"I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase"
1 Corinthians 3:6
A Message From the Horne of Africa
"A Tale of Two Sisters "
03/29/2009
When Charles Dickens wrote his famous novel, A Tale of Two Cities, I'll bet he never dreamed that his title would one day be borrowed and adapted for a humble bulletin article! With apologies to Mr. Dickens, today's faire is "A Tale of Two Sisters." Now just exactly who would they be? Were they the unsightly, competitive and aggressive step-sisters related to Cinderella? Nope, not likely in a church bulletin article. Now just to make this interactive, take a guess! Unfortunately, there are no prizes reserved for the smart ones who identify the right pair.
Actually there are two sets that I have in mind. One twosome appears in the Old Testament; the other couple in the New Testament. If I were to tell you that the first two were Oholah and Oholibah would that help in the identity parade? They were two rather disreputable women. They are described as "engaging in prostitution from their youth." Still don't know who
they were? Though the NIV heading calls them "Two Adulterous Sisters," they were in effect not actual girls at all. Before you reach for your Bible Concordance, let me reveal who they were. The prophet used picturesque language in the form of personification to make a graphic point. You see, Oholah was Samaria; whereas, Oholibah was Jerusalem, Ezekiel 23:3-4. Samaria, as the capital city of Israel, was representative of the evil Northern Kingdom. She was unfaithful in her loyalty to the Lord and apostate in her worship. She became a prisoner of her lust and found herself in exile in a strange land, Ezekiel 23:9-10.
Though "Madam" Oholibah (Miss Jerusalem) should have learned from the tragic history of her older sister, she not only imitated it, she was worse, Ezekiel 23:11-21. This was another disgraceful case of spiritual adultery. The Lord pronounced judgment on them by saying, "Since you have forgotten me and thrust me behind your back, you must bear the consequences
of your lewdness and prostitution," Ezekiel 23:35, 49. Lesson: Beware of turning your back on your Creator.
In contrast, the New Testament pair of sisters were sweet girls. They frequently hosted the Lord Jesus, Luke 10:38-42. Both ladies, Mary and Martha, were believers in Jesus. Both loved the Lord and honored him. Both trusted him. Martha had a heart for hospitality. That was her first love. Mary had a heart for spiritual food. One was physical and the other was spiritual. Which one would have been more popular with us--the one who tarried in the kitchen or the one who headed for "church?" When Martha remonstrated with her sister for not helping with the food preparation, she enlisted the Lord's help. Would he side with Martha or would he support Mary? After all, the aroma from the kitchen must have triggered dreams of culinary delights. Mary could have been seen as a lazy shirker. Since the Lord's ways are not our ways, he chose to commend Mary for her hunger for spiritual food. He advised Martha "to chill" as the young people say. She was far too anxious about earthly matters. The cares of this world often eclipse our quest for spirituality. The secular displaces the sacred. The first temptation that the devil hurled at Jesus related to physical food--bread, Matthew 4:2. Do you remember how Jesus answered him, Matthew 4:4? Let that be our answer, too. Next time spiritual food is dished up at Bible class or assembly, let us be there to imitate the behavior which the Lord himself commends.
Love you all.
Al--"the Horne of Africa"