I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Ezekiel 20-21.

    When some of the leaders of the people of Israel came to Ezekiel requesting a message from God, Ezekiel confronted them over their idol worship. Ezekiel recounted how the people of Israel historically had repeatedly failed to follow God’s commands. Ezekiel tells how God repeatedly offered the people a fresh opportunity to give up their sins and serve Him. However, He eventually gave them over to the sorts of lifestyle and rules which they craved.

    I was really struggling with understanding what the point of this passage was for us today. Then I wrote the final sentence of the last paragraph and realized how it applies to our society today. Generation after generation God has sent prophets, preachers, and leaders to bring revival and to turn people to the course which brings joy and happiness. And generation after generation people yearn after the perceived delights of serving other gods. Generation after generation God calls us to make Him the center of our lives and generation after generation people instead seek to make themselves the center of the universe. Finally, we come to the point where people sacrifice their very children on this altar and hold doing so up as a positive thing. Ezekiel says that God will allow us to pollute ourselves in this manner. He will let us chase after those detestable practices for which we yearn. Elsewhere, Ezekiel and other prophets have promised that God will send His judgment upon us for these sins, but here Ezekiel tells us that God will show us that He is Lord. Despite our yearning after detestable practices, sooner or later we will turn to God and His commands. Then we will serve God in all we do and hate ourselves for the evil we did in the past.