deal furiously with you; They shall remove your nose and your ears, And your remnant shall fall by the sword; They shall take your sons and your daughters, And your remnant shall be devoured by fire. They shall also strip you of your clothes And take away your beautiful jewelry. Thus I will make you cease your lewdness and your harlotry Brought from the land of Egypt, So that you will not lift your eyes to them, Nor remember Egypt anymore.’ (Ezek 23:22-27 NKJV)
Would the shame of her prostitution be exposed to all the world?
For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will surely hand you over to your enemies, to those you loathe, those you rejected. They will treat you with hatred and rob you of all you own, leaving you stark naked. The shame of your prostitution will be exposed to all the world. You brought all this on yourself by prostituting yourself to other nations, defiling yourself with all their idols. Because you have followed in your sister’s footsteps, I will force you to drink the same cup of terror she drank. (Ezek 23:28-31 NLT)
Would Jerusalem drink deeply from the same cup as Samaria?
The Lord Yahweh says: ‘You will drink of your sister’s cup, which is deep and large. You will be ridiculed and held in derision. It contains much. You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, with the cup of astonishment and desolation, with the cup of your sister Samaria. You will even drink it and drain it out. You will gnaw the broken pieces of it, and will tear your breasts; for I have spoken it,’ says the Lord Yahweh. “Therefore the Lord Yahweh says: ‘Because you have forgotten me and cast me behind your back, therefore you also bear your lewdness and your prostitution.’” (Ezek 23:32-35 WEB)
Was God going to judge both sisters for murdering their children and adultery?
Then the Lord said to me, Human one [Son of man], judge Oholah and Oholibah, and make known their detestable practices to them. They committed adultery, so now blood is on their hands. They committed adultery with their idols, and they even took their children whom they had borne to me and offered them up to be consumed for them. They also did this to me: On the same day, they made my sanctuary unclean and made my sabbaths impure. When they slaughtered their children for their idols, they came into my sanctuary and made it impure on that very same day. They actually did this inside my temple. They even sent for men who came from a great distance. No sooner than a messenger was sent, they arrived! For these men you bathed, you painted your eyes, and you put on your jewelry. You took your place on a splendid couch with a richly set table in front of it, and you set my incense and my oil on it. The sound of a noisy crowd was around her. Men from the common multitude, drinkers of wine, were brought from the desert. They put bracelets on their wrists and beautiful crowns on their heads. Then I thought, For a foolish woman they become adulterers! Incited by her seduction, they prostitute themselves—for her! They come as if coming to a prostitute, first to Oholah, and then to Oholibah, those traitorous women. But men who do the right thing will judge them, and they will be punished as adulterers and murderers, because they are in fact adulterers, and blood is on their hands. (Ezek 23:36-45 CEB)
What punishment would God bring upon these two sisters?
So I, the Lord God, now say to these sisters: I will call together an angry mob that will abuse and rob you. They will stone you to death and cut you to pieces; they will kill your children and burn down your houses. I will get rid of sinful prostitution in this country, so that women everywhere will be warned not to act as you have. You will be punished for becoming prostitutes and for worshiping idols. Then you will know that I am the Lord God. (Ezek 23:46-49 CEV)
Does James offer a similar analogy for following the world instead of God?
You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (James 4:4 ESV)
What kind of bad example were the nations of Israel and Judah? You decide!
Our Bloody Cities (Ezekiel 22)
Who can possibly stop the murders in our bloody cities? Let’s begin in Ezekiel 22.
Why was Jerusalem judged by the Lord as a bloody city, a disgrace?
Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “And you, son of man, will you judge, will you judge the bloody city? Then inform her of all her abominations. And you shall say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “A city shedding blood in her midst, so that her time is coming; and a city that makes idols, contrary to her own good, for defilement! You have become guilty by the blood which you have shed, and you have become defiled by your idols which you have made. So you have brought your days closer and have come to your years; therefore I have made you a disgrace to the nations, and an object of mocking to all the lands. Those who are near and those who are far from you will make fun of you, you of ill repute, full of turmoil. (Ezek 22:1-5 NASB)
Do our national leaders oppress foreigners and mistreat the needy?
See how each of the princes of Israel who are in you uses his power to shed blood. In you they have treated father and mother with contempt; in you they have oppressed the foreigner and mistreated the fatherless and the widow. You have despised my holy things and desecrated my Sabbaths. In you are slanderers who are bent on shedding blood; in you are those who eat at the mountain shrines and commit lewd acts.
In you are those who dishonor their father’s bed; in you are those who violate women during their period, when they are ceremonially unclean. In you one man commits a detestable offense with his neighbor’s wife, another shamefully defiles his daughter-in-law, and another violates his sister, his own father’s daughter. In you are people who accept bribes to shed blood; you take interest and make a profit from the poor. You extort unjust gain from your neighbors. And you have forgotten me, declares the Sovereign Lord. (Ezek 22:6-12 NIV)
Will God punish businesses in our land that make dishonest profits?
Behold, therefore, I beat My fists at the dishonest profit which you have made, and at the bloodshed which has been in your midst. Can your heart endure, or can your hands remain strong, in the days when I shall deal with you? I, the Lord, have spoken, and will do it. I will scatter you among the nations, disperse you throughout the countries, and remove your filthiness completely from you. You shall defile yourself in the sight of the nations; then you shall know that I am the Lord. (Ezek 22:13-16 NKJV)
Have our people acted so badly that God would refer to them as dross?
Then this message came to me from the Lord: “Son of man, the people of Israel are the worthless slag that remains after silver is smelted. They are the dross that is left over—a useless mixture of copper, tin, iron, and lead. So tell them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you are all worthless slag, I will bring you to my crucible in Jerusalem. Just as silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin are melted down in a furnace, I will melt you down in the heat of my fury. I will gather you together and blow the fire of my anger upon you, and you will melt like silver in fierce heat. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have poured out my fury on you.’” (Ezek 22:17-22 NLT)
Have our priests and prophets or religious leaders devoured souls?
Yahweh’s word came to me, saying, “Son of man, tell her, ‘You are a land that is not cleansed nor rained on in the day of indignation.’ There is a conspiracy of her prophets within it, like a roaring lion ravening the prey. They have devoured souls. They take treasure and precious things. They have made many widows within it. Her priests have done violence to my law and have profaned my holy things. They have made no distinction between the holy and the common, neither have they caused men to discern between the unclean and the clean, and have hidden their eyes from my Sabbaths. So I am profaned among them. (Ezek 22:23-26 WEB)
Have our princes or political leaders practiced extortion and committed robbery?
Her princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, shedding blood, destroying lives to get dishonest gain. And her prophets have smeared whitewash for them, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord God,’ when the Lord has not spoken. The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have oppressed the poor and needy, and have extorted from the sojourner without justice (Ezek 22:27-29 ESV)
Is there someone who can repair the wall and stand in the gap to intercede between God and man?
“I searched for a man among them who would repair the wall and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land so that I might not destroy it, but I found no one. So I have poured out My indignation on them and consumed them with the fire of My fury. I have brought their actions down on their own heads.” This is the declaration of the Lord God. (Ezek 22:30-31 HCSB)
Did Jesus also refer to Jerusalem as a bloody city, murdering prophets and missionaries?
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent [apostled] unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! (Luke 13:34 KJV)
Is Babylon symbolic of many other cities where the blood of prophets, saints and others is shed?
And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth. (Rev 18:24 KJV)
Who can possibly stop the murders in our bloody cities? You decide!
Why was Jerusalem judged by the Lord as a bloody city, a disgrace?
Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “And you, son of man, will you judge, will you judge the bloody city? Then inform her of all her abominations. And you shall say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “A city shedding blood in her midst, so that her time is coming; and a city that makes idols, contrary to her own good, for defilement! You have become guilty by the blood which you have shed, and you have become defiled by your idols which you have made. So you have brought your days closer and have come to your years; therefore I have made you a disgrace to the nations, and an object of mocking to all the lands. Those who are near and those who are far from you will make fun of you, you of ill repute, full of turmoil. (Ezek 22:1-5 NASB)
Do our national leaders oppress foreigners and mistreat the needy?
See how each of the princes of Israel who are in you uses his power to shed blood. In you they have treated father and mother with contempt; in you they have oppressed the foreigner and mistreated the fatherless and the widow. You have despised my holy things and desecrated my Sabbaths. In you are slanderers who are bent on shedding blood; in you are those who eat at the mountain shrines and commit lewd acts.
In you are those who dishonor their father’s bed; in you are those who violate women during their period, when they are ceremonially unclean. In you one man commits a detestable offense with his neighbor’s wife, another shamefully defiles his daughter-in-law, and another violates his sister, his own father’s daughter. In you are people who accept bribes to shed blood; you take interest and make a profit from the poor. You extort unjust gain from your neighbors. And you have forgotten me, declares the Sovereign Lord. (Ezek 22:6-12 NIV)
Will God punish businesses in our land that make dishonest profits?
Behold, therefore, I beat My fists at the dishonest profit which you have made, and at the bloodshed which has been in your midst. Can your heart endure, or can your hands remain strong, in the days when I shall deal with you? I, the Lord, have spoken, and will do it. I will scatter you among the nations, disperse you throughout the countries, and remove your filthiness completely from you. You shall defile yourself in the sight of the nations; then you shall know that I am the Lord. (Ezek 22:13-16 NKJV)
Have our people acted so badly that God would refer to them as dross?
Then this message came to me from the Lord: “Son of man, the people of Israel are the worthless slag that remains after silver is smelted. They are the dross that is left over—a useless mixture of copper, tin, iron, and lead. So tell them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you are all worthless slag, I will bring you to my crucible in Jerusalem. Just as silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin are melted down in a furnace, I will melt you down in the heat of my fury. I will gather you together and blow the fire of my anger upon you, and you will melt like silver in fierce heat. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have poured out my fury on you.’” (Ezek 22:17-22 NLT)
Have our priests and prophets or religious leaders devoured souls?
Yahweh’s word came to me, saying, “Son of man, tell her, ‘You are a land that is not cleansed nor rained on in the day of indignation.’ There is a conspiracy of her prophets within it, like a roaring lion ravening the prey. They have devoured souls. They take treasure and precious things. They have made many widows within it. Her priests have done violence to my law and have profaned my holy things. They have made no distinction between the holy and the common, neither have they caused men to discern between the unclean and the clean, and have hidden their eyes from my Sabbaths. So I am profaned among them. (Ezek 22:23-26 WEB)
Have our princes or political leaders practiced extortion and committed robbery?
Her princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, shedding blood, destroying lives to get dishonest gain. And her prophets have smeared whitewash for them, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord God,’ when the Lord has not spoken. The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have oppressed the poor and needy, and have extorted from the sojourner without justice (Ezek 22:27-29 ESV)
Is there someone who can repair the wall and stand in the gap to intercede between God and man?
“I searched for a man among them who would repair the wall and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land so that I might not destroy it, but I found no one. So I have poured out My indignation on them and consumed them with the fire of My fury. I have brought their actions down on their own heads.” This is the declaration of the Lord God. (Ezek 22:30-31 HCSB)
Did Jesus also refer to Jerusalem as a bloody city, murdering prophets and missionaries?
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent [apostled] unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! (Luke 13:34 KJV)
Is Babylon symbolic of many other cities where the blood of prophets, saints and others is shed?
And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth. (Rev 18:24 KJV)
Who can possibly stop the murders in our bloody cities? You decide!
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