The Jews rebuilt the Temple of God
and dedicated it to Him as we've seen last week. They rejoiced and
were glad that they had a Temple again to worship God in.
Unfortunately the backsliding of the Jews continued. They never
truly worshiped God as they were supposed to. They never truly
loved Him and Him alone with all of their hearts. God became
'quiet' and didn't speak to them for 400 years. The gap between the
last prophet in the Bible, 'Malachi' and when Jesus came was about
400 years. No recording of any interaction between God and the Jews
were accounted for in the Bible.
Now as far as the Temple is
concerned, the Jews continued with their sacrifices. The Pharisees
made sure of that. But it was empty and hollow, it was simply
rituals. Their hearts were far away from God. The sacrifices were
more a display of power by the Pharisees as well as a way to make
money. The whole Temple area and everything it entailed was more
about the pride and the political status of the religious leaders
of the day, than about God.
That is why Jesus became so angry
at the Temple:
"When He had made a whip of
cords, He drove them all out of the Temple, with the sheep and the
oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables.
And He said to those who sold doves, "Take these things away! Do
not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!" John 2:15,
16
Jesus knew what they were doing, He
knew their hearts were hardened and that made Him very angry.
Instead of the sacrifices at the Temple drawing them closer to God,
it drove them further away.
"You do not delight in burnt
offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and
contrite heart." Psalm 51:16, 17
God wanted them to have a change of
heart. He wanted them to reach out to Him, repent of their sin and
draw near to Him. But at this moment, it was just a ritual to them,
just a way to display power and to make money. It was so sad and it
made Jesus very angry.
Today we must also beware of
rituals. Religious rituals without the substance of drawing us
closer to God are empty and worthless. Beware of getting trapped
into rituals without really focusing on what you are doing. For
example it has happened in churches that I attended that they call
out a fast for example. And they play on your emotions to join
them, but for most it will only be a ritual. They will merely go
through the motions without truly focusing on God. Or how many
times have you prayed a rhyme before you eat without even truly
thinking of what you are saying? It is merely a ritual, something
you have been doing from childhood.
God doesn't want us to become
trapped in religious activities. Of course it is great to pray
before you eat and it is wonderful to fast, but if you are simply
going through the motions, you are lukewarm and God doesn't want
lukewarm Christians. I have fallen into this trap a number of
times, only to feel empty inside and hating every minute of the
fast. I have also prayed before I eat without even thinking about
it, numerous times! And at the end, I feel sad and far away from
God.
God wants US. Our actions will flow
once we live in His presence. But first and foremost, He wants us
close to Him. Only then will we start to do the things He wants us
to do. He wants us to do good and to reach out to others, but make
sure that He leads you and helps you on your way. In your own
strength you might just burn out and hate all the 'good work' that
you are doing for Him. Or even worse, expect from Him to bless you
because of all the 'good work' that you have done….. It is not
about you, but about Him and glorifying Him at all times! It is
about drawing close to Him and walking in His love.
Father, we are sorry that we get
trapped in religious activities. You only want our hearts. Lead us
into all Your ways and show us the way to walk. Teach us how to
walk in Your footsteps. We desire to make You proud of us. Amen