How can Ezekiel 6:6 inspire us to pursue holiness in our communities? Context: A Devastating Wake-up Call • Ezekiel speaks during Judah’s slide into open idolatry. • God’s judgment is announced not in vague terms but in concrete geography: “Wherever you live.” • The literal fall of cities and smashing of shrines proves that the Lord will not share His glory with rival gods (Isaiah 42:8). “Wherever you live, the cities will be laid waste and the high places will be devastated, so that your altars will be laid waste and desecrated, your idols smashed and obliterated, and your incense altars broken in pieces, and your works wiped out.” A Verse That Unmasks Idolatry What the Lord dismantles in Judah exposes what He still confronts today: • Altars — visible systems of worship that compete with Him. • Idols — objects or pursuits that capture the heart’s affection. • Incense altars — the subtle rituals that make idolatry feel acceptable. God literally promises to obliterate each one, revealing His zeal for undivided worship (Exodus 20:3). Timeless Principles of Holiness • Holiness begins with God destroying what dishonors Him (Ezekiel 14:6). • Judgment is not spite; it is the necessary purge that clears space for true worship (Hebrews 12:10-11). • What He targeted in Judah He still targets in any culture that normalizes sin (1 Peter 1:15-16). Pursuing Holiness in Our Communities Today 1. Identify modern “high places.” – Entertainment, career, technology, or ideologies that subtly dethrone Christ. 2. Smash the idols. – Remove, restrict, or restructure anything that rivals obedience to Jesus (Matthew 5:29-30). 3. Break the incense altars. – End habits that sanitize sin: humor that mocks purity, subscriptions that feed lust, music that glorifies rebellion. 4. Rebuild true altars of worship. – Corporate gatherings that exalt Scripture, family devotions, public testimony of Christ’s work (Romans 12:1-2). 5. Practice communal accountability. – Small groups, elder oversight, and mutual exhortation keep holiness from being a private project (Hebrews 3:13). 6. Celebrate visible fruit. – Testimonies of addiction broken, marriages restored, and neighborhoods served affirm that God’s purge makes space for life (2 Corinthians 6:17-18). Encouragement: Judgment Gives Way to Renewal Even in Ezekiel, wrath is not the last word. God promises: “I will give them an undivided heart” (Ezekiel 11:19). When communities heed the warning of 6:6, the same Lord replaces ruin with renewal, and holiness becomes a shared, joyful reality. |
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