A Tale of Two Sisters

Let me just get something out of the way right now.

This chapter is allegorical.

God is not a polygamist.

We do not derive doctrine and practice from allegories.

God is framing the history of Israel and Judah in terms of a story that the people could readily relate to – marriage and adultery.

Anyone who tries to use this as a prooftext to support men having multiple wives is a Quack and I will fight you on this.

😐 You don’t have a comments section.

Oh… yeah. Well, I still won’t back down. And this is why I don’t have a comments section. I have better things to do than debate with Quacks.

Ok. Now that we’ve got that cleared up…

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Meet Oholah and Oholibah…

Oholah means “her tent” and represents Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel. There was indeed a “tent” (sanctuary) there for Israel’s idols.

Oholibah means “my tent is in her” and represents Jerusalem because Yahweh chose it for His dwelling (the Tent of David & the Temple).

Idolatry is described in sexual terms; primarily prostitution. This isn’t just a spiritual metaphor. Most of this ancient idolatry actually involved sexual rites with cult prostitutes.

The allegorical “sisters” started young; meaning early in their history. This isn’t really a new message. Ezekiel just gave the leaders in exile a history lesson that started way back when Yahweh told the children of Israel to forsake the gods of Egypt. This chapter refers back to Egypt several times. That’s where the idolatry started. The occult magic of Egypt was – uh – (to paraphrase the ideas in verse 20), impressive in its performance.

That still fools people today. Even Christians. Just because something “works” (for healing, relaxation, help or prosperity, etc) doesn’t mean it’s good. The kingdom of darkness can do some pretty amazing things; even “signs and wonders,” (see 2 Thes. 2:9, Mat. 24:24, Rev. 13:13).

It’s rather like how Senator Palpatine (secretly a Sith Lord) seduces Anakin Skywalker to the Dark Side in Star Wars – Revenge of the Sith. He promises Anakin power.

So Oholah (Samaria) goes Ga-Ga over the Assyrians – their hunky soldiers and their conquering power.

😐 The soldiers who ripped their enemies tongues out, flayed them alive, and then marched around waving their decapitated heads?

The very same.

🤨 Hmmm… And I thought online dating was sketchy. Oholah has really messed up taste in men.

For real. The northern kingdom (Oholah) adds the Assyrian gods to her pantheon. Ironic that the Assyrians are the ones who march in (in the names of their gods) and destroy Israel.

You’d think that the southern kingdom of Judah would learn from what happened to Israel.

🤠 Kinda like that old country song by Dwight Yoakam… 🎸 “Yeah, little sister, don’t you do what your big sister done…”

But little sister – Oholibah – DOES do what big sister done. And worse.

“But she carried her whoring further. She saw men portrayed on the wall, the images of the Chaldeans portrayed in vermilion, wearing belts on their waists, with flowing turbans on their heads, all of them having the appearance of officers, a likeness of Babylonians whose native land was Chaldea. When she saw them, she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea.”
‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭23‬:‭14‬-‭16‬ ‭ESV‬‬

We have a word now for when people look at images to get aroused. Pornography.

These wall murals were like the ancient version of Only Fans or a hook-up app. And God’s people essentially sent them a note that said,

“For a good time call Judah” 💋 XXX

😐 I don’t understand the appeal but they definitely knew how to rock a beard.

“And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their whoring lust. And after she was defiled by them, she turned from them in disgust.”
‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭23‬:‭17‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Remember that story where David’s son Amnon is mooning about like a lovesick bull-calf for his half-sister Tamar? Then he rapes her and immediately despises her? That’s kinda like what Judah did with Babylon; except that Judah acted more like a hooker than a rapist. But the disgust after-the-fact was mutual. And just like Samaria was destroyed by her former “lover” so Judah will be ravaged (ravished?) by the nation she was so enamored with.

Not only that, but the once-lovely, and smartly-styled Oholibah will now be disfigured and stripped of her designer wardrobe and jewels. She is found guilty of murder and adultery and brutally put to death.

It’s a sad, cautionary tale.

And it’s about to all come true.