What is the meaning of Ezekiel 23:17? Then the Babylonians came to her “Then the Babylonians came to her”. • The “her” is Oholibah—symbolic of Judah (Ezekiel 23:4). • Judah, after flirting with Assyria (Ezekiel 23:11-12), turned her attention to Babylon for protection and prestige (2 Kings 20:12-18). • This approach wasn’t casual diplomacy; it exposed Judah’s heart‐level desire for alliances rather than reliance on God (Isaiah 31:1; Jeremiah 2:18). To the bed of love “...to the bed of love...”. • Scripture pictures political entanglements as spiritual adultery (Jeremiah 3:6-10). • The “bed” describes treaty tables, embassy halls, and all the favors Judah granted to seem desirable to Babylon (2 Kings 24:1). • God views trust in human power as covenant unfaithfulness, the way a spouse views infidelity (James 4:4). And in their lust they defiled her “...and in their lust they defiled her.”. • Babylon’s motives were self-serving, concerned only with expanding empire (Habakkuk 1:6-11). • Judah willingly accepted Babylonian idolatry, customs, and values (2 Kings 24:14-16). • The defilement is both moral and literal: idols were brought into Jerusalem (Ezekiel 8:10), and Babylonian influence corrupted worship (2 Chronicles 36:14). But after she had been defiled by them “But after she had been defiled by them...”. • Judah discovered too late that Babylon was no savior. The same nation she courted became her oppressor (2 Kings 24:10-17). • Sin always overpromises and underdelivers (Proverbs 5:3-5). • The shame of bondage exposed the emptiness of her earlier flirtations (Lamentations 1:8-9). She turned away in disgust “...she turned away in disgust.”. • Judah’s revulsion was not true repentance; it was disappointment that the alliance failed (Ezekiel 23:18). • Like a prodigal who hates the pigsty but not the rebellion, Judah recoiled from consequences more than from sin itself (Hosea 7:14-16). • God, however, still offered mercy through prophetic calls to genuine turning (Jeremiah 3:12-14), though Judah largely ignored them until exile. summary Ezekiel 23:17 paints Judah as an unfaithful wife rushing into Babylon’s arms for security. The Babylonians welcomed the political “affair,” but their selfish motives only polluted Judah’s covenant purity. When Babylon’s domination became bitter, Judah felt revulsion—yet not the heart-level repentance God desired. The verse warns that any trust placed in worldly powers rather than in the Lord leads to defilement, disappointment, and eventual judgment, while still holding out the hope of restoration for those who truly return to Him. |
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