New Housekeeping

Sweeping and dusting will never be enough.

Redecorating schemes are all disasters:

mock renewals, clever coverups.

I need an undivided heart:

no padlocked chambers set aside

for resident anger,

no halls of hard-core selfishness,

no darkened corners for illicit pleasures.

Instead, give me one room,

round and filled with light,

walls scrubbed crystal clean,

wholly devoted to harboring love

and nurturing goodness,

teeming with reminders

of key events and precious people,

places we have been and revelations of truth.

Then, dear heart, open the skylight

and let the light pour in

to grow luxuriant hanging gardens.

Let the music of singing stars

and healed cripples

ripple the atmosphere, as they dance

with strong straight limbs

around the gifts of grace

and souvenirs of rescue.

Feel health pulse through the silken breeze:

the breath of God renewing my true self.

Smell the fragrant winsomeness

of fresh-baked bread:

bread of the Presence, sustenance.

Unlock the doors and let the music out,

hand out thick slices of warm bread

to every hungry passerby.

Leave tantalizing traces,

the aroma of delights,

along each path I take.

Let love lights leap from windows

into the shadowed world,

clear evidence of

the radical new me.

Last month my coworker in Côte d’Ivoire and I began drafting the translation of Ezekiel into Nyarafolo. I am struck daily by the deep teaching in this book that often gets passed over due to the complicated visions. Chapter 14 reminded me of our responsibility to keep our hearts completely clean, not soiled in any way by allegiances contrary to our Lord’s requirements of his people.

Ezekiel, in exile in Babylon, is transported spiritually to the temple in Jerusalem. Then Lord Yahweh

explains to him what is actually going on in the hidden interiors of Israel’s elders: they have come to get consoling words from the prophet, but their hearts are full of idols: other entities they worship. They have idolatry hidden in their hearts, and they think Yahweh is ignorant of their unfaithfulness to him. The message given the prophet Ezekiel is far from comforting. Yahweh knows what they think is hidden. They need to realize that unless they get rid of all interior obstacles to following him, they will indeed hear from him, but it will be condemnation rather than consolation. Yahweh says:

⁵ I will do this in order to capture the hearts of the house of Israel, who have alienated themselves from me on account of all their idols.’ ⁶ “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the sovereign LORD says: Return! Turn from your idols, and turn your faces away from your abominations. ⁷ For when anyone from the house of Israel, or the foreigner who lives in Israel, separates himself from me and erects his idols in his heart and sets the obstacle leading to his iniquity before his face, and then consults a prophet to seek something from me, I the LORD am determined to answer him personally. ⁸ I will set my face against that person and will make him an object lesson and a byword and will cut him off from among my people. Then you will know that I am the LORD.  (Ezek. 14:5-8 NET)

We cannot hide anything from God. No coverups are possible. Those of us who have entered into relationship with him are accountable to him!

Is it scary to realize that God knows everything we think, every sinful behavior we have convinced ourselves is all right, every loyalty to something that conflicts with him?

Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely. (Ps. 139:4 NIV)

Yes, it is scary if we know that we have bad thoughts or intentions and we don’t want to face the consequences, especially if we are not convinced that our God loves us and corrects us for our good.

It is so easy to think that we are fine if we just do what we want to do, setting our hearts on goals that do not please him. He will forgive us, right? What is clear in Ezekiel 14.6 is that complete repentance is necessary for forgiveness: turning away from those wicked “idols” set up in our hearts. Without doing that we will face consequences, correction from him that will shake us up.

Just dusting surfaces in our hearts’ observable “furniture” is not enough. We need complete cleansing. Hearts open wide to our loving Father who is also the Judge of everyone, we must let him reveal what needs removal. His Spirit will convict us and empower us to turn away from attachment to all that is wrong! Just open up to him, respond to his convicting words, and pray like David|:

Have mercy on me, O God, because of your loyal love! Because of your great compassion, wipe away my rebellious acts!) Wash away my wrongdoing! Cleanse me of my sin! (Ps. 51:1-2 NET)

We can indeed trust his unending loyal love and compassion. So let’s turn to him daily for ongoing radical housekeeping as we battle temptations and the enticing invitations of the world and the Enemy. Living in our God’s light and love, not allowing other “idols” to slip into hearts, we can share the joy with others he puts in our path!