Why Does It Look Like Jerusalem Is Being Judged While the Nations Get Away With Everything - What Ezekiel 23 Really Reveals About God’s Judgment
Opening
I have had moments when I looked at the world around me and quietly asked a question I was almost afraid to say out loud:
“HaShem, why does it seem as though Jerusalem is the one being judged while everyone else is getting away with everything?”
I see violence.
I see corruption.
I see sexual immorality celebrated rather than hidden.
I see nations exploiting one another.
I see leaders making promises they never intend to keep.
I see people mocking holiness while demanding justice from everyone else.
And then I open Ezekiel 23.
There they are—Oholah and Oholibah, two sisters whose story is told through some of the strongest and most unsettling imagery in the Tanakh.
And I wonder:
Why Jerusalem?
Why does the prophet speak so severely about her?
Why does HaShem expose Jerusalem's unfaithfulness so completely?
And if the world around us appears to be behaving in ways that resemble the sins described in Ezekiel 23, why doesn't judgment seem equally visible everywhere?
For a long time, I thought the answer might be that God was simply being harder on Jerusalem.
But the deeper I went into Scripture, the more I realized that I was asking the wrong question.
The question isn't merely, “Why is Jerusalem being judged?”
The more uncomfortable question is:
“Why does God expect so much from the people who bear His name?”
And that question eventually became personal.
Because once I stopped looking at Jerusalem as merely a city on a map and started seeing Ezekiel 23 as a warning about covenant unfaithfulness, I could no longer comfortably point my finger at everyone else.
I had to look at myself.
And perhaps you do too.
Introduction: The Uncomfortable Message of Ezekiel 23
Ezekiel 23 is not an easy chapter.
It uses shocking sexual imagery to describe spiritual and covenantal infidelity. Oholah represents Samaria, while Oholibah represents Jerusalem.
The language is intentionally disturbing.
HaShem is not trying to entertain His audience.
He is trying to awaken them.
The imagery communicates something Israel's prophets repeatedly declared: idolatry is not a harmless spiritual hobby. Covenant betrayal has consequences.
Israel had been called into relationship with Elohim.
She had received His Torah.
She had been brought out of Egypt.
She had been given a land.
She had been entrusted with worship.
She had been called to be a people who reflected the character of their God.
Yet Jerusalem repeatedly pursued other allegiances.
And that is why Ezekiel's message is so severe.
The city wasn't being singled out because HaShem hated her.
She was being confronted because she belonged to Him.
That distinction changed everything for me.
The Story I Had Been Telling Myself
I remember how easy it is to read difficult passages of Scripture while mentally assigning them to somebody else.
I can read about idolatry and think about politicians.
I can read about sexual immorality and think about popular culture.
I can read about injustice and think about corrupt governments.
I can read about pride and think about celebrities.
I can read about Jerusalem's rebellion and think about Jerusalem.
But eventually the Word of God asks me:
“What about you?”
That question is far more frightening.
Because Scripture was never given merely to help me identify the sins of other people.
It was given to expose my heart.
The Torah already establishes this principle.
“You shall not follow a crowd to do evil.”
— Exodus 23:2
That verse has become increasingly meaningful to me.
There is enormous pressure today to follow the crowd.
If everybody is doing something, it starts feeling normal.
If everybody celebrates something, we stop questioning it.
If everybody condemns someone, we join the condemnation.
If everybody calls something good, we become afraid to call it wrong.
But covenant faithfulness has never been determined by majority vote.
Ezekiel 23 Was Never Just About Sexual Immorality
One of the greatest mistakes we can make with Ezekiel 23 is reducing it to a discussion about sexual sin.
The sexual imagery is there, but the underlying issue is much larger.
It is faithlessness.
It is idolatry.
It is political dependence.
It is spiritual compromise.
It is forgetting who Israel belongs to.
Oholah and Oholibah are portrayed as women who repeatedly gave themselves to foreign powers and foreign gods.
The metaphor is deliberately intimate because HaShem is communicating something about covenant relationship.
The prophets often used marriage imagery to describe Israel's relationship with God.
The issue is not simply:
“You broke a rule.”
The deeper issue is:
“You betrayed a relationship.”
That distinction matters.
Because I can obey outwardly while becoming inwardly distant.
I can appear religious while my heart belongs somewhere else.
I can use Hebrew words, attend synagogue, study Torah, celebrate the appointed times, sing worship songs, and still allow something other than Elohim to occupy the throne of my heart.
And that realization humbles me.
Why Jerusalem Receives Such Severe Judgment
The answer begins with covenant responsibility.
Israel wasn't just another nation.
She had received extraordinary revelation.
Moshe warned Israel repeatedly that covenant blessings and covenant consequences were real.
In Deuteronomy, HaShem says:
“You shall therefore keep the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments which I command you today, to observe them.”
— Deuteronomy 7:11
Israel's calling came with responsibility.
Greater revelation meant greater accountability.
That is why the prophets repeatedly confronted Jerusalem.
Not because Jerusalem was uniquely hated.
But because Jerusalem was uniquely accountable.
This is a principle we desperately need to recover.
Being chosen is not permission to become careless.
Being called is not a license for pride.
Having biblical knowledge doesn't automatically produce faithfulness.
Knowing Torah doesn't mean I have surrendered my heart.
And identifying with Yeshua doesn't mean I have nothing left to repent of.
“But What About the Nations?”
This is where the question becomes especially important.
If the nations surrounding Israel were also violent, idolatrous, sexually immoral, oppressive, and arrogant, why does Scripture spend so much time condemning Israel?
The answer is that the Tanakh actually does not teach that the nations escape judgment.
The prophets repeatedly pronounce judgment upon surrounding nations.
Babylon.
Assyria.
Egypt.
Edom.
Moab.
Ammon.
Philistia.
Tyre.
The nations are not invisible to Elohim.
Amos makes this especially clear.
HaShem's justice extends beyond Israel.
But Israel cannot use the sins of the nations as an excuse for her own disobedience.
That is one of the most important lessons I find in the prophets.
Someone else's wickedness never makes my disobedience righteous.
I cannot stand before HaShem and say:
“But look what they are doing!”
He can answer:
“I am speaking to you.”
The Prophet Amos Gave Me a Sobering Lesson
There is a passage in Amos that I find almost terrifying because it destroys spiritual entitlement.
HaShem says:
“You only have I known of all the families of the earth; Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.”
— Amos 3:2
That sentence completely changes how I understand covenant privilege.
“You only have I known…”
And then:
“Therefore I will punish you…”
Not:
“Therefore you can do whatever you want.”
Not:
“Therefore you are exempt from consequences.”
Therefore.
The relationship itself creates responsibility.
This is one reason I hesitate when I hear believers speak as though being part of God's covenant purposes makes them immune from correction.
Scripture says almost the opposite.
Jerusalem Is Not the Only Place God Sees
There is another danger in talking about divine judgment today.
We can become so confident about identifying God's specific judgments that we begin speaking where Scripture has not spoken.
I have learned to be careful here.
When tragedy strikes Jerusalem, Israel, America, Europe, the Middle East, or anywhere else, I should be extremely cautious about announcing:
“This happened because God is judging that particular group for that particular sin.”
Unless Scripture clearly gives me that revelation, I don't possess it.
The Bible certainly teaches that Elohim judges nations and individuals.
But that does not mean I am automatically given the ability to interpret every modern catastrophe as a specific divine judgment.
There is humility in saying:
“I don't know why HaShem allowed this.”
There is wisdom in refusing to turn another person's suffering into a theological weapon.
Yeshua Warned Me About This
This is where the teachings of Yeshua become incredibly important.
In Luke 13, people came to Yeshua with news about Galileans who had suffered.
They apparently wanted an explanation.
Were these people worse sinners?
Yeshua challenged that assumption.
He also referred to people who died when a tower fell and asked whether they were more guilty than others.
His answer was essentially:
Don't assume that tragedy gives you permission to declare yourself morally superior.
Instead, He called people to repentance.
That is a profound difference.
When I see judgment, my first question should not be:
“Which sinners caused this?”
It should be:
“What is HaShem showing me about the condition of my own heart?”
The Difference Between Discernment and Presumption
I believe this distinction is desperately needed.
Discernment says:
“Scripture calls this behavior sinful, so I will not call it righteous.”
Presumption says:
“I know exactly why God allowed this tragedy.”
Discernment says:
“I see a pattern Scripture warns us about.”
Presumption says:
“I know precisely whom God is currently punishing.”
Discernment says:
“I need to repent where I have compromised.”
Presumption says:
“Those people need to repent.”
The first posture keeps me humble.
The second can make me arrogant.
And arrogance is precisely the kind of spiritual disease the prophets repeatedly condemned.
Why Ezekiel's Message Should Frighten Me Personally
I don't read Ezekiel 23 and think:
“Look at how wicked Jerusalem was.”
I read it and think:
“How easily can a heart drift?”
That is what frightens me.
Spiritual compromise rarely announces itself with a trumpet.
It usually enters quietly.
A little resentment.
A little greed.
A little envy.
A little compromise.
A little entertainment that slowly reshapes my values.
A little dependence on political power.
A little obsession with money.
A little hunger for approval.
A little bitterness toward someone who hurt me.
And eventually I discover that something I once recognized as dangerous has become normal.
That is how idolatry works.
What Are My Modern “Foreign Lovers”?
This question may sound uncomfortable, but I think it is necessary.
If Ezekiel 23 exposes Israel's misplaced desire for foreign powers and foreign gods, what competes for my loyalty today?
I don't necessarily bow before a statue.
But I can worship.
I can worship success.
I can worship political identity.
I can worship money.
I can worship romantic relationships.
I can worship physical appearance.
I can worship social media approval.
I can worship comfort.
I can even worship my own interpretation of religion.
And perhaps the most dangerous idol is the one that convinces me I don't have idols.
Yeshua's Warning About the Heart
Yeshua repeatedly brought spiritual obedience back to the heart.
He quoted the Torah and emphasized the greatest commandment:
“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”
— Matthew 22:37
That isn't merely a command to feel affection for God.
It is a declaration of total allegiance.
All my heart.
All my soul.
All my mind.
I cannot give HaShem Sunday morning while giving everything else my heart the rest of the week.
And I cannot say Yeshua is Lord while allowing fear, money, ideology, lust, resentment, or human approval to rule me.
The Problem Isn't That the World Is Too Wicked
Sometimes I think we ask:
“Why is the world becoming so wicked?”
That's a legitimate question.
But perhaps there is another question:
“Am I becoming more faithful while the world becomes less faithful?”
That question is harder.
I don't control the moral condition of the entire planet.
I can, however, ask whether my own household is becoming more faithful.
I can examine my speech.
My spending.
My relationships.
My entertainment.
My thought life.
My treatment of people who disagree with me.
My attitude toward the vulnerable.
My willingness to forgive.
My willingness to repent.
My willingness to obey when nobody is watching.
The Torah Gives Me a Better Response to a Corrupt World
The answer to a corrupt culture isn't isolation from everyone.
It's covenant faithfulness.
Micah gives us a remarkably simple framework:
“He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the LORD require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?”
— Micah 6:8
I love how practical this is.
Do justice.
Love mercy.
Walk humbly.
Not merely talk about justice.
Not merely demand mercy for myself.
Not merely speak about God.
Walk.
What Does Faithfulness Look Like When the World Is Falling Apart?
I've come to believe that spiritual maturity is often revealed in ordinary moments.
It looks like telling the truth when lying would benefit me.
It looks like refusing to participate in gossip.
It looks like treating someone with dignity when I disagree with them.
It looks like keeping my word.
It looks like caring for the vulnerable.
It looks like refusing to become intoxicated with outrage.
It looks like praying before reacting.
It looks like returning to Scripture when my emotions are screaming something else.
It looks like asking forgiveness.
It looks like forgiving someone who doesn't deserve my forgiveness.
It looks like choosing holiness when compromise would be easier.
Five Practical Ways I Can Guard My Heart From Becoming Like Oholibah
1. I Examine What Has My Attention
Whatever consistently occupies my imagination deserves examination.
I can ask:
- What do I think about when I have nothing else to think about?
- What am I constantly checking?
- What makes me jealous?
- What makes me furious?
- What makes me feel important?
- What am I afraid to lose?
Sometimes my greatest idol is hiding inside my strongest obsession.
2. I Test My Loyalties Against Torah
The Torah gives me a foundation for examining my life.
I don't ask merely:
“Do I like this?”
I ask:
“Is this faithful to the character and commandments of Elohim?”
That changes the conversation.
My preferences aren't the ultimate authority.
Culture isn't the ultimate authority.
Popularity isn't the ultimate authority.
My political tribe isn't the ultimate authority.
HaShem is.
3. I Stop Measuring My Righteousness Against Someone Else
This may be one of the most important lessons I have learned.
If I constantly compare myself to someone worse than me, I can always find evidence that I'm doing well.
But holiness isn't measured by whether I'm better than my neighbor.
The standard is faithfulness to Elohim.
That means I can stop saying:
“At least I'm not as bad as them.”
And start asking:
“Where is HaShem asking me to grow?”
4. I Refuse to Confuse Outrage With Holiness
I have discovered that it is possible to become addicted to being angry about evil.
I can consume outrage all day long and call it discernment.
But anger alone doesn't transform me.
There are times when righteous anger is appropriate.
Yet I need to ask:
Is my anger producing obedience—or merely feeding my ego?
Yeshua's life demonstrates that holiness is not passive indifference to evil.
But neither is holiness a permanent state of rage.
5. I Practice Repentance Before I Demand It From Others
Teshuvah begins with turning.
Turning away.
Turning toward.
Returning to HaShem.
Whenever I feel tempted to proclaim judgment over somebody else, I can pause and ask:
“Is there anything in me that needs to be surrendered first?”
Sometimes the most powerful sermon I can preach is an honest confession.
What If God Is Allowing This Moment to Wake Us Up?
I don't claim to know the specific purpose behind every event in our world.
But I do know what Scripture repeatedly tells me to do when confronted with moral confusion:
Return to HaShem.
The prophets constantly called Israel back.
Not merely back to religious activity.
Back to covenant faithfulness.
Back to justice.
Back to mercy.
Back to humility.
Back to truth.
Back to worship.
Back to obedience.
That is why I don't want to read Ezekiel 23 merely as an ancient story of judgment.
I want to hear the warning.
Jerusalem and the Danger of Spiritual Entitlement
There is another lesson here that I believe Messianic believers especially need to hear.
It is possible to become proud of being connected to Israel.
It is possible to become proud of knowing Hebrew terminology.
It is possible to become proud of understanding Torah.
It is possible to become proud of understanding prophecy.
It is possible to become proud of our theological distinctions.
And once pride enters, knowledge itself can become another idol.
The goal isn't merely to know more.
The goal is to become more faithful.
Yeshua and the Call to Faithfulness
Yeshua did not come to teach His followers to despise Torah.
In Matthew 5, He said:
“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.”
— Matthew 5:17
That should cause me to slow down.
The Messiah directs me back toward the Scriptures rather than away from them.
And His teaching repeatedly presses beyond outward appearances into the condition of the heart.
That is exactly where Ezekiel's message reaches me.
The issue isn't merely what Jerusalem did publicly.
The issue is what was happening within her relationship with Elohim.
When I Look at the World, I Need Two Eyes
I've learned that I need two kinds of vision.
One eye sees the reality of evil.
I must not pretend that wickedness doesn't exist.
Scripture doesn't call me to naivety.
The other eye sees my own need for mercy.
I must not become so obsessed with everyone else's sin that I forget my own dependence upon HaShem.
This balance is crucial.
Truth without humility becomes arrogance.
Humility without truth becomes compromise.
Biblical faithfulness requires both.
So, Is God “Only Judging Jerusalem Today”?
I would answer carefully:
I don't think Scripture gives me grounds to make that sweeping claim.
The Tanakh teaches that HaShem judges Israel, Jerusalem, and the nations.
He sees every nation.
He sees every government.
He sees every injustice.
He sees every hidden sin.
He sees every oppressed person.
He sees every act of mercy.
Nothing escapes Him.
But Scripture also teaches me that I should be cautious about declaring the meaning of specific contemporary events.
Instead of confidently announcing, “God is judging Jerusalem because…”, I can say:
“Ezekiel 23 reminds me that covenant unfaithfulness has consequences, and it calls me to examine my own faithfulness before HaShem.”
That is a conclusion I can defend from Scripture.
And it is a conclusion that leaves room for humility.
The Most Dangerous Question Isn't “Why Them?”
It's:
“What about me?”
What if HaShem is using this moment to reveal something in my own heart?
What if the outrage I feel toward the world is exposing an idol inside me?
What if my obsession with political events is distracting me from obedience?
What if my concern about someone else's sexual morality is hiding bitterness in my own heart?
What if I am demanding justice from others while asking for mercy for myself?
What if I know Scripture but have forgotten compassion?
What if I speak constantly about holiness but secretly nourish resentment?
These are not comfortable questions.
But they may be holy questions.
The Hope Hidden Inside Judgment
There is something else I don't want to miss.
The prophets did not speak only about judgment.
They also spoke about restoration.
HaShem's discipline is not the end of His story.
Through Ezekiel, God promises restoration and renewal.
One of the most beautiful promises comes in Ezekiel 36:
“Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.”
— Ezekiel 36:25
That is the hope I cling to.
HaShem doesn't merely expose impurity.
He promises cleansing.
He doesn't merely reveal idols.
He calls His people away from them.
And that gives me hope.
The Promise of a New Heart
Ezekiel continues:
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you.”
— Ezekiel 36:26
For me, this is where the message becomes deeply personal.
Because I don't merely need better information.
I need transformation.
I don't need to become an expert at identifying everyone else's compromise.
I need a heart that loves what HaShem loves.
I need a heart that recognizes sin quickly.
I need a heart that repents without excuses.
I need a heart that seeks mercy.
I need a heart that longs for truth.
I need a heart that can receive correction.
I need a heart that can forgive.
I need a heart that can remain faithful when everyone around me isn't.
What I Want to Remember When the World Looks Dark
When I see the world behaving in ways that grieve me, I want to remember:
HaShem has not lost control.
When Jerusalem suffers, I don't have to pretend I understand every reason.
When nations act wickedly, I don't have to believe justice has disappeared.
When evil appears to prosper, I don't have to conclude that Elohim is absent.
When I don't understand, I can remain faithful.
The Psalmist gives me words for that tension:
“I waited patiently for the LORD;
And He inclined to me,
And heard my cry.”
— Psalm 40:1
Waiting is not weakness.
Sometimes waiting is faith.
My Personal Prayer for This Generation
If I could sit across the table from another believer who was overwhelmed by everything happening in the world, I wouldn't tell them to stop caring.
I would tell them to care differently.
Care deeply.
Pray faithfully.
Study Scripture.
Stand for truth.
Protect the vulnerable.
Reject wickedness.
Love mercy.
But don't let the darkness outside become darkness inside.
Don't allow outrage to replace prayer.
Don't allow prophecy speculation to replace obedience.
Don't allow political identity to replace covenant identity.
Don't allow fear to replace trust.
And don't allow somebody else's sin to become an excuse for your own.
Key Takeaways
- Ezekiel 23 is fundamentally about covenant unfaithfulness, idolatry, and misplaced allegiance—not merely sexual behavior.
- Jerusalem's judgment does not mean the nations escape God's justice. The prophets repeatedly speak of judgment upon the nations.
- Covenant privilege carries covenant responsibility.
- I should be cautious about declaring that a specific modern tragedy is God's judgment for a specific sin unless Scripture clearly supports that conclusion.
- Yeshua directs me toward repentance rather than self-righteous comparison.
- The corruption of the world should motivate my faithfulness, not my arrogance.
- My first spiritual question should often be “What about me?” rather than “Why them?”
- Torah provides a framework for faithful living in a morally confused world.
- Biblical holiness involves justice, mercy, humility, truth, repentance, and love.
- HaShem's warnings are not devoid of hope; Scripture also points toward cleansing, restoration, and renewed hearts.
Reflection Questions
I want to encourage you to sit with these questions slowly.
Don't rush through them.
1. What currently has the strongest claim on my attention?
2. Is there anything in my life that has quietly become more important to me than obedience to HaShem?
3. Do I spend more time identifying the sins of other people than examining my own heart?
4. Have I confused political loyalty, cultural identity, or religious identity with faithfulness to Elohim?
5. When I see suffering or judgment, do I respond first with compassion or accusation?
6. What does repentance look like for me right now?
7. Where is HaShem asking me to practice justice?
8. Where is He asking me to show mercy?
9. Where do I need greater humility?
10. Am I willing to let Scripture correct me, even when I don't like what it reveals?
Encouraging Conclusion: Maybe the Warning Is an Invitation
I began with the question:
“Why does it look as though Jerusalem is being judged while the world gets away with everything?”
I no longer think the best response is to pretend I know exactly what HaShem is doing in every contemporary event.
Instead, Ezekiel 23 has taught me something more searching.
When I see Jerusalem, I should remember covenant responsibility.
When I see the nations, I should remember that HaShem sees them too.
When I see wickedness, I should resist compromise.
When I see suffering, I should respond with compassion.
When I see judgment, I should examine myself.
And when I see my own failure, I should run toward HaShem rather than away from Him.
Because the story of Scripture is not simply the story of people who failed.
It is also the story of a faithful Elohim who continually calls His people home.
That is why I don't want Ezekiel 23 to leave me merely angry.
I want it to leave me awake.
Awake to idolatry.
Awake to compromise.
Awake to pride.
Awake to mercy.
Awake to repentance.
Awake to the holiness of HaShem.
And ultimately, awake to hope.
Yeshua's words continue to echo in my heart:
“Watch and pray.”
— Matthew 26:41
So that is what I want to do.
I want to watch without becoming paranoid.
I want to discern without becoming arrogant.
I want to confront evil without becoming consumed by hatred.
I want to love Israel without idolizing Israel.
I want to care about Jerusalem without pretending I understand every mystery surrounding her.
I want to honor Torah without turning knowledge into pride.
I want to follow Yeshua without abandoning the Scriptures He loved.
And above all, I want my heart to remain tender before HaShem.
Because perhaps the greatest warning in Ezekiel 23 isn't simply that a city can fall.
Perhaps it is that a heart can drift long before anyone notices.
And perhaps the greatest invitation is this:
Come home before you have to be dragged home.
Closing Prayer
Avinu Malkeinu,
I come before You with humility.
Forgive me for the times I have looked at the sins of the world while ignoring the condition of my own heart.
Forgive me for pride, compromise, bitterness, idolatry, and misplaced allegiance.
Give me discernment without arrogance.
Give me courage without cruelty.
Give me conviction without hatred.
Give me compassion without compromise.
Teach me to love what You love.
Teach me to walk in Your ways.
Teach me to honor Your Torah and to listen carefully to the words of Yeshua.
By Your mercy, cleanse what is unclean in me.
Remove the idols I have allowed into places that belong only to You.
Give me a heart that is faithful when faithfulness is unpopular.
Give me wisdom when I cannot understand what You are doing.
Give me patience when I want immediate answers.
Give me Shalom when the world feels chaotic.
And when I am tempted to point at everyone else, gently turn my eyes back toward You.
May my life become a testimony that Your people can remain faithful even in a faithless generation.
May I seek justice.
May I love mercy.
May I walk humbly with You.
And may everything within me belong to You.
B'shem Yeshua, Amen.
