Bury Your Carcases
Ezekiel 43:9
"Now let them put away their whoredom, and the carcases of their kings, far from me, and I will dwell in the midst of them for ever."
If one could guarantee that you could have the presence of God in your life forever, you would think a person would do what it takes to have this guarantee. In the verse above, God gives such a guarantee. It seemed simple for Israel to have God's presence. He did not expect them to do something outlandish to have His presence. The prerequisite to having God's presence forever was to "...put away their whoredom, and the carcases of their kings, far from me,..."
This seems like a simple prerequisite to have God's presence. Yet, when you look at this statement a little closer, you understand why God said what He did. God told them to put away their "whoredom." God often talks about idolatry as whoredom. God always addressed Israel as if He was married to them. In Jeremiah 3:8, God talks about giving Israel a "bill of divorce." Israel practiced idolatry, and God considered it an act of whoredom for them to worship an idol instead of Him.
So, if idolatry was the whoredom that God is talking about, then why would God tell them to remove the "carcases of their kings" for His presence to be with them forever? The phrase, "and the carcases of their kings," is a continuation of the previous phrase. God was showing that the people of Israel had worshipped their previous kings to the degree that they became idols in their lives. In other words, the people looked more to the kings of the past for guidance than they did to God. It was not that God didn't want them to follow the principles of these past kings, but these people were more interested in what the kings said more than what God said. God wanted them to remove the carcases of the kings so that they would look to Him. The result would be His presence forever.
When looking at this verse, it is no wonder that God's presence is void in the lives of many Christians and churches today. One of the problems I see in Christianity is that many look to what the preachers of the past say more than they look to what God says. Let me explain. Many people validate what they do because of what a past preacher said, and not because God's Word tells them to do something. As long as God's Word and the past preacher's principle agree, it would seem that there would be no problem; however, there is a problem. The problem is that we are not to serve man, we are to serve God. Just because the man's principles are synonymous with God's does not make it right to worship people from the past. God will share His glory with no man, and God demands that we serve Him. We must be careful that we don't make gods out of the great men of God of the past. We must realize they don't validate God's principles and methods, God's principles and methods stand on their own without these men. These men simply obeyed God's principles and methods, and that is why God used them.
Furthermore, you must be careful about doing something just because your parents or a relative in the past told you to do it. Though what they told you may be right, you should always do something because God told you to do it. You are not to replace God in your life with people from the past.
Let me ask you, are there carcases in your life that need to removed? Have you based your beliefs and actions on what someone from the past has said? Your belief system and actions should only be based upon God's Word. Be careful about worshipping the carcases of the past; instead, keep your eyes on God. If you will keep your eyes on God, then you will find God's presence will be with you at all times.