Connect Ezekiel 23:32 with other biblical warnings against idolatry and unfaithfulness. The Bitter Cup in Ezekiel 23:32 “This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘You will drink your sister’s cup, which is deep and wide; you will be an object of scorn and mockery, for it holds so much.’ ” (Ezekiel 23:32) • The “cup” symbolizes God’s judgment against spiritual infidelity. • Israel (Judah) must drink the same cup Samaria drank, exposing sin and bringing shame. The Cup Motif Across Scripture • Psalm 75:8 — “For a cup is in the hand of the LORD… He pours it out, and all the wicked of the earth drink it down to the dregs.” • Isaiah 51:17 — “You have drunk from the hand of the LORD the cup of His wrath.” • Revelation 14:10 — “He too will drink the wine of God’s anger, poured undiluted into the cup of His wrath.” Shared thread: persistent idolatry results in drinking God’s cup of wrath—inevitable, total, humiliating. Foundational Command Against Idolatry • Exodus 20:4-5 — No images, no bowing down, “for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God.” • Deuteronomy 32:16-17 — “They provoked Him to jealousy with foreign gods… they sacrificed to demons, not to God.” God’s jealousy is covenant love; any rival worship ruptures the relationship and invites judgment. Prophetic Echoes of Ezekiel’s Warning • Jeremiah 2:13 — “My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living water, and dug their own cisterns.” • Hosea 4:12 — “A spirit of prostitution has led them astray; they have been unfaithful to their God.” • Micah 1:7 — Idols smashed, harlot’s wages burned, because prostitution wages were gathered from idolatry. Each prophet links unfaithfulness to tangible consequences—exile, shame, destruction—mirroring Ezekiel’s cup. New-Covenant Warnings and Applications • 1 Corinthians 10:14 — “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.” Paul cites Israel’s failures in the wilderness (vv. 6-11) as ongoing caution. • James 4:4 — “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?” Spiritual adultery language continues. • 1 John 5:21 — “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” Final pastoral charge underscores timeless danger. Though idolatry now often hides in desires, possessions, or alliances, the call remains: flee, not negotiate. The Ultimate Contrast of Cups • Matthew 26:39 — In Gethsemane Jesus prays, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me.” • 2 Corinthians 5:21 — He “became sin for us,” drinking the cup we deserved, opening the way for believers to share “the cup of blessing” (1 Corinthians 10:16). Faithfulness is secured in Christ, yet the warning stands: reject His cup of salvation, and Ezekiel’s cup awaits. Takeaway Themes • Idolatry provokes God’s jealousy; judgment is certain and severe. • Scripture consistently pictures judgment as a cup to be drained—no partial sips. • The gospel offers a different cup, but only to those who turn from all rivals and cling to the Lord alone. |
    |