Wednesday, February 26 – Ezekiel 22, 23

1. What are some of the sins of Judah mentioned in Ezekiel 22?

2. How many did God find who resisted evil and interceded for the city? (Ezekiel 22:30)

3. What are the names of the two unfaithful sisters in Ezekiel 23? (Ezekiel 23:4)

The end of Jerusalem was near, and God once again commanded Ezekiel to recount the sins of the city and to reveal the judgments that would come upon it.

1. The powerful exploited the father and mother, the foreigner, orphans, and widows.

2. They profaned the sanctuary and the Sabbath.

3. There was slander.

4. “They ate on the mountains” refers to the feasts held at idolatrous altars in the hills, where all kinds of depravity occurred.

5. Various forms of incest and adultery were rampant.

6. There were usurers, fraudsters, and hired killers.

Finally, God expresses His grief: “You have forgotten Me!” says the Lord GOD.

The leaders actively participated in the city’s corruption: the prophets conspired in lies and violence, giving false prophecies. The priests violated the law, defiling the sanctuary, and failed to distinguish between the holy and the profane. They showed no regard for sacred days. The rulers committed crimes and engaged in corruption. The people of the land oppressed and robbed others; they exploited the poor, the needy, and the foreigners. (Ezekiel 22:29)

God found not a single person who did what was right: “So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.” (Ezekiel 22:30)

Standing “in the gap before God” means interceding. God values and listens to intercessory prayer, which is precious in His sight. Prayer for souls, the church, and the nation is a powerful and necessary ministry.
Chapter 23 presents an extended allegory illustrating the sinfulness of Judah. Similar to the allegory in Ezekiel 16, this chapter focuses on political alliances with foreign nations.

“Their names were: Oholah the elder and Oholibah her sister.” (Ezekiel 23:4)

• Oholah represents the Northern Kingdom (Samaria).

• Oholibah represents the Southern Kingdom (Jerusalem).

Oholah was unfaithful to God by forming alliances with the Assyrians: “She prostituted herself with them, with all the choice men of Assyria, and with all for whom she lusted; she defiled herself with all their idols.” (Ezekiel 23:7)

In this allegory, “fornication” and “prostitution” symbolize spiritual impurity—when God’s people abandon Him for the world. Oholah was not only unfaithful with the Assyrians but also with many others.

Oholibah (Jerusalem) did not learn from her sister’s downfall. She committed spiritual adultery with Assyria by adopting the worship of their idols.

What would be the equivalent today of “falling in love with the Assyrians” and being unfaithful to God? Could it be when we “fall in love” with artists, politicians, and celebrities, imitating them while disobeying God? Could it be when we adopt worldly customs, engaging in entertainment, alcohol, or other practices that go against God’s will?

What do you think represents “falling in love” with another and abandoning the LORD today?

Ezekiel 23:17 states that after Jerusalem pursued these foreign alliances, “she became disgusted with them.” This illustrates how sinful relationships, built on lust and selfishness rather than true love, eventually lead to regret and bitterness. What once seemed attractive turns into disillusionment.

The rest of the chapter reveals the severe consequences of their sin.

May the LORD, by His grace, help us remain faithful and not fall in love with the idols and practices of this world. These things were written for our instruction.

May you have a blessed day.