A Tale Of Two Sisters

A TALE OF TWO SISTERS

Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother. They played the whore. Ezekiel 23:1

In Ezekiel 23:1-49, the prophet presents a parable about two sisters. Their names are Oholah (“my tent”), and she is Israel (the Northern Kingdom), and Oholibah (“my tent is in her”), and she is Judah (the Southern Kingdom). They come from one mother: Judaism. They are presented as two young girls in adolescence who live in Egypt. There they were fondled and lost their virginity in a lifestyle of fornication. God takes them to Himself, marries them both and teaches them a new way of life. But whoredom is deep within their souls. The older sister (Israel) runs off to live with Assyria in spiritual adultery. Little sister (Judah) has an affair with Assyria but then goes and settles into a life of fornication with Babylon. Both lovers abuse, rape and plunder these two sisters. The tale is a sad one; the parable is poignant with implications.

How we transfer the parable to our time may be debatable. Are the two sisters European Christianity and her little sister American Christianity, both enamored and in bed with postmodernity? Or should we think of Roman Catholicism and her sister Protestantism, both given over to neo-orthodoxy in different but similar ways? Or perhaps, if we keep things closer to home in America, Oholah is the mainline church and Oholibah is Evangelicalism, once very distinct and different, but now both violated by worldliness. Even more provocative: Can we see two generations in the Presbyterian Church in America struggling with how to be as much like the culture as possible without getting obviously pregnant with apostasy?

Even to write (or read) of such things seems, well…inappropriate, does it not? But I, for one, cannot see this parable merely as an historical commentary on the decline of the divided monarchy from Solomon to Zedekiah. I’d love to do so, but Paul won’t let me. Please read 1 Cor. 10:11-15.

Sisters have the tendency to dress alike, act alike, date alike, and even marry alike. Therefore, it would be a good exercise to think through who lovely Oholah and her pretty little sister, Oholibah, are for us. They may be headed for a life of heartbreak and shame.

Vince Melamed and Gary Barnhill have written a Country/Western song, sung by Trisha Yearwood, called “Walkaway Joe.” It’s about a 17-year-old girl who, against her mother’s wishes and advice, runs off with a no-good boy, into a life of sadness. Here’s the song, in part:

Momma told her baby, girl take it real slow

Girl told her momma hey I really gotta go

He’s waitin’ in the car Momma said girl you won’t get far

Thus are the dreams of an average Jane

Ninety miles an hour down a lovers lane

On a tank of dreams

Oh if she could’ve only seen

But fate’s got cards that it don’t want to show

And that boy’s just

A walkaway Joe

We’ve seen this sad story a dozen times, it seems, in our neighborhoods. We know of cases like it in our own families. But is it possible that Evangelicalism in America (and maybe the PCA) is flirting with ole Walkaway Joe? Let us pray to God that this not be so.

PRAYING FOR THE PCA

CEP: Pray that the enemy will be thwarted at every point as he tries to steal our covenant children from their purpose in Christ’s Kingdom.

CC: Please pray for students who are struggling with personal issues thatprevent them from functioning at their greatest potential in a rigorous academic program.

MNA: Please pray for continued protection for our deployed military chaplains. We praise God that we have not had any of our chaplains seriously injured or killed. Many of them are ministering in very dangerous places, and we have had several near misses. Pray for Doug Lee as he leads MNA Chaplain Ministries.

PCAF: Pray that as the PCA Foundation cultivates relationships with prospective donors, God will be glorified and He will move them to take advantage of our services.

RH: Pray for Steve Cobb, Guest Services Manager, as he takes, processes and responds to all reservations and assists with camper registrations. Steve also has responsibility for oversight of all of the housekeeping staff and procedures. Pray for continued good health and strength, especially during those times when the housekeeping staff is rushed to provide for hundreds of people with less than eight-hour turnaround times.