Thursday, 19 October 2023

Ezekiel 11:22-25 – The need for consecrated living

The description of the departure of the throne chariot ferrying the glory of God in Ezekiel 11:22-25 concluded the second series of the prophet’s visions. The lifting of the wings of the cherubim, the whirling of the wheels beside them, and the glory of God over them were all poised to depart Jerusalem. Verse 23 then said that the glory of the Lord departed from the east gate of the city and stood on the mountain on the left of the city. This mountain is understood to be Mount Olive. When that happened, in a vision Ezekiel saw himself lifted by the Spirit of God and he was back among the exile in Babylon and no longer in Jerusalem. At Babylon among the exile, he then narrated all that the Lord had shown him to them. Later in his final vision in Ezekiel 43, we will see the glory of God returning from the east gate.   

The departure of the glory of God from Jerusalem signals to us that God Cannot and will not co-exist with sin.  Where the presence of sin is, the presence of God will not be there. Just like we will feel uncomfortable in a dirty house, the Spirit of God will also not remain in a temple that is filthy and corrupted by sin. 

 

We must be mindful that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. This was Paul's assertion in 1 Corinthians 6:19. He rhetorically asked, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? He also further asserted that we are not our own for Christ had paid an awesome price to make us God’s very own. The right thing to do then is “to glorify God in our body.”

We are redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. And we are God’s blood-bought children redeemed to live a sanctified life. Hence, we must no longer conform to this world, its patterns, and values. Instead, we must continually offer our lives to God as a living sacrifice and yield our hearts and minds to be progressively transformed.  Let us dedicate each day of our lives to Him and daily be His consecrated people throughout our earthly living!   

    

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