Eze 44:8 And ye have not kept the charge of mine holy things: but ye have set keepers of my charge in my sanctuary for yourselves.

                                                      

One of the reasons that Judah came under the wrath of God was because they profane the Temple worship and its sacrifices. In this chapter, God reiterates His reproof to the house of Israel for their former profanations of God’s sanctuary, with a charge to the Levites and Priests to observe all the laws of God regarding temple worship. 

The first thing to be noticed here is that problem with the priesthood is the sin of neglect. God charged: “And you have not kept charge of my holy things, but you have set others to keep my charge for you in my sanctuary” (vs 8, ESV). 

You have set others to keep my charge for you in my sanctuary - It appears that the priests and Levites, instead of performing the Temple duties themselves, were outsourcing them to “foreign talents” while they indulged themselves in sin and idolatries (vs 10). It was a profanation of the sanctity of the Temple which forbade the uncircumcised to enter therein.                                              

Sad, isn’t it? It is sad when the people of God neglect their duties in regard to the worship of God and appoint hirelings to discharge the sacred offices in their stead. This is a case of trying to practice religion by proxy. It happened then; it is happening today. 

Brethren, woe is the day when the work of the church is done only by contractors. I’m not referring to works like building a new church building or repairing the church building roof. I’m referring to normal religious services and simple church building maintenances like cleaning and cutting grass. What if the church wants to do an annual spring cleaning? Can we count on all our members to chip in a little effort? 

Our Lord says: “You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve” (Matthew 4:10, ESV). 

Note our Lord’s statement: “You shall worship… you serve.” For religion to worth its salt, it must be personal and individual. As one cannot worship God by proxy, one cannot also serve God by proxy. God demands personal service to Him: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). 

In the eyes of God it was a foul offence that the priests had delegated their work to others. God’s service cannot be discharged by proxy. Moreover, by abandoning our services, we abandon our reward and joy. In the Judgment Day, who will go up to receive the reward – the one who served or the one who delegated him to serve? Delegation of service in God’s kingdom is forbidden: "So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God" (Romans 14:12). 

To many, serving God is a constant struggle they have to deal with. Many claim to want to serve God but lack the time. They claim if they have more time they will serve God. But their spare times are spent on vacations, shopping, watching TV, entertaining friends, and engaging in other pleasures of this life. Hence, in reality, they have time. You see, you are either busy with your own work and life or you are busy in the work of God. You have a choice. I have seen very busy executives who are also very busy in the work of the Lord. There is no excuse for not serving God. In the Parable of the Talents, the one talent man was not condemned because of lack of talent or time but of slothfulness (Matthew 25:26). Yes, he was lazy. 

Brethren, what excuse do you have when you meet God?

Jimmy Lau

Psa 119:97  Oh how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.