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First and Foremost

In Ezekiel, the twenty-sixth book of the Bible, God recruits Ezekiel to be a prophet, specifically to warn the divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah of their sin against God. In the first ten chapters, God demonstrates to Ezekiel what Israel and Judah are doing to disobey him, revealing the idolatry they are committing. In chapter eight, God shows Ezekiel the idolatry that Israel is committing in God's temple, and while he is doing so, he says these words in Ezekiel 8:6:

"And he said to me, 'Son of man, do you see what they are doing--the utterly detestable things the house of Israel is doing here, things that will drive me far from my sanctuary? But you will see things that are even more detestable."

Look now at 1st Corinthians 6:19 in the New Testament:

"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies."

The fact that Israel was able to commit idolatry in the temple built by human hands reminded me of this later verse, and the fact that we can also commit idolatry in the temple built by God. That is, we can commit idolatry in our hearts by making other things in life more important to us than God.

When we do this, then, we also drive God far from his sanctuary. That is, we drive him far from us. It's a simple observation, but it is profound when you think about the importance of obedience and in keeping God first in our hearts. We have the choice of intimacy with or isolation from God. This is one reason, I'm sure, that the first of the Ten Commandments is to "have no other gods before" God. Thanks for reading.
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