“And I will set my jealousy against thee, and they shall deal furiously with thee: they shall take away thy nose and thine ears; and thy remnant shall fall by the sword: they shall take thy sons and thy daughters; and thy residue shall be devoured by the fire” (Ezekiel 23:25).
TEXT — Ezekiel 23:22-35
Message
The Pulpit bible commentary writes that ,’Judah walked in the way of her sister; therefore, she must drink from her sister’s cup. Companions in guilt will be companions in doom. If higher religious privileges do not keep us from following the sinful practices of worldly men, most certainly, they will not protect us from sharing their fate. He who treads the sinner’s flowery path will drink the sinner’s bitter cup.’
Israel’s trajectory in perpetual sinning and ungodly alliances made her abhorrent to God. The nations with which she played the harlot were stirred up against her as instruments of chastisement. The focus of Ezekiel in today’s passage is the evil influence of Samaria over Judah. Consequently, Judah followed her sister, Israel, who wielded unholy influence over her. Instead of using God’s law as a yardstick, she followed the pernicious way of her sister. Indeed, evil communication corrupted her manner. Judah’s sins were inexcusable and intolerable. Since she partook in Israel’s sin, she also shared in her punishment. Her sin was presumptuous, deliberate, and unjustified. She could not feign ignorance or blame her perversion on Israel.
Judah did not turn from wickedness, idolatry, and profanity; therefore, she was equally punished. She refused and wilfully rejected God’s counsel, abandoned that which is good, followed the bad example of Israel, and was pursued by her enemies.
Many blame their career in sin and its consequences on people around them. The blame game that started in the Garden of Eden resonates in many circles today. They blame their immoral lifestyle, alcoholism, drug addiction, murderous tendencies, wastefulness, and incorrigibility on others rather than themselves. While tempters and temptresses will be judged, those who yield to temptations will not be spared. The grace of God that brings salvation and sets free from sin is available for all. As a free moral agent, you will account for all your actions, words and deeds irrespective of who may have lured or tempted you. But you can reconcile with God today through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
1 comment
‘Twould have been nice if there was an accompanying GHS recommendation. Some of us like to sing smth from the hymn book everyday.
‘Twould have been nice if there was an accompanying GHS recommendation. Some of us like to sing smth from the hymn book everyday.