7 When you brought in foreigners, uncircumcised in both heart and flesh, to occupy my sanctuary, you defiled my temple while you offered my food—the fat and the blood. You broke my covenant by all your detestable practices. 8 You have not kept charge of my holy things but have appointed others to keep charge of my sanctuary for you.’CSB (Ezekiel 44:7).
This is an Old Testament law for sure, but it has a New Testament application. It is referring to the physical temple first built by Solomon, then destroyed by the Babylonians, rebuild by Nehemiah, refurbished by Herod, and later destroyed again by the Romans in AD 70. This verse is God Himself speaking to His people, the Israelites. They were allowing, but not just allowing, they were actually bringing uncircumcised, non-Jews into the Temple. The law only made allowances for circumcised Jews to come into the Temple. So, when they did that, they broke God’s covenant with them, because they defiled the holy Temple, where the presence of God aboded.
The Scriptures state that we are now the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is, Himself, God. So, when we apply this law to our day, it looks like this. When you watch unwholesome movies with cussing, and excessive violence, nudity, and other ungodly stuff in it, or when you tell crude jokes, or partake in other unwholesome activities you are bringing uncircumcised things into the sanctuary. In so doing, you are in fact defining God’s sanctuary, which is us, our hearts, our minds, our body. We defile God’s temple while saying that we are worshiping God. We offer praise with defiled minds, and lift up defiled hands. Our worship is defiled when we watch porn on our computers, cellphones, or on TV.
Here is the problem. When we partake in such things, it is not just a one time thing. That thing comes in and occupies the sanctuary. It takes up residence in our minds, and in our imaginations, and they become corrupted. It will take only God and the blood of Jesus to sanctify them again. Therefore, God is not pleased with this type of detestable practices. He commanded us to be holy just as He is holy.
So, let us determine that this New Year we will seek Him with everything in us, and live holy, righteous lives. Let us forsake the detestable practices and seek the face of God, so that we might live and not die.
Heavenly Father, please help me to live righteously for You. Strengthen me when I’m weak as You lead me in the path of righteousness. In Jesus’ Name I pray, amen.