The Week - Back to Basics!

The Week - Back to Basics!

Matthew 21:13 KJV

[13] and said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

As Jesus came to the final week before His death on the cross, a few things needed to be in place. Jesus had witnessed the scribes, the Pharisees and Sadducees take the people for a ride, teaching them the law but failing to show any example worthy of emulation. Talk, as always, is cheap. The challenge, as always is how to match your words with the right kind of action, and this is where the teachers of the law at the time failed woefully. Reflect on this: was this the same temple that God came down in a pillar of cloud and His glory was so great in the first tabernacle that Moses could not stand to minister? Was it the same temple where Isaiah saw the glory of God, and his life never remained the same? What had gone wrong? 

This is what happens when the purpose of a thing is either ignored, abused or simply forgotten. The popular saying is to the effect that when the purpose of a thing is not defined, abuse is inevitable. God wanted a place where He could meet with His people, and as always, God is faithful to His Word. He would come, but the people, over time, had wandered away and gone their own way. The practices of the world had become the norm right inside the temple. How would that not have happened when even the title of the high priest, a role chosen by God and set apart by Him, had become a political tool and a means of power and authority over the people? How did things get so wrong? How do things get back to what they should be? 

It is a reminder to myself to know and understand the purpose behind God's desire for fellowship. God decided to make man and to create the avenue for constant fellowship. His house is a place where men come to meet and speak with Him, and get refreshed and strengthened for the journey ahead. I must know and apply this to my life, so I can enjoy all that God is and has. It is called God's house and it is not anyone else's. God defines what is acceptable, and it is not subject to debate or contention. It is not a wonder that Jesus used whips to bring order and decorum back to His house. Before the whip comes, I must take heed and retrace my steps. Before judgment comes, I must watch my life and its pursuits and priorities. Are they aligned with that which God can bless? God's time of favour is here.