the Third Week after Easter
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Daily Devotionals
Day by Day Devotional - Year 4 of 5
Ezekiel 10:1-22
This is a solemn page in Israel’s history! In the past the LORD had chosen for Himself a dwelling in the midst of His people (Deuteronomy 12:5). He had come to occupy it in grace for the blessing of His own, but theirs was the responsibility to maintain the holiness that becomes His house (Psalms 93:5). But in this holy temple, as supreme provocation, the worst of pagan abominations had been carried on. Yes, Israel had done all that was necessary to drive the LORD away from His sanctuary (Ezekiel 8:6). So now God is going away! But see with what touching reluctance He goes, stage by stage, to make us realise the sadness which He feels about this departure, as if to say to Israel, "Will you not hold Me back?" The glory first stands still over the threshold of the house (v. 4; Ezekiel 9:3). Then it rises up and pauses again over the door of the East gate of the house of the LORD, as if it could not resign itself to going away (v. 19).
Dear Christian friends, let us not forget that we are the temple of God and that His Spirit dwells in us (1 Corinthians 3:16-17). If this temple (our heart) becomes filled with idols, the grieved Spirit will no longer be operative, and our communion with God will be interrupted. He is "a jealous God", who is unable to tolerate any sharing of our affections (2 Corinthians 6:15).
