In some books of the Bible, euphemisms are used to describe sex. Take, for instance, Song of Solomon’s talk of gardens, pomegranates and deer. However, as I’ve been reading Ezekiel, I’ve discovered that this wild and wooly prophet takes the opposite tack, describing in sexual terms things that aren’t even remotely sexual. Consider the prophet’s anger at Israel’s penchant to seek political and military alliances with its pagan neighbors rather than trusting in God (see Ezekiel 23).

Here’s the challenge: Moving past the question of why the Holy Spirit would inspire such graphic word pictures as Ezekiel 23:20-21, how can passages that are so historically particular be applied to my life? My strategy is to move from the universal to the personal by asking a few questions of the text:

Why were the Jews’ political alliances so serious an offense to God that he describes them in these terms?

How does this text point toward Israel’s need for a Deliverer who will transcend their political and national interests and transform their hearts?

How does this text reflect on the tendency of the people of God to put trust in political and military machinations to achieve earthly influence?

How does this text confront my own sinful habit of seeking security in temporal strategies—whether it’s IRAs, insurance policies or business plans?

Go ahead, let the text confront you. Don’t censor Ezekiel!