Why Does Ezekiel 23 Blame the Women - The Uncomfortable Truth About Lust, Men, and the God Who Sees the Heart
Opening
I remember the first time I read Ezekiel 23 carefully.
I almost wanted to close the Bible.
The language is shocking. Graphic. Uncomfortable. Two women—Oholah and Oholibah—are portrayed as sisters whose sexual unfaithfulness becomes a picture of Israel and Judah's spiritual rebellion.
And then a question began bothering me:
Why does Ezekiel 23 seem to put all the blame on women?
What about the men?
What about male lust?
What about the men who pursued these women, exploited them, desired them, used them, or participated in the very sins being condemned?
And perhaps even more personally:
Why does Scripture sometimes speak so strongly about sexual sin while so many men quietly struggle with lust?
I have discovered that these aren't merely academic questions.
They are questions about shame.
They are questions about justice.
They are questions about marriage, temptation, pornography, fantasy, betrayal, self-control, and the secret places of the human heart.
And if we misunderstand Ezekiel 23, we can walk away with a distorted picture of HaShem—imagining that He is harder on women than men.
But when I slow down and read the chapter in its biblical context, I see something much deeper.
Ezekiel 23 is not God's declaration that women are uniquely sinful.
It is a prophetic drama about Israel's covenant unfaithfulness, told through the imagery of two unfaithful sisters.
And when I place Ezekiel's message alongside the Torah, the Prophets, the Writings, and the words of Yeshua, I discover something that confronts both men and women:
HaShem does not merely judge what our bodies do. He confronts what our hearts have learned to desire.
And that changes the conversation completely.
Introduction: The Question I Couldn't Ignore
Ezekiel 23 begins with HaShem telling Ezekiel about two sisters.
"The word of Adonai came to me again, saying: 'Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother.'"
— Ezekiel 23:1–2
The sisters are named Oholah and Oholibah.
Oholah represents Samaria, the northern kingdom.
Oholibah represents Jerusalem, the southern kingdom.
Their sexual imagery represents something much larger than sexuality.
It represents idolatry, political alliances, spiritual adultery, covenant betrayal, and Israel's repeated attraction to the nations and their gods.
That distinction matters enormously.
If I read Ezekiel 23 as though HaShem were simply telling a story about two immoral women, I miss the prophetic message.
The women are symbolic.
Their relationships are symbolic.
Their adultery is symbolic.
Their lovers represent nations and powers with whom Israel entangled herself instead of remaining faithful to HaShem.
In other words, Ezekiel isn't primarily asking:
"Why are these women so sexually immoral?"
He is asking:
"Why did My covenant people repeatedly abandon Me for other loves?"
That is a much more frightening question.
Because now I have to ask it about myself.
The First Revelation: Ezekiel 23 Is Not Actually About "Women"
The first thing I had to learn was to distinguish between the imagery and the message.
Ancient biblical prophets frequently used marriage imagery to describe Israel's covenant relationship with HaShem.
The prophet Hosea does this extensively.
Jeremiah does it.
Ezekiel does it.
Why?
Because marriage is one of the most powerful human pictures of covenant faithfulness.
A husband and wife don't merely share a contract.
They share exclusive loyalty.
They give themselves to one another.
They establish a household together.
They make promises.
They become vulnerable.
And betrayal hurts precisely because covenant creates intimacy.
So when Israel worshiped other gods, HaShem described it as adultery.
He wasn't saying women were uniquely sinful.
He was exposing the horror of covenant betrayal.
The same prophetic imagery could have been written with masculine imagery, but Ezekiel's particular oracle uses women to represent Samaria and Jerusalem.
The gender of the metaphor doesn't establish the gender of the moral responsibility.
That is critical.
But Where Are the Men?
This was the question I kept coming back to.
If the chapter describes women engaging in sexual immorality, where are the men?
They're there.
They are simply part of the symbolic world Ezekiel is describing.
The nations are portrayed as lovers.
The political powers are involved.
The chapter describes Israel's relationships with Assyria, Babylon, and Egypt.
The entire point is that Israel participated in relationships that violated covenant loyalty to HaShem.
And elsewhere in Scripture, we see unmistakably that men are capable of exactly the same sins.
One of the clearest examples is King David.
David was not a woman.
David was a man after God's heart who nevertheless committed an enormous sexual and relational failure.
He saw Bathsheba.
He desired her.
He sent for her.
He slept with her.
And when the consequences became dangerous, he arranged for her husband Uriah to be placed where he would die in battle.
The biblical narrative does not excuse David because he was a man.
It doesn't say:
"Men struggle with lust, so this is understandable."
Instead, it exposes him.
Nathan the prophet confronts him.
And David eventually says:
"I have sinned against Adonai."
— 2 Samuel 12:13
That story alone should prevent us from imagining that Scripture treats sexual sin as a uniquely female problem.
It doesn't.
The Torah Never Gives Men a Pass
When I want to understand biblical sexual ethics, I always want to begin with Torah.
And the Torah doesn't present men as helpless victims of female temptation.
Quite the opposite.
The commandments repeatedly place moral responsibility on human beings.
One of the clearest principles is found in Exodus:
"You shall not commit adultery."
— Exodus 20:14
Notice something.
The commandment doesn't say:
"Women, don't tempt men."
It says:
You shall not commit adultery.
The responsibility rests upon the person making the choice.
That's important in a culture where people sometimes talk as though a man's sexual behavior is primarily determined by what a woman wears, how she looks, whether she is attractive, or whether she "tempted" him.
Biblically, that explanation is inadequate.
Temptation may be real.
Attraction may be real.
Hormones are real.
Opportunity is real.
But moral responsibility remains real.
Yeshua Took the Conversation Even Deeper
Then I come to the words of Yeshua, and suddenly the entire conversation becomes more penetrating.
Yeshua said:
"You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart."
— Matthew 5:27–28
I don't read that as Yeshua lowering the standard.
I read it as Him revealing how deep the problem really goes.
The Torah says:
Do not commit adultery.
Yeshua says:
Look at what happens before adultery ever reaches the bedroom.
It begins in the heart.
It begins with cultivation.
It begins with imagination.
It begins with permission.
It begins when I stop treating another person as someone created in the image of Elohim and begin treating that person as an object for my private gratification.
That is why lust is so serious.
And notice whom Yeshua addresses.
He specifically speaks about the person looking with lust.
He doesn't tell men that their lust is somehow the woman's fault.
He places responsibility on the heart of the one doing the looking.
That is profoundly important.
Lust Is Not Just a "Men's Problem"
At the same time, I don't want to make the opposite mistake.
Lust isn't exclusively male.
Women can struggle with lust too.
Women can objectify men.
Women can cultivate fantasies.
Women can become addicted to sexual attention.
Women can betray spouses.
Women can use people for emotional or physical gratification.
The biblical diagnosis is therefore broader:
Human beings have hearts that can become disordered.
Yeshua said:
"For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders..."
— Mark 7:21
The issue isn't simply male sexuality.
The issue is the human heart.
Why, Then, Does Ezekiel Use Female Imagery?
Because prophetic symbolism communicates through pictures.
Imagine Ezekiel standing before Israel and saying:
"You have treated your covenant relationship with HaShem as though you were an unfaithful spouse."
That image would have been devastating.
It communicates betrayal in a way that a sterile theological statement never could.
The problem isn't that women are worse.
The problem is that Israel has behaved like an unfaithful spouse toward her covenant Husband.
And this is why the chapter is ultimately about idolatry.
The sexual language communicates the emotional and spiritual seriousness of what Israel was doing.
They weren't merely changing religious preferences.
They were abandoning the One who had redeemed them.
They were giving their loyalty to other gods and foreign powers.
They were seeking security somewhere other than HaShem.
And suddenly Ezekiel 23 becomes painfully relevant to modern life.
What If My "Idols" Don't Look Like Idols?
I don't bow before a statue in my living room.
Maybe you don't either.
But I have had to ask myself harder questions.
What do I run toward when I'm afraid?
Where do I look for validation?
What do I use to numb loneliness?
What do I secretly believe will make me feel valuable?
What do I reach for when I don't want to feel pain?
Sometimes the idol isn't a statue.
Sometimes it's attention.
Sometimes it's money.
Sometimes it's sexual fantasy.
Sometimes it's another person's approval.
Sometimes it's achievement.
Sometimes it's control.
Sometimes it's the internet.
Sometimes it's a relationship that I know isn't healthy but cannot imagine living without.
Ezekiel's warning therefore reaches beyond ancient Israel.
It reaches into the hidden architecture of my heart.
The Most Dangerous Part of Lust Is Not Always the Act
I've learned that lust is deceptive because it rarely announces itself as rebellion.
It often sounds reasonable.
"I'm just looking."
"I'm not actually doing anything."
"Everyone does this."
"It's harmless."
"I'm married, but this doesn't mean anything."
"It's only fantasy."
"I deserve this."
But Yeshua takes me beneath the behavior.
He asks me to examine the desire itself.
That doesn't mean every instance of noticing beauty is sinful.
Human beings are designed to recognize beauty.
Attraction itself is not the same thing as lust.
The danger comes when I deliberately nurture desire in a way that turns another human being into an object for consumption.
That is why Job's words have always challenged me:
"I have made a covenant with my eyes; why then should I look upon a young woman?"
— Job 31:1
I love that image.
A covenant with my eyes.
Job doesn't wait until adultery happens.
He establishes boundaries earlier.
He recognizes that wisdom begins before the final decision.
The Battle Often Begins With What I Allow Myself to See
I think this is especially relevant in the digital age.
I can carry temptation in my pocket.
A man doesn't have to leave his house to encounter sexual imagery.
A woman doesn't either.
A few seconds of scrolling can expose the heart to material that previous generations might never have encountered.
And because technology makes temptation private, it can make repentance more difficult.
Nobody sees.
Nobody knows.
Nobody asks questions.
But HaShem sees.
And strangely, I find that comforting.
Because the same Elohim who sees my sin also sees my struggle.
He sees the battle nobody else understands.
He sees the moment I close the screen.
He sees the decision to walk away.
He sees the tears.
He sees the repentance.
He sees the person who wants to change but sometimes feels trapped.
There is nowhere to hide from HaShem.
But there is also nowhere beyond His reach.
Ezekiel 23 Is Also About Consequences
One reason Ezekiel's language is so intense is that sin has consequences.
The chapter describes judgment because Israel's unfaithfulness wasn't merely private.
Their idolatry corrupted the nation.
Their alliances brought destruction.
Their rebellion affected families, communities, worship, justice, and national life.
That teaches me something uncomfortable:
Private sin rarely stays private forever.
A secret addiction can eventually affect a marriage.
A hidden affair can devastate children.
Pornography can distort intimacy.
Uncontrolled fantasy can alter expectations.
Emotional infidelity can destroy trust.
Repeated compromise can reshape what the heart considers normal.
The biblical warnings are severe because the consequences are severe.
But Shame Is Not the Same as Repentance
This distinction has become incredibly important to me.
Shame says:
"I am disgusting."
Repentance says:
"What I have done is wrong, and I need to turn back to HaShem."
Shame pushes me into hiding.
Repentance brings me into the light.
Shame says:
"There's no point trying again."
Repentance says:
"Get up. Turn around. Come home."
The Prophets repeatedly call Israel back to HaShem.
One of the most beautiful invitations comes through Isaiah:
"Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to Adonai, and He will have mercy on him; and to our Elohim, for He will abundantly pardon."
— Isaiah 55:7
That is the heart I hear beneath the prophetic warnings.
HaShem exposes sin because He desires truth.
He confronts rebellion because He desires restoration.
He calls us out of darkness because He wants us home.
What Does This Mean for Men Who Struggle With Lust?
If I were sitting across the table from a man who told me, "I struggle with lust, and I feel ashamed," I wouldn't begin by humiliating him.
I would tell him the truth.
Your struggle is serious—but your struggle does not have to become your identity.
Then I would encourage him to stop making excuses.
Don't blame women.
Don't blame culture.
Don't blame your spouse.
Don't blame loneliness.
Don't blame your hormones.
Don't blame your past.
Those things may explain aspects of the struggle.
They don't have to control the decision.
Yeshua calls me to take responsibility for what happens inside my heart.
That can mean making uncomfortable changes.
Practical Step #1: Stop Negotiating With Temptation
I've learned that one of the worst strategies is trying to convince myself how close I can get to temptation without crossing a line.
Instead of asking:
"How much can I look without sinning?"
I should ask:
"What helps me remain faithful?"
That's a completely different question.
Practical boundaries might include:
- Unfollowing accounts that repeatedly trigger lust.
- Removing apps that consistently lead me into temptation.
- Refusing to browse privately when I know where my mind tends to go.
- Avoiding situations where I repeatedly compromise.
- Creating accountability with a trustworthy, mature believer.
- Being honest with my spouse where appropriate and wise.
- Seeking pastoral or professional help when the behavior has become compulsive or destructive.
Wisdom doesn't merely fight temptation after it arrives.
Wisdom changes the environment before temptation arrives.
Practical Step #2: Don't Confuse Temptation With Failure
This distinction matters.
Being tempted isn't the same thing as deliberately entertaining temptation.
A thought can appear without my permission.
An attractive person can walk into the room.
An image can unexpectedly appear on a screen.
A memory can surface.
The question is:
What do I do next?
Do I stare?
Do I fantasize?
Do I search for more?
Do I replay it?
Or do I turn away?
Job's "covenant with my eyes" gives me a practical picture.
I don't control every thought that enters my mind.
But I can become increasingly intentional about which thoughts I invite to stay.
Practical Step #3: Replace, Don't Merely Remove
I've noticed something about the human heart.
If I simply say:
"I won't think about this."
I can become even more consumed by it.
Instead, I need something better to pursue.
I need meaningful work.
Healthy relationships.
Prayer.
Scripture.
Physical activity.
Creativity.
Service.
Community.
Marriage intimacy when married.
Purpose.
Rest.
And above all, a deeper relationship with HaShem.
The goal isn't merely to become someone who doesn't lust.
The goal is to become someone who increasingly loves what is good.
Practical Step #4: Learn to See People Again
Lust says:
"What can this person give me?"
Love asks:
"How can I honor this person as someone created by Elohim?"
That shift is profound.
Every person I encounter is more than a body.
More than a face.
More than an image.
More than a fantasy.
More than a source of gratification.
That person carries the dignity of being created by Elohim.
Genesis tells us:
"So Elohim created man in His own image; in the image of Elohim He created him; male and female He created them."
— Genesis 1:27
When I truly believe that, objectification becomes harder.
The person I am tempted to consume becomes someone I am called to honor.
Practical Step #5: Don't Fight Alone
One of the greatest lies surrounding sexual temptation is:
"Nobody can know."
That sentence keeps people trapped.
Of course, wisdom matters.
Not everyone deserves access to our deepest struggles.
But isolation is dangerous.
A mature mentor, rabbi, pastor, trusted friend, counselor, or spouse can sometimes provide the accountability we cannot manufacture alone.
There is humility in saying:
"I need help."
There is courage in admitting:
"This has become bigger than I can manage privately."
And there is no shame in receiving appropriate help.
What About Women Who Read Ezekiel 23?
I don't want women to walk away from this article thinking:
"Apparently God sees women as especially immoral."
That is not the lesson.
The women in Ezekiel 23 symbolize Samaria and Jerusalem.
The chapter is not teaching that women are naturally more sexually sinful than men.
In fact, the entire biblical witness resists that conclusion.
Men fail.
Women fail.
Kings fail.
Prophets fail.
Leaders fail.
Ordinary people fail.
Israel fails.
Judah fails.
And the human heart needs redemption.
The message isn't:
"Women are the problem."
The message is:
"Covenant unfaithfulness destroys what it touches."
That warning belongs to all of us.
And What About Men Who Blame Women for Their Lust?
This may be one of the hardest things to say.
If I am a man and I tell a woman:
"You made me lust because of what you wore,"
I may be avoiding the responsibility Yeshua places on my heart.
Modesty can be wise.
Boundaries can be wise.
Respect for others can be wise.
But another person's appearance does not eliminate my moral agency.
Yeshua's teaching in Matthew 5 calls me to examine what I am doing with what I see.
That is difficult.
But it is also liberating.
Because if my responsibility belongs to me, then I can actually begin changing what belongs to me.
The Hidden Connection Between Lust and Idolatry
This is where Ezekiel 23 becomes even more fascinating.
Lust and idolatry can share a common root:
the desire to possess what I was never meant to possess.
Idolatry says:
"I want something created more than I want the Creator."
Lust says:
"I want this person or this fantasy for what it can give me."
Both can become forms of disordered worship.
That doesn't mean sexual desire itself is evil.
It means desire can become a master.
And whenever a good desire becomes a ruling desire, something has gone wrong.
This is why Yeshua said:
"No one can serve two masters."
— Matthew 6:24
I have to ask:
Who is actually ruling me?
HaShem?
Or whatever desire happens to be loudest today?
The Hope Hidden Inside Ezekiel
Ezekiel is not a comfortable prophet.
But I don't believe the purpose of prophetic confrontation is hopelessness.
The same book that exposes Israel's rebellion also contains extraordinary promises of restoration.
Later, HaShem says:
"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh."
— Ezekiel 36:26
That changes everything.
Because the answer to lust isn't merely:
"Try harder."
The answer is deeper transformation.
I need a heart increasingly turned toward HaShem.
I need the Ruach HaKodesh shaping my desires.
I need truth replacing deception.
I need wisdom replacing impulsiveness.
I need covenant faithfulness replacing self-centered consumption.
I need grace that doesn't excuse sin but gives me courage to confront it.
Yeshua Doesn't Just Tell Me What Not to Do
This is one of the reasons I love reading the Gospels alongside the Prophets.
Yeshua doesn't simply say:
"Don't commit adultery."
He brings me into a deeper vision of what it means to have a pure heart.
He says:
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see Elohim."
— Matthew 5:8
That verse changes the goal.
Purity isn't merely avoiding certain images.
Purity is learning to see.
To see God.
To see people.
To see marriage.
To see sexuality.
To see myself.
To see desire.
To see temptation.
To see the world through a heart that isn't constantly trying to consume everything it finds attractive.
What I Think Ezekiel 23 Is Really Asking Me
When I first asked:
"Why does God only judge women?"
I thought I was asking a question about gender.
But eventually I realized I was asking a question about myself.
Because the deeper question is:
What have I become unfaithful to HaShem with?
What has captured my imagination?
What do I secretly pursue?
Where do I look for comfort?
What do I tell myself nobody sees?
What desires have I allowed to become louder than my devotion to Elohim?
Those questions are much harder.
But they're also much more transformative.
When Sexual Sin Has Already Damaged Your Life
Maybe you're reading this after an affair.
Maybe your marriage is hanging by a thread.
Maybe you've discovered your spouse's pornography use.
Maybe you've betrayed someone you love.
Maybe you've been betrayed.
Maybe you've spent years fighting a secret addiction.
Maybe you feel like you've disappointed HaShem too many times.
If that's you, I want to say something carefully:
Don't confuse consequences with abandonment by God.
Repentance may not erase every earthly consequence.
Trust may take time to rebuild.
A marriage may need serious healing.
Boundaries may become necessary.
Professional counseling may be appropriate.
There may be difficult conversations ahead.
But failure does not mean you must remain in failure.
Isaiah gives us this invitation:
"Return to Me, for I have redeemed you."
— Isaiah 44:22
That is the voice I want to remember.
Not the voice that says:
"Hide."
The voice that says:
"Return."
If You Are the One Who Has Been Hurt
There is another side of this conversation.
Perhaps you're not the one who committed the sexual sin.
Perhaps someone sinned against you.
Maybe your spouse betrayed you.
Maybe someone objectified you.
Maybe someone blamed you for their inability to control themselves.
Maybe you've carried shame that never belonged to you.
If that is your story, please hear this:
Someone else's sinful desire does not determine your worth.
You are not responsible for another person's choices.
And forgiveness, when it is possible and appropriate, does not mean pretending the betrayal never happened.
Biblical forgiveness is not the same as removing every boundary.
Healing can require truth.
Justice can matter.
Wisdom matters.
Safety matters.
And restoration, when possible, must be built upon honesty rather than denial.
The Difference Between Condemnation and Conviction
I've learned to listen carefully to what happens inside me when Scripture confronts me.
Condemnation says:
"You are hopeless."
Conviction says:
"This needs to change."
Condemnation makes me hide from HaShem.
Conviction turns me toward Him.
Condemnation attacks identity.
Conviction exposes behavior.
Condemnation produces despair.
Conviction can produce repentance.
When Ezekiel confronts Israel, the goal isn't entertainment.
It's awakening.
And perhaps that is what some of us need today.
Not another inspirational quote.
Not another argument.
Not another excuse.
An awakening.
A Simple Daily Practice for Fighting Lust
If I were beginning again today, I would make my spiritual practice simple.
In the morning
I would ask:
"HaShem, what kind of person do You want me to become today?"
Not merely:
"How can I avoid temptation?"
But:
"How can I become more faithful?"
During temptation
I would stop.
Breathe.
Name what is happening.
Then deliberately turn my attention elsewhere.
I wouldn't negotiate.
I wouldn't stare.
I wouldn't feed the fantasy.
At night
I would ask myself:
- Where was I faithful today?
- Where did I compromise?
- What triggered me?
- What boundary needs strengthening?
- What am I grateful for?
- Where do I need to repent?
- What can I do differently tomorrow?
This turns failure into information rather than identity.
Five Questions I Keep Coming Back To
There are questions I think every believer should occasionally ask.
1. What do I do when nobody is watching?
That question reveals character.
2. What do I repeatedly consume?
What I continually watch, read, imagine, and pursue eventually shapes me.
3. Do I blame others for my choices?
If I constantly need someone else to be responsible for my behavior, I may be avoiding repentance.
4. What pain am I trying to numb?
Sometimes lust isn't merely about sexuality.
Sometimes it's an attempt to escape loneliness, rejection, boredom, anxiety, grief, or insecurity.
5. What would faithfulness look like today?
Not someday.
Not after I become perfect.
Today.
Key Takeaways
- Ezekiel 23 is not teaching that women are uniquely guilty of sexual sin.
- Oholah and Oholibah symbolically represent Samaria and Jerusalem.
- The sexual imagery describes Israel's covenant unfaithfulness and idolatry.
- Scripture clearly shows that men can commit serious sexual sin, as David's story demonstrates.
- Torah places moral responsibility on the individual rather than making sexual sin solely another person's fault.
- Yeshua teaches that lust begins in the heart, not merely in physical behavior.
- Lust is not exclusively a male problem; it is a human problem involving disordered desire.
- Temptation is not identical to deliberate participation in temptation.
- Healthy boundaries are not weakness; they are wisdom.
- People should not be reduced to bodies, images, or sources of gratification.
- Repentance is different from shame.
- HaShem's confrontation with sin is ultimately connected to His desire for restoration.
- The promise of a new heart in Ezekiel reminds us that transformation is possible.
- Men must take responsibility for their own lust rather than blaming women.
- Women should not carry shame for sexual choices made by others.
- Healing may require accountability, pastoral guidance, counseling, boundaries, and honest relationships.
Reflection Questions
I want to leave you with questions that are more personal than theological.
Take your time with them.
What part of Ezekiel 23 makes me uncomfortable—and why?
Do I instinctively blame one gender more than the other for sexual temptation?
Have I ever used another person's appearance to excuse my own thoughts or actions?
What do I repeatedly allow into my eyes, imagination, and private life?
Is there a hidden desire that has become more powerful than I want to admit?
Am I using sexual fantasy to escape pain that I haven't brought before HaShem?
Have I confused shame with genuine repentance?
What boundary would make faithfulness easier for me?
Who is a trustworthy person with whom I could be honest?
What would it look like for me to make a "covenant with my eyes"?
And perhaps the most important question:
What would change if I truly believed that HaShem wasn't waiting to humiliate me, but was calling me home?
Encouraging Conclusion: The God Who Sees the Secret Places
I began with a question:
Why does Ezekiel 23 seem to judge women when men struggle with lust too?
Now I think I understand the question differently.
Ezekiel 23 isn't primarily about women versus men.
It is about faithfulness versus unfaithfulness.
It is about what happens when the people of God give their hearts to something else.
It is about desire becoming idolatry.
It is about covenant being treated casually.
It is about a people who forgot the One who loved them.
And when I read it that way, I stop pointing across the room.
I start looking inward.
I ask:
Am I faithful?
Not perfect.
Not incapable of temptation.
Not someone who never struggles.
But faithful.
When I fall, do I return?
When I'm tempted, do I turn?
When I fail, do I confess?
When I am wounded, do I seek healing rather than escape?
When I see another person, do I see an object—or someone created in the image of Elohim?
And when HaShem exposes something hidden in me, do I run from Him?
Or do I let Him heal me?
That is where the message of Ezekiel becomes unexpectedly hopeful.
Because HaShem doesn't merely expose the heart.
He promises to transform the heart.
He says:
"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you."
— Ezekiel 36:26
And I need that promise.
You may need it too.
Because the goal isn't simply to become better at hiding our struggles.
The goal is to become people whose hearts are increasingly captivated by HaShem.
People who learn faithfulness.
People who learn self-control.
People who learn to honor one another.
People who don't excuse sin—but don't surrender to despair either.
People who understand that holiness isn't about pretending we never struggle.
It's about continually turning our hearts back toward Elohim.
And perhaps that is the deepest lesson I take from Ezekiel 23:
HaShem is not asking me to pretend my desires don't exist. He is asking me to surrender them to Him so He can teach me how to desire what is good.
That is a journey.
And I'm still walking it.
Closing Prayer
Avinu Malkeinu,
I come before You honestly.
You see the places nobody else sees.
You know my thoughts, my desires, my weaknesses, my wounds, and my secret battles.
Forgive me where I have been unfaithful.
Forgive me where I have objectified others.
Forgive me where I have blamed someone else for choices that belonged to me.
Forgive me where I have allowed desire to become more important than obedience.
Create in me a clean heart.
Teach me to honor every person as someone made in Your image.
Give me wisdom concerning what I watch, what I consume, what I imagine, and what I pursue.
Give me courage to establish boundaries.
Give me humility to ask for help.
Give me strength to walk away when temptation comes.
And where I have been wounded by someone else's sin, bring healing to the places I cannot heal myself.
Thank You that Your correction is not the end of the story.
Thank You that You call us to return.
Thank You for the promise of a new heart.
May my eyes, my thoughts, my relationships, my body, and my desires increasingly belong to You.
Lead me in Your ways.
Let Your Ruach HaKodesh teach me faithfulness.
And when I fall, help me remember that I can turn back toward You.
B'shem Yeshua, amen.
