TITLE:  GOD MUST HAVE NO RIVALS COMPETING FOR OUR AFFECTIONS IN OUR HEARTS

TITLE:  GOD MUST HAVE NO RIVALS COMPETING FOR OUR AFFECTIONS IN OUR HEARTS

SCRIPTURE:

            “The word of the Lord came to me: 16 “Son of man, with one blow I am about to take away from you the delight of your eyes. Yet do not lament or weep or shed any tears. 17 Groan quietly; do not mourn for the dead. Keep your turban fastened and your sandals on your feet; do not cover your mustache and beard or eat the customary food of mourners.”  18 So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. The next morning I did as I had been commanded.  19 Then the people asked me, “Won’t you tell us what these things have to do with us? Why are you acting like this?”  20 So I said to them, “The word of the Lord came to me: 21 Say to the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am about to desecrate my sanctuary—the stronghold in which you take pride, the delight of your eyes, the object of your affection. The sons and daughters you left behind will fall by the sword. 22 And you will do as I have done. You will not cover your mustache and beard or eat the customary food of mourners. 23 You will keep your turbans on your heads and your sandals on your feet. You will not mourn or weep but will waste away because of your sins and groan among yourselves. 24 Ezekiel will be a sign to you; you will do just as he has done. When this happens, you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.’  25 “And you, son of man, on the day I take away their stronghold, their joy and glory, the delight of their eyes, their heart’s desire, and their sons and daughters as well— 26 on that day a fugitive will come to tell you the news. 27 At that time your mouth will be opened; you will speak with him and will no longer be silent. So you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the Lord.”  (Ezekiel 22:15—27 NIV)

OBSERVATION:

            Whenever God calls us to do something, it becomes the most significant test of our obedience.  God’s ways are not ours, and we could never fathom why he asks us to do something we cannot understand.  Many will never understand the depth of God’s work in our lives, but.   People often criticize why God would do things that are just human explanations.  But yet he does with those who truly trust and understand him.

            The word of the Lord came to Ezekiel saying, “Son of man, with one blow, I am about to take away from you the delight of your eyes. Yet do not lament or weep or shed any tears. Groan quietly; do not mourn for the dead. Keep your turban fastened and your sandals on your feet; do not cover your mustache and beard or eat the customary food of mourners.”  So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening, my wife died. The following day I did as I had been commanded.

            The one that was a delight in Ezekiel’s life was his wife.  God gave him instructions on what to do when that happened.  This is a very extreme instruction.  Who wouldn’t fall apart when one’s loved ones are taken?  It’s just not humanly accepted.  However, Ezekiel was willing to make what happened to his wife happen.  Ezekiel’s life and his wife were sold out for God’s purpose and whatever God wanted to use their lives for.  They were prepared to even meet the ultimate sacrifice if necessary for God’s message to come through. 

            The message was things that have become “delightful in their eyes.”  I am about to desecrate my sanctuary—the stronghold in which you take pride, the delight of your eyes, the object of your affection. The sons and daughters you left behind will fall by the sword.  The Israelites have made God’s sanctuary a stronghold and have taken pride in it more than God.  The sanctuary of God has become the object of their affection more than God himself.  The sanctuary has become their joy and glory, the delight of their eyes, their heart’s desire, and worse, even the next generation was repeating what their parents were doing.  There is a time when God will take away everything from us that we love and delight in.  The only thing that matters most is to take pleasure in our relationship with God.  Everything we do must flow out of our relationship with him. 

            I have to examine my life to see what has become the “delight of my eyes?”  What has taken over my affection other than God?  What has become my joy and glory?  What is my heart desiring more than God?  These are questions worth thinking about as we examine our hearts.  It is easy to replace God with his sanctuary.  We can start loving what we do at the sanctuary for God, and we miss out on really connecting with God.  People misplace their affection in doing things for God rather than with God.  God wants nothing more from me than where I put my affections. God does not want services that take our affection for him rather than in a relationship with him. 

APPLICATION:

I want to examined myself daily to see whether I am doing things for the sanctuary of God more than because I have a relationship with him.  I want God to be the delight of my eyes, the joy of my heart’s desires and worthy of all my passion and affections.  I want to do this daily. 

PRAYER:

            Heavenly Father, I pray that my heart will find delight in you alone.  I ask Father that you would help me redirecting all my affections, my joy, my heart’s desires in knowing you daily.  I thank you for always loving me and making me the delight of your eyes.  I pray that you will always be the delight of my eyes and the joy of my heart.  Teach and lead me Father, in Jesus name, Amen!