The word of the Lord came again to me saying:
Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother. They committed harlotry in Egypt, they committed harlotry in their youth; their breast were there embraced, their virgin bosom was there pressed.
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. Ezekiel 23: 1-4 NLT
Before we can gain a clear understanding of what is being said in the above scripture and the warning it represents for the Church, we must review a brief history of Jerusalem and Samaria.
Solomon's Sin
In 1st Kings 11:1-43 we find the story of Solomon's sin and the Lord's judgment on him. Solomon married many foreign wives God warned the Israelites not to marry. God knew that the love for these wives would turn Israel away from Him and toward worshiping the foreign gods of their wives. Solomon did not heed God's warning and so fell into the snare of this deception.
For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David.
For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not fully follow the Lord, as did his father David.
Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the hill that is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the people of Ammon.
And he did likewise for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods. 1st Kings 11:4-8 NLT
The practices of the religions of Solomon's wives included sexual immorality of the worst type, the sacrificing of children by burning them alive and other cruelties that are difficult to imagine. Because Solomon sinned greatly by introducing these religions within the borders of Israel, the Lord told him that he would tear most of the kingdom out of the hands of his descendants but leave his descendants a remnant for his father David's sake.
Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, “Because you have done this, and not kept My covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant “Nevertheless I will not do it in your days, for the sake of your father David; I will tear it out of the hand of your son.
“However I will not tear away the whole kingdom; I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen.” 1st Kings 11:11-13 NLT
Rehoboam and Jeroboam
Because of Solomon’s sin God began to raise adversaries against him to harass Israel and disturb the peace God had previously granted both Solomon and Israel. Among these adversaries was a man named Jeroboam. The bible describes him as a mighty man of valor and industrious. 1Kings 1:28. Solomon made Jeroboam an officer with responsibility over the entire labor force of the Tribe of Joseph. While Jeroboam was serving Solomon in this way God sent the prophet Ahijah to him. The prophet explained to Jeroboam that God would take ten tribes from the house of Solomon and give them to his house to rule because of Solomon’s sin. When Solomon found out that Jeroboam was a rival for leadership, he pursued Jeroboam to kill him, but jeroboam escaped to Egypt and waited there for Solomon to die, 1st Kings 11:29-40.
When Solomon died his son, Rehoboam became king in his place. All Israel gathered at Shechem to install Rehoboam, Solomon's son, as king. However, the assembly of Israel also called Jeroboam out of Egypt to stand with them because the assembly of Israel had grievances against Solomon's administration. They felt that Solomon had put a heavy yoke of service on the all the people and the assembly of Israel apparently wanted a strong and capable leader to stand with them as they put their grievances to Rehoboam. 1st Kings 12: 1-3
Jeroboam and the assembly of Israel told Rehoboam that if he would ease the burden imposed on the people, they would serve him. The men who counseled his father advised Rehoboam to respond kindly to the needs of the people and he would win the hearts of Israel forever. The counselors who Rehoboam grew up with advised him to answer the people harshly and show strength. Rehoboam told the assembly to come back in three days and he would give them an answer. After three days of consideration Rehoboam rejected the counsel of those who advised his father and followed the counsel of those whom he grew up with. He spoke harshly to the people and threatened them by saying he would increase their burden beyond what they experienced under his father Solomon. 1st Kings 12:3-15
When Jeroboam and the assembly heard Rehoboam's reply of increased burdens on the people they rebelled against Rehoboam and made Jeroboam their king. So, what God spoke through the prophet Ahijah came to pass. Rehoboam son of Solomon had every tribe but the tribe of Judah torn from his control. Jeroboam became king over the remaining tribes of Israel. 1 Kings 12:16-22
So, there were now two Kingdoms, with very different leadership, that made up God's people Israel. There was Judah, with its capital in Jerusalem and Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, as their king, and Israel with their capital in Samaria and Jeroboam as their king. Rehoboam's name means he enlarges the people and Jeroboam's name means the people increase. The differences between the nature of these two kings and the implications of their names gives us insight into the nature of the kingdoms they presided over.
Leading According to Their Names
Rehoboam was born to privilege, was a son of one of Solomon's foreign wives and was arrogant and self-important in his behavior. His kingdom of Judah worshiped at the original temple in Jerusalem, traced their linage directly to King David and considered themselves the authentic and original representatives of God's people. Judah represented the traditional aspects of Israel. Jeroboam led just as him name would imply by enlarging Judah's pride, arrogance and self-ascribed status.
As king Rehoboam presided over the further descent of Judah into the cosmopolitan pagan religions practiced by his mother and others at Jerusalem. Rehoboam's kingdom possessed all the original traditions of David's Israel but intermingled them with popular wicked religious practices of the surrounding nations.
Jeroboam was not born to the privilege as was Rehoboam but was ambitious and worked hard to achieve everything he gained as Solomon's servant. Jeroboam also ruled according to what his name would imply because not only did he have the majority of Israel he was obsessed with retaining them and increasing their number. Jeroboam wanted to maintain and increase the number of people he ruled over more than he wanted to obeying God.
For fear that the people would become again loyal to Judah if they worshiped in Jerusalem, Jeroboam set up two golden calves for pagan worship in Israel. Israel under Jeroboam embraced their rebellion against Judah and Rehoboam by rejecting the traditional trappings of the worship of the Lord God of Israel that dwells in Jerusalem and taking hold of the wicked golden calf worship that they left behind in Egypt. 1st Kings 12:23-33
Oholah and Oholibah
Down through the years these two Kingdoms were plunged deeper into their wicked nature that was originally shaped and inspired by the leadership that presided over their individual origins. With each year that passed Jerusalem became more self-important and arrogant and Samaria became more entangled with the sins of Egypt as well as estranged from the traditions of the Lord. In Ezekiel 23:1-4, God through the prophet Ezekiel depicts the individual natures of each kingdom toward God as unfaithful wives. The description of each helps us understand the nature of each kingdom and how God sees and relates to each one. Samaria, who is Oholah and Jerusalem who is Oholibah personifies the actions of each kingdom. With the above additional understandings lets read again the above scripture.
The word of the Lord came again to me saying:
Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother. they committed harlotry in Egypt, they committed harlotry in their youth; their breast were there embraced, their virgin bosom was there pressed.
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. Ezekiel 23: 1-4 NLT
The entire twenty third chapter of Ezekiel goes on to describe the wicked, lustful and caviler attitude of these two sisters. How both sisters were brazenly unfaithful to God even though they knew God sustained them and they owed their very existence to God. Ezekiel describes Oholah as having left Egypt but not leaving her unfaithfulness displayed there. The same unfaithfulness she showed in Egypt, worshiping the Egyptian golden calf, is the root of the unfaithfulness she was showing now. Ezekiel 23:8 describes her sister Oholibah as fawning over the Assyrians and Babylonians. These were cosmopolitan, sophisticated and progressive nations. These nations where mighty cities and centers of trade and culture. These two cities evolved further into the natures their original leaders Jeroboam and Rehoboam established for them. These two sisters display for us the nature of Israel after its split, but they are also can be an accurate representation of the traditional and the progressive churches in the united states.
Just as in Israel and Judah there was a remnant that served God faithfully, there is in the United States, churches, ministries and individual who are completely committed to the Lord Jesus Christ. However just as God used Oholah and Oholibah to represent the prevailing nature of Israel and Judah we can apply these personifications to the prevailing nature of the traditional and progressive churches in the United States.
The Church in the United States
Oholibah, the traditional church, lusts after recognition, prestige and influence. What is preached from her pulpits is a watered down, callow and Christless form of Christianity. A life changing encounter and submission to the Lord Jesus Christ is not emphasized in these churches. In these churches we are told to do our best to practice acceptable behavior, failing this, there is the expectation to be modestly discrete. It is not a sincere spiritual relationship with Jesus and submission to the correctly interpreted word of God that is important to Oholibah but the status of being accepted and even looked up to in the community. Christianity for Oholibah is belonging to the right church and attending that church an appropriate number of times during the year, especially on Easter and Mother’s Day. Oholibah preaches messages that never bring about repentance or conviction but only lead us to vague attempts at acceptable behavior.
Oholibah often emphasizes the social gospel at the expense of the ministry of Jesus Christ. Civil rights, economic empowerment and political influence are all important pursuits, but the church should not use them to replace who Jesus is and what He means to mankind. Oholibah will even directly appose scriptural truth if it gets in the way of a popular, accepted and politically correct social or political agenda.
Oholah, the progressive church, split from the traditional church and became much larger and more popular. She emphasizes growth and success measured by the number of members and their financial contributions. Oholah seeks to grow and retain membership by emphasizing the gospel as entertainment or self-help. For Oholah Jesus died so that we can be encouraged to like ourselves, be financially blessed, professionally successful and work out are emotional issues in order to enjoy our best life. In these churches’ scripture serves as a collection of catch phrases and allegorical stories to support the particular philosophy we practice as individuals. There is no idea of the universal truth of the gospel and scripture, but there is only the idea of what we want out of life and how I can use scripture to help me get it.
Oholah does not care about status or influence but lust after selfish achievement of personal desires and the freedom to choose to do and be whatever we want. Oholah rebels against tradition, not for tradition sake, but because she will not accept any control or influence over her life. Though Oholah is dedicated to her church she does so without any obligation for accountability to it. The very nature of Oholah leads to rebellion against the Lord Jesus Christ.
Mercy and Judgment
“But why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not the things that I say" Luke 6:46 NKJV
“He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” John 14:21 NKJV
Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy Him. For the temple of God is Holy, which temple you are. 1st Corinthians 3:16-17 NKJV
The above scripture warns of the loss of relationship with Jesus and the judgment suffered by those who are rebellious. Oholibah and Oholah defile God's people with their unfaithfulness to the Lord Jesus Christ. These sisters lead God's people astray and through their deceptions defile the church of the living God. Therefore, God's hand is against them both. Although God's hand is with those individual churches that serve Him as Lord, the overall church in the United States, and even in Western societies in general, our destined for judgment.
The Church in the United States and the west has enjoyed access to multiple and excellent translations of the bible as well as an unlimited cadre of bible helps and tools for understanding scripture. Yet North American Christians suffer from Bible illiteracy. With all this access the Christian Church in the United States should study the bible well enough to grow in faith and relationship with Jesus Christ. Instead we have become Oholah and Oholibah and are without excuse.
The only thing in the universe that can say no to God is a human being and the only reason why a human being pursues or neglects the knowledge of God is because we choose to. God's judgment is not Him doing anything to us, but God's judgment is Him turning us over to the consequences of what we have chosen.
Since Oholah trust in growing congregations and the income they bring and Oholibah trust in political and societal influence God will let what these sisters trust in rule their fate. In past times God has brought the Church in the United States through times of economic stress and political upheaval. Not this time.
The coming economic downturn will wither Oholah on the vine. Oholah's congregations will wither and her proud success will lay in ruins. Her empty sermons will fail to attract anyone and the ones she does attract will not financially support her foolishness. God will send her congregations to the true shepherds in the United States. Those who feed and water the flock and help them to grow in relationship with Jesus Christ. As he did in Ezekiel's day God will also judge between the sheep and the goats. The sheep will be fed and watered and cared for but the rebellious and those who do not care to know Christ will be turned over the consequences of that which they have chosen.
Oholibah also will not prosper during that time because the social prestige and political influence will disappear like fog in the noonday sun. Because of the economic stress Oholibah's social support will no longer be willing to help her and politicians will say they can no longer afford to grant her tax-exempt status or any of the other privileges or courtesies she has grown accustomed to.
Oholibah and Oholah will wither away but God will move His people out from among them and to His shepherds who hear His voice and love and care for the sheep. There will no longer be a church on every corner that ignores the Lords voice or churches on every corner that compete with one another for members, only to mistreat them and ignore them once they win them over. God's church will be one church meeting in separate places in the city. God will melt them together and purify them like gold ingots in the furnace. Economic and political turmoil will be that furnace that unifies and purifies God's people.
God never sends a word without leaving space to repent. Let’s seek God's face and continue in prayer for Oholah and Oholibah.