DCLM Daily Manna 2025: DCLM Daily Manna 21 November 2025: A Parable of Two SIsters
Text: Ezekiel 23:1–21 (KJV)
The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother:
3 And they committed whoredoms in Egypt; they committed whoredoms in their youth: there were their breasts pressed, and there they bruised the teats of their virginity.
4 And the names of them were Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister: and they were mine, and they bare sons and daughters. Thus were their names; Samaria is Aholah, and Jerusalem Aholibah.
5 And Aholah played the harlot when she was mine; and she doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbours,
6 Which were clothed with blue, captains and rulers, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding upon horses.
7 Thus she committed her whoredoms with them, with all them that were the chosen men of Assyria, and with all on whom she doted: with all their idols she defiled herself.
8 Neither left she her whoredoms brought from Egypt: for in her youth they lay with her, and they bruised the breasts of her virginity, and poured their whoredom upon her.
9 Wherefore I have delivered her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the Assyrians, upon whom she doted.
10 These discovered her nakedness: they took her sons and her daughters, and slew her with the sword: and she became famous among women; for they had executed judgment upon her.
11 And when her sister Aholibah saw this, she was more corrupt in her inordinate love than she, and in her whoredoms more than her sister in her whoredoms.
12 She doted upon the Assyrians her neighbours, captains and rulers clothed most gorgeously, horsemen riding upon horses, all of them desirable young men.
13 Then I saw that she was defiled, that they took both one way,
14 And that she increased her whoredoms: for when she saw men pourtrayed upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans pourtrayed with vermilion,
15 Girded with girdles upon their loins, exceeding in dyed attire upon their heads, all of them princes to look to, after the manner of the Babylonians of Chaldea, the land of their nativity:
16 And as soon as she saw them with her eyes, she doted upon them, and sent messengers unto them into Chaldea.
17 And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their whoredom, and she was polluted with them, and her mind was alienated from them.
18 So she discovered her whoredoms, and discovered her nakedness: then my mind was alienated from her, like as my mind was alienated from her sister.
19 Yet she multiplied her whoredoms, in calling to remembrance the days of her youth, wherein she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt.
20 For she doted upon their paramours, whose flesh is as the flesh of asses, and whose issue is like the issue of horses.
21 Thus thou calledst to remembrance the lewdness of thy youth, in bruising thy teats by the Egyptians for the paps of thy youth.
KEY VERSE: (Ezekiel 23:4).
“And the names of them were Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister: and they were mine, and they bare sons and daughters. Thus were their names; Samaria is Aholah, and Jerusalem Aholibah.”
Sometimes, people struggle to understand certain parts of the Bible because Scripture uses different forms of literary expression—poetry, prophecy, wisdom sayings, parables, and allegories. Today’s passage is one such allegory.
In this vivid and striking parable, Aholah represents Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel, while Aholibah represents Jerusalem, the capital of Judah. This imagery sets the stage for God’s message to His people.
Using the metaphor of sexual immorality, God describes both Samaria and Judah as unfaithful women who abandon their true husband—God—and pursue illicit relationships with other nations. Samaria chased after the Egyptians and Assyrians; Judah went even further, adding the Chaldeans to her sinful alliances. What seemed to them like exciting adventures eventually led to shame, destruction, and judgment.
This parable stands as a solemn warning against apostasy and ungodly alliances. Friendship with the world is enmity with God. The world that crucified Jesus cannot offer any lasting good to His followers. Its promises are bait designed to ensnare the soul.
Believers must not seek help, comfort, or salvation in ungodly places. Judah failed to learn from Israel’s downfall and fell into the same error—proving that it is especially tragic to repeat the mistakes we already saw destroy others.
While the Christian must interact with the world—working, studying, trading, and building relationships—we must avoid its sinful patterns. Separation from the world does not mean isolation. It means maintaining holiness and purity while still reaching people with the gospel.
Jesus Himself gave us the perfect example: He mingled with sinners in order to save them, yet He never partook in their sins. That is the balance believers must maintain today.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
It is doubly painful to fall into the same ditch we watched others fall into.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Daily Manna 21 November 2025
