Spirit of Prostitution – A Tale of Two Sisters (Ezekiel 23:1-21)
Son of man, once there were two sisters who were daughters of the same mother.
(Ezekiel 23:2 NLT)
Oholah is Samaria. Oholibah is Jerusalem. We have here a tale of two sisters. Here, were two women who learned in their family inappropriate sexual conduct. The prophet Ezekiel concentrates on the fact that they abandoned God (Samaria and Jerusalem as the people of God left Him). At the same time, this passage speaks to the dangers of learning sexual behavior in an improper environment. Look at the simple chart below that shows the actions of both sisters in this passage. In Ezekiel 23, they are described as sisters of prostitution. (S) stands for Samaria. (J) stands for Jerusalem.
Samaria/Oholah
Verse Action
23:3 young girls allowed themselves to be fondled and caressed
23:5, 8 lusted and gave over her love (robbed of virginity)
23:7 prostituted, worshiping idols and defiling herself
23:8 lady lewd
23:9 she desires and is herself raped and killed
Jerusalem/Oholibah
Verse Action
23:11 lady followed in her sister’s footsteps
23:11 abandoned herself to her lusts and prostitution
23:12 “fawned over”
23:13 defiling herself
23:14 “fell in love with pictures” – pornography
23:16 looking at pictures she desires to give herself over
23:17 committed adultery and then broke off relationship
23:19 remembering her youth and continuing her lust
In these verses, it is clear that the point of view is from the woman. She decides to share her love and receives sex. Perhaps she thinks this is love, but it is clear that it is not. She engages in a form of pornography that leads to prostitution. It reminds us as Christians of the danger of learning improper sexual behavior through pornography.
Photo by ian dooley on Unsplash
Other Posts:
Leviticus 18:19-30 God’s Design for Gender and Sexual Behavior
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