Week 9 Day 2
Finding God in the every day
Ezekiel 8:5He said to me, “Do you see this, son of man? You will see things that are even more detestable than this.”
16 He then brought me into the inner court of the house of the Lord, and there at the entrance to the temple, between the portico and the altar, were about twenty-five men. With their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east, they were bowing down to the sun in the east.
17 He said to me, “Have you seen this, son of man? Is it a trivial matter for the people of Judah to do the detestable things they are doing here? Must they also fill the land with violence and continually arouse my anger? Look at them putting the branch to their nose! 18 Therefore I will deal with them in anger; I will not look on them with pity or spare them. Although they shout in my ears, I will not listen to them.”
As I searched the scriptures today I found this seemingly obscure reference to a very common worship practice of pagan peoples around the globe. As I contemplated what God was saying to Ezekiel I began to chuckle, When I think about sun worshipers and their silly rituals, I can’t help wondering what they expect from a huge burning ball of gas which was placed where it is in our tiny out of the way solar system by a great and wonderful God who spoke all things into being. Seems rather foolish. “The idea of “putting the branch to their nose” was a curiosity that I soon began to compare with our nations current obsession with marijuana. Certainly we are as a nation, as a “culture” turning our backs on God and looking in the created world a solution to the problems in our lives that Christ has already overcome on the cross of Calvary and put to rest in his resurrection. Then I saw the most frightening thing that God said. Because of this effrontery symbolized by the fact that their backs were to the temple God said “Although they shout in my ears I will not listen to them.” (V 8)
Old covenant or New I cannot imagine what life would be like if I were convinced the God would not listen to me. Perhaps you have had moments in your relationships where the other person would not listen to you because of some offense or slight. How uncomfortable that can be. Now imagine the one enthroned in your heart stepping away because you have turned away from them. A truly terrifying idea. Can you hear the anguished cry of Jesus from the murderous cross ““Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” ).( Mark 15:34)
Larry M Lawrence- Mysteries 