Scripture Passage
(It's not photoshopped!)
Scripture Focus
You used the lovely things I gave you to make shrines for idols, where you played the prostitute. Unbelievable! How could such a thing ever happen? (Ezekiel 16:16 NLT)
Observation
Ezekiel 16 is a powerful allegory depicting Israel’s history with God. Ezekiel portrays Israel’s beginnings as that of a discarded baby—that’s right; a female infant perceived as worthless, tossed aside into a field, and left for dead. (Believe it or not, such an action was not particularly uncommon in ancient times.)
God “discovered” baby Israel, helpless and kicking about in her own blood. God had a word for that child: “Live!” (16:6). And live she did. Israel became a beautiful young woman—at which point God made her His bride, clothed her in His finest, and supplied all that she needed and more. And how did Israel respond to this rich graciousness on God’s part?
You used the lovely things I gave you to make shrines for idols, where you played the prostitute. Unbelievable! How could such a thing ever happen? (Ezekiel 16:16 NLT)
God’s question is my question—but my question is not about Israel, it’s about me! I spot this kind of heinous inconsistency more easily in others—I see plainly how America’s prosperity under God has actually resulted in her citizens loving the blessings more than the Blesser. But I see it in myself, as well. I know that I have often taken God’s blessings for granted and—in spite of how good He’s been to me—lived in ways that have neither reflected His character nor contributed to His glory.
Today’s reading puts me in a repentant frame of mind. I do not want to suffer the Lord’s rejection. While I do not need to live in fear of Him, I do long to always live in awe of Him. “Teach me Your ways, O Lord.”
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