Ezekiel 23:9-13: a reflection

9“Therefore I delivered her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the Assyrians on whom she doted. 10These uncovered her nakedness. They took her sons and her daughters, and they killed her with the sword. She became a byword among women; for they executed judgments on her. 11“Her sister Oholibah saw this, yet she was more corrupt in her lusting than she, and in her prostitution which was more depraved than the prostitution of her sister. 12She lusted after the Assyrians, governors and rulers—her neighbors, clothed most gorgeously, horsemen riding on horses, all of them desirable young men. 13I saw that she was defiled. They both went the same way.

In this stark allegory of two unfaithful sisters, one has already suffered judgment for her unfaithfulness; and the striking, sorrowful detail is that the other sister saw this, and yet became even more corrupt than the first. She had before her eyes the visible consequences of her sister's sin, the judgment it brought; and yet, rather than being warned by it, she went the same way, and worse. She failed utterly to learn from the downfall she had witnessed.

Notice the folly the passage exposes: failing to learn from the visible downfall of another. The second sister had seen where her sister's sin led, seen the judgment it brought; the warning was before her eyes. And yet she did not heed it; she pursued the same sin, even more deeply, ignoring the plain lesson of what she had witnessed. To see the consequences of a sin in another, and yet pursue it ourselves, is a deep folly; the warning was there, and went unheeded.

That folly is one we can share, for we often fail to learn from the downfall of others. We see where a certain sin or way of living has led someone else, see the consequences it brought them; and yet, rather than being warned, we pursue the same thing ourselves, as though it would be different for us. But the consequences we see in others' lives are warnings meant to instruct us. When you see the downfall of another, the consequences a sin or a way of living has brought them, do not ignore the lesson and pursue the same thing yourself; learn from what you have witnessed. The second sister saw her sister's judgment and went the same way, to her own ruin; do not be like her, failing to learn from the downfall you have seen. Let the visible consequences of others' sin be a warning that instructs you, turning you from the same path, rather than a lesson ignored while you pursue the very thing that brought them down.

Lord, in this stark allegory of two unfaithful sisters, one had already suffered judgment; and the sorrowful detail is that the other saw this, yet became even more corrupt, going the same way and worse. She had the visible consequences of her sister's sin before her eyes, and failed utterly to learn from the downfall she had witnessed. Show me the folly the passage exposes: failing to learn from the visible downfall of another. The second sister saw where her sister's sin led, and yet pursued the same sin, ignoring the plain lesson. To see the consequences of a sin in another, and yet pursue it ourselves, is a deep folly. That folly I can share, for I often fail to learn from the downfall of others. I see where a certain sin or way of living has led someone else, see the consequences it brought them; and yet, rather than being warned, I can pursue the same thing myself, as though it would be different for me. But the consequences I see in others' lives are warnings meant to instruct me. When I see the downfall of another, keep me from ignoring the lesson and pursuing the same thing myself; help me learn from what I have witnessed. Let the visible consequences of others' sin be a warning that instructs me, Lord, turning me from the same path, rather than a lesson ignored.