Tent Worshipers

Ezekiel 23:1-21

1 The word of the LORD came again to me, saying:
2 "Son of man, there were two women,
The daughters of one mother.

3 They committed harlotry in Egypt,
They committed harlotry in their youth;
Their breasts were there embraced,
Their virgin bosom was there pressed.

4 Their names: Oholah the elder and Oholibah her sister;
They were Mine,
And they bore sons and daughters.
As for their names,
Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem is Oholibah.

5 "Oholah played the harlot even though she was Mine;
And she lusted for her lovers, the neighboring Assyrians,
6 Who were clothed in purple,
Captains and rulers,
All of them desirable young men,
Horsemen riding on horses.

7 Thus she committed her harlotry with them,
All of them choice men of Assyria;
And with all for whom she lusted,
With all their idols, she defiled herself.

8 She has never given up her harlotry brought from Egypt,
For in her youth they had lain with her,
Pressed her virgin bosom,
And poured out their immorality upon her.

9 "Therefore I have delivered her
Into the hand of her lovers,
Into the hand of the Assyrians,
For whom she lusted.

10 They uncovered her nakedness,
Took away her sons and daughters,
And slew her with the sword;
She became a byword among women,
For they had executed judgment on her.

11 "Now although her sister Oholibah saw this, she became more corrupt in her lust than she, and in her harlotry more corrupt than her sister's harlotry.

12 "She lusted for the neighboring Assyrians,
Captains and rulers,
Clothed most gorgeously,
Horsemen riding on horses,
All of them desirable young men.

13 Then I saw that she was defiled;
Both took the same way.
14 But she increased her harlotry;
She looked at men portrayed on the wall,
Images of Chaldeans portrayed in vermilion,

15 Girded with belts around their waists,
Flowing turbans on their heads,
All of them looking like captains,
In the manner of the Babylonians of Chaldea,
The land of their nativity.

16 As soon as her eyes saw them,
She lusted for them
And sent messengers to them in Chaldea.

17 "Then the Babylonians came to her, into the bed of love,
And they defiled her with their immorality;
So she was defiled by them, and alienated herself from them.
18 She revealed her harlotry and uncovered her nakedness.
Then I alienated Myself from her,
As I had alienated Myself from her sister.

19 "Yet she multiplied her harlotry
In calling to remembrance the days of her youth,
When she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt.
20 For she lusted for her paramours,
Whose flesh is like the flesh of donkeys,
And whose issue is like the issue of horses.

21 Thus you called to remembrance the lewdness of your youth,
When the Egyptians pressed your bosom
Because of your youthful breasts.

The two harlot sisters, one whose name meant she has a tent and the other means the tent is in her.  Both were symbolic of worshippers of idols in tents instead of the LORD in His holy place of worship as it ought to have been for Samaria the elder and Jerusalem the younger.  They both committed spiritual adultery against God with Egypt and her false gods in their youth.  Samaria and Jerusalem both went after Assyria for their idolatry as lovers consumed with lust against knowing and serving the LORD alone and no other to rely on or worship.  They had dirtied themselves with those idols and other immorality until God had enough of their rejection and disbelief of disobedience.  He then turned their lovers into their enemies to consume them.  Jerusalem had seen her Samaritan sister first fall, but instead of learning to avoid the same destructive path, she ran harder to sin even more than her!  Then the Babylonians came to Jerusalem to add to the spiritual immortality and exposed her for her sins and further separated the two sisters as a result.  God separated Himself from her because Jerusalem rejected Him as their LORD and sought another to worship and live for in defiance of the first commandment and their covenant of protection with Him.  This is a lesson for us all in a sense to be devoted to God alone in Christ and not allow ourselves to follow anyone or anything to satisfy our desires apart from His good will of providence and provision.  May we not commit spiritual adultery in these temples by our desires of gain or passing pleasures (1 Timothy 6:6, 1 Corinthians 6:19, Colossians 3:5, Hebrews 11:25) instead of godly contentment in worshiping Him and no other.  May we learn from Samaria and Jerusalem what to avoid in our living for God alone by the wisdom and grace He gives by His word and Spirit living in our hearts instead of becoming tent worshippers.  Amen.