In this chapter God describes two sisters, Oholah (Samaria) and Oholibah (Jerusalem) who both repeatedly commit adultery against God (with idols and other nations to whom they were not sent).
” ‘…Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Declare to them their abominations… With their idols they have committed adultery, and they have even offered up to them for food the children whom they had borne to me. Moreover, this they have done to me: they have defiled my sanctuary on the same day and profaned my Sabbaths. For when they had slaughtered their children in sacrifice to their idols, on the same day they came into my sanctuary to profane it…’ ” (v36-39 abr)
How do we ‘cheat on’ our Heavenly Father? We can make other gods / people / objects / careers / etc. more important to us than Him. You may notice this violates the first commandment: “I am the Lord your God… You shall have no other gods before me.” (Ex 20:2-3 abr). Unfortunately for our sin-ridden flesh in this misaligned world, this is also the easiest commandment to break. There are literally millions of ways we can become distracted and ‘dethrone’ our Creator from being the number one priority in our lives.
The common misconception is: “If I give God my utmost attention, I won’t give enough attention to other important things / people.” This is a lie direct from Satan himself who wants to steal God’s glory. The truth is, when we properly put God first and make Jesus Lord of our lives, everything else falls into its proper place. When we submit our lives to God: our family time is richer and more fulfilling; our relationships are stronger; our joy is deeper; our love and generosity are greater; etc. How can this possibly be a bad thing?
The truth is God enhances / saves our lives, and Satan destroys / takes them. God is generous, Satan in selfish. We get to choose only one master, so let’s choose wisely, and ask for His help in maintaining proper priorities, so we may love our Lord, ourselves, and our neighbors as God intends.
Father God, our Most High Creator, You alone are worthy of our full attention. Spirit please gently humble us, and align our priorities with the Father’s, so we may honor and glorify Him accordingly. May we then allow You to reprioritize our lives, submitting all activities and endeavors through You, so we may also glorify our Lord through them. Jesus thank you for setting this example, and may we follow You as the Spirit enables and encourages us. Amen.
~ Conqueror in Training