Her priests have…profaned My holy things; they have not distinguished between the holy and unholy, nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean. (Ezekiel 22:26)
How much dog poop do you want in your brownies?
The story is told of a father who told his children they could not watch television shows with immoral content. “But, dad, they only cuss a little!” the children whined. Instead of giving in, he enlisted their help in making some brownies. He prepared to teach them a priceless life lesson. “While I’m mixing the brownies, go into the backyard and collect some dog poop in this bag.” Horrified, the kids asked why. “We’ll put just a little of it in the brownies to expand the mixture. After all, it’s the same color and we’ll add so little we won’t be able to taste it at all.”
Distinguishing Between the Holy and Unholy
In Ezekiel’s day, God uttered a dreadful indictment against His priests. They became desensitized to the difference between the sacred and the defiled. Unbelievably, they struggled differentiating between the pure and the immoral. In their indifference, they also failed to teach that difference to others. As the spiritual representatives for God, they no longer distinguished between right and wrong. They tolerated poop in their brownies.
As His followers, we are also His priests (Revelation 1:6; 5:10). Unfortunately, in the hustle and bustle of life, spiritual discernment erodes with the world’s desensitizing onslaught. By excusing our worldly preferences (ungodly lyrics, immoral movies, unequally-yoked associations, and sinful habits), discernment between the holy and the unholy fades. God calls us to be a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people (1 Peter 2:9) who loathe even the garments tainted by the world (Jude 1:23). Yet, the slightest tolerance of immorality defiles our spiritual discernment, dims our lights to a lost world, and invites God’s loving hand of discipline.
Oh, that we would repent and separate ourselves from anything ungodly. Oh, that we would invite God’s purification and walk transformed before Him in holiness. That He would restore our spiritual discernment so we could model lifestyles untainted by the unholy and impure, lifestyles that celebrate the sacred and purified life only God can give.
Oh, God, lift the fog between the holy and the unholy and restore the courage to choose only the pure, unblemished, deliciousness of Yourself.
How about your brownies?
