Ezekiel chapter 23 very graphically describes the position of Israel and Judah in terms of two married women, who committed adultery against their husband. Their symbolic names are given: Aholah which represents Israel, and Aholibah, which represents Judah. The meaning of their names is also significant: Aholah – “her tent” – i.e. not Yahweh’s Tent, but hers that she set up herself. And Aholibah = “my tent is in her”, evidently referring to how Jerusalem was the place where God symbolically dwelt amongst His people.
The aspect of Marriage being used to describe relationships with God is not unusual in Scripture. The prophet Jermiah uses similar imagery of how the people of God had become estranged from their God, by committing adultery against Him:
“hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? She is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot. And I said after she had done all these things, Turn thou unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it. And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery, I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also” (Jer. 3:6-8).
This is the theme of Ezekiel 23: two wives who wickedly departed from their husband. But the opening verses describe how that even when Yahweh brought them up out of Egypt, they did not forsake their idols:
“Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother: and they committed whoredoms in Egypt; they committed whoredoms in their youth … neither left she her whoredoms brought from Egypt …” (Eze. 23:2-3, 8).
This is demonstrated in Exodus 32, where Israel apostatised, and even Aaron was carried away with their dissimulation. Here, they made a golden calf – evidently after the pattern of the Apis Bulls, idols of Egypt. They forsook the God who had miraculously brought them through the Red Sea (Psa. 106:9), and turned back to their Egyptian idols instead. There we see principles for our learning: “these things were our ensamples” (1 Cor. 10:6). Just as Israel were to leave Egypt behind, even so must those who are led by Messiah leave the idols of worldliness behind. Forsaking things that are past, we must be motivated to seek those things that are ahead, casting aside every sin and weight that might hinder our journey to the land of Promise.
AHOLA (SAMARIA)
Whilst other prophecies specifically speak against some of the sins of the people, Ezekiel 23 appears to focus on the alliances that they made with the surrounding nations – and thus forsook the alliance they had made with Yahweh. It is written that:
“… And Aholah played the harlot when she was mine; and she doted upon her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbours … thus she committed her whoredoms with them, with all them that were the chosen men of Assyria, and with all on whom she doted: with all their idols she defiled herself.” (vs. 5-7).
So it was that Ahola committed whoredoms with the Assyrians, and also worshipped their gods. The historical outworking of these things can be seen in a number of passages. Hosea 8:9 describes how “they are gone up to Assyria, a wild ass alone by himself: Ephraim hath hired lovers …”. Again, the Assyrian threat was taken away by bribing her with money:
“… Menahem exacted the money of Israel, even of all the mighty men of wealth, of each man fifty shekels of silver, to give to the king of Assyria. So they king of Assyria turned back, and stayed not there in the land” (2 Kings 15:19-20).
And again, 2 Kings 17:3 describes how that Hoshea the last king of Israel also bought peace:
“Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria; and Hoshea became his servant, and gave him presents” (2 Kings. 17:3).
Israel then, trusted in their wealth for protection and defence, rather than their God. “Wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it” (Eccl. 7:12). The people were rather “destroyed for lack of knowledge (Hos. 4:6), and so did not receive life: “in the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria” (2 Kings 17:6), and the rest of the chapter describe the sins of Samaria, including idolatry, walking in the ways of the nations, and doing “secretly those things that were not right” (vs. 9).
AHOLIBAH (JERUSALEM)
Aholibah, on the other hand, saw what her sister was doing, and her punishment for it, yet did not learn the lesson! As Jeremiah has it, she “went and played the harlot also” (Jer. 3:8). Ezekiel describes her sin:
“… she doted upon the Assryans her neighbours … and that she increased her whoredoms for when she saw men pourtrayed upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans pourtrayed with vermillion … as soon as she saw them with her eyes, she doted upon them, and sent messengers unto them into Chaldea …” (Eze. 23:see verses 13-17).
It is significant that “whoredom” and fornication is linked here with “images”. It is also so in our days – worldly images can make a lasting impression upon the mind. Pornography is a trap that many fall into – images that lead to fornication. The servant of God must be aware of such, and remain holy to the Lord. Other images are used to stimulate covetousness and the accruing of this world’s goods. Again, the servant of God must be aware of what such images can induce us to do.
The chapter continues to describe to us how that Aholibah prostituted herself with Assyria, Babylon, and Egypt, after the pattern of her sister. Hence, she would also be judged:
“I will do these things unto thee, because thou hast gone a whoring after the heathen, and because thou art polluted with their idols. Thou hast walked in the way of thy sister; therefore will I give her cup into thine hand.” (Eze. 23:30-31).
But neither Aholah, or Aholibah had deserted the worship of Yahweh. Rather, they combined it with false worship and abominable practices:
“… for when they had slain their children to their idols, then they came the same day into my sanctuary to profane it: and lo, thus have they done in the midst of mine house” (Eze. 23:39).
This is the worst kind of apostasy – not a complete departure from the Truth, but a combining with worldly practices into the worship of Yahweh. This is something that we need to be aware of – spiritual prostitution is prolific in our age, as in the times of the prophets. James chapter 4 provides the instruction:
“Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (Jas. 4:4).
Notice the point that both Aholah and Aholibah were guilty of: seeking the friendship of the world – and committing adultery in order to accomplish this. But this doesn’t work: we cannot serve God and Mammon, for to do so will compromise ourselves, and our standing before God:
“no man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and Mammon” (Mat. 6:24).
SPIRITUAL PROSTITUTON
In our day, there is another spiritual prostitute – which like the two we have been considering, emerged from within the ecclesia itself. Revelation chapter 17 describes how that John was shown a harlot-woman:
“ … I will shew unto thee the judgement of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters … the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: and upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth …” (Rev. 17:see vs 1-6).
This woman is she “with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication” (vs. 2). But she is not alone in her whoredoms – she has many daughters, being a “mother of harlots”. Even so, the chief of the Roman religious system proclaims that she is “a mother, not sister” to the other churches.
However, the true ecclesia of Christ is different. The Apostle describes her state of readiness to meet the bridegroom:
“… I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ” (2 Cor. 11:2).
But there is yet the danger that the ecclesia, like Israel of old, will lose her separateness, and fall into line with the other harlot daughters of Babylon. Hence Paul continued:
“But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtiltly, so your minds should become corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ …” (vs. 3).
Here is the warning, admonition and exhortation: the true Ecclesia of Christ must “stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel” (Phil. 1:27). We must be on our guard against those who would import worldly practices – and images – into our worship, and maintain our personal integrity in a day of evil. Not being self-righteous, but rather submitting ourselves to the righteousness of our God – and then we will find favour in His Sight at the coming again of His Son.
Christopher Maddocks
