The lust of the eyes… draws us away from God…
It happened in Samaria… personified by God as the sister Oholah…
“Oholah played the whore while she was mine,
and she lusted after her lovers the Assyrians,
warriors clothed in purple, governors and commanders,
all of them desirable young men,
horsemen riding on horses.
Ezekiel 23:5-6 ESV
It happened with Jerusalem… the sister God called… Oholibah…
“Her sister Oholibah… became more corrupt
than her sister in her lust and her whoring,
which was worse than that of her sister.
She lusted after the Assyrians, governors and commanders,
warriors clothed in full armor, horsemen riding
on horses, all of them desirable men.
… She saw men portrayed on the wall,
the images of the Chaldeans portrayed in vermillion,
wearing belts on their waists, with flowing turbans
on their heads, all of them having the appearance
of officers, a likeness of Babylonians whose
native land was Chaldea. When she saw them,
she lusted after them and sent messengers
to them in Chaldea.
Ezekiel 23:11-16 ESV
The things of the flesh…
power… prosperity… position…
draw us away from God…
Our eyes see the things of the world… and desire them…
but the things of God… the things of the Spirit…
are unseen…
Eye… not only means… the organ in our bodies giving sight… it also means…
… the faculty of seeing with eyes… the faculty of intellectual or aesthetic perception or appreciation… look, glance… an attentive look… attention, notice… close observation: scrutiny… point of view, judgment…
—Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (11th Ed.)
What we eye… we judge…
and when we depend on the judgment of the flesh…
we are led astray…
losing sight of Him…
When we lose sight of Him…
He works to turn our eyes back on Him…
This jealous God does not desire to lose a soul to death… to the lies of the world… He will go to great lengths… to reveal Himself to those who’ve strayed… even using the lust of our eyes… as our own undoing…
And they shall return your lewdness upon you,
and you shall bear the penalty of your sinful idolatry,
and you shall know that I am the Lord.
Ezekiel 23:49 ESV
What leads us astray most…
the lust of our eyes…
If we would only be more careful where we look…
careful of what holds our attention…
we can often avoid…
the extremes of God’s pursuit…
The New Testament echoes this truth…
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.
For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:18
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
Colossians 3:2
A closing refrain in worship…
joined in the chorus…
Turn your eyes upon Jesus…
Look full in His wonderful face…
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim…
In the light of His glory and grace…
— Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
Set your eyes on Him… join The Journey…
This week’s readings…
Monday Ezekiel 30:20 – 31:18
Tuesday Ezekiel 32:1 – 33:9
Wednesday Ezekiel 33:10 – 34:24
Thursday Ezekiel 34:25 – 36:15
Friday Ezekiel 36:16 – 37:14
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