Thursday, September 3, 2015

Thurs.’s Devo - Aholah and Aholibah

Read: Ezekiel 22-23
Ezekiel 22 is God’s judgment on Jerusalem. He calls her the “bloody city” because of all the murders and children sacrificed to Molech. This once “set apart” nation had become so lewd and evil that other nations found them detestable. Their sins had reached heaven and it was now time for God to bring his fire and burn out the evil. The whole chapter is a list of all the horrible sins they committed and their disregard for justice and the rights of others.
Chapter 23 is an allegory about two women that represent the capitals of Israel and Judah. Samaria, Israel’s capital, was named Aholah which means “idolatrous sanctuary”. She had made the Assyrians her lover and adopted their idols and hideous forms of worship. Judah’s capital, Jerusalem was named Aholibah which means “my tent is in her”. God’s temple was in Jerusalem but they profaned it and sinned worse than Israel. She was drawn away by the lust of her eyes into the idolatrous worship of the Assyrians. She lusted after their brightly dressed soldiers and all their pomp. Because of these sins and more, God was going to strip all this from them and send them to a land they hated…Egypt.
This is so sobering because America could be called a bloody nation because of all the murder and abortion. As Christians our hope is prayer and repentance. We can repent for those who don’t know any better and God will bring them down. There is still hope for our nation because we are in it. God’s tent is in us and we can stand righteous in an unrighteous nation and turn away God’s wrath.
Lord, may we as your people repent for our nation of its innocent blood shed and its moral decline. Show us the things in our lives that are wrong and may we be quick to repent. Spare our nation and make it Yours again.

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