Contemplative Bible Reading

Ezekiel 20:26 (New Living Translation)

26 I let them pollute themselves with the very gifts I had given them, and I allowed them to give their firstborn children as offerings to their gods—so I might devastate them and remind them that I alone am the Lord.

God is speaking to the people through the prophet Ezekiel. The prophet is reminding the people of the actions of their ancestors and telling them that they are repeating those actions. What did the ancestors do? Among other things, they threw away what God wanted and instead went to what other people practiced in the worship of their gods. They killed their firstborn children to gain favor with these other gods.

Stop and consider this. These people actually killed their first children in a religious ceremony. Does the God we know, the God of the Holy Bible, ever ask for something like that? Do followers of the Christ, i.e., us Christians, do anything like this? Why would anyone do anything like this? Yet, that is what the people did and continued to do. How far away from God can you go?

Us Christians today, us educated folks today, we would never go this far away from God. Or do we? Are there things we do today that are this far off the path? Perhaps. I have to look at myself and try to consider my life. What am I doing? What am I thinking? What am I saying? Where is my money? Where is my time? Please God, help me in my unbelief.