Thurs.’s Devo - The Two Sisters

Read: Ezekiel 23:1-49; Hebrews 10:18-39; Psalm 109:1-31; Proverbs 27:13 God have Ezekiel a parable to tell the people. He personified Israel as a women named Oholah and Judah as her younger sister Oholibah. Both became prostitutes in the land. Oholah lusted after the Assyrian officers and worshipped their idols, defiling herself with them. God handed her over to her lovers who stripped her and took her children as slaves and then killed her. Oholibah saw what happened to her sister and didn’t learn from her mistakes. She became even more depraved and lusted even more over the Assyrian officers. She even lusted after the Babylonian officers and their gods. They defiled her and she hated them afterwards. God was disgusted with Oholibah and rejected her. She turned back to lust after Egypt. Because of her sins God would send her lovers against her from every direction. The Babylonians, Chaldeans, and all the Assyrians would come against them from the north and surround them. They would be handed over to them for punishment. They would cut off the nose and ears of the survivors and take their children as captives. What was left would be burned. Their sin was adultery against God and murder against his people. When God was finished with them, they would all know that He is the Sovereign Lord. Hebrews gives us a warning. Jesus opened the way for all of us to boldly approach God’s throne of grace. His blood, sprinkled on our guilty consciences makes us clean. But if we continue to sin after we have receive the knowledge of the truth there is no sacrifice that will cover these sins. In the old covenant, anyone who refused to obey the law of Moses was put to death without mercy. How much worse will it be for those who have trampled on the Son of God and treated the blood of the covenant with contempt. God will judge them. God reminds us not to throw away our trust in the Lord became we have a great reward if we patiently endure. God’s righteous ones will live by faith but he will take no pleasure in these who turn away from God to their own destruction. Lord, may we put our trust in you. Thank you for the power of your blood to cleanse us from our sin. May we walk in righteousness and forgiveness.