By: Obed Pineda
When studying history, there is always someone who questions the purpose of knowing about the past. A common response to this query is that in certain situations ignoring the past can doom an entire society to repeat it. It should also be noted that many of the technological advancements our society presently enjoys, were made possible by first learning from the past. Indisputably, this reality also applies to the vitality of studying the books from the Old Testament. Through Paul’s quill, the Holy Spirit explains that “all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1st Corinthians 10:11-12). There is no question that to think “That will never happen to me,” is a highly concentrated dose of venom draining from a proud, overconfident heart. Arrogantly dismissing the wisdom of learning from the costly errors of the past also illuminates the slothful spirit of the fool who rejects instruction. God warns those who posses a haughty spirit, “He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but whoever walks wisely will be delivered” (Proverbs 28:26). Regrettably, this proverb proved to be true the day the splendid Temple of Solomon was razed and burned down by Nebuzaradan (cf. 2nd Kings 25:8-17). Remember that Jehovah God revealed to Ezekiel that those who had remained in Jerusalem after the second deportation held the belief that “this land has been given to us as a possession” (Ezekiel 11:15b). This expression was used by the inhabitants who had yet to be taken into exile as an assertion that the Lord God had driven the “wicked” away into exile, purging Jerusalem of all evil. Their self-righteous mentality deviated their understanding from God’s true purpose for leaving them behind in Jerusalem. God was not only confirming the warnings uttered by His prophets, but He too was exhorting them to repent and turn away from their sinful ways, lest they suffered the full weight of His dreadful judgment, which was quickly approaching. Disregarding the merciful Father’s urgent plea conveyed to them through word and example (in the form of the previous two deportations) they “made in their place yokes of iron” (Jeremiah 28:13b). Their insistence of justifying their wicked actions and erroneously believing that those excuses were accepted by God doomed them to “perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved” (2nd Thessalonians 2:10b). It is important to bring to mind that one reason their self-confidence was so high was because the temple was still with them; Nebuchadnezzar had yet to burn it down. Since the temple of the Lord had survived two siege attacks, and a descendant of Josiah still sat on the throne of Judah to rule in Jerusalem, they wrongfully surmised that God was still with them. Delusions of hope that God would raise Egypt against Babylon to liberate them or that if the king sitting on the throne would lead an attack against their captor he would successfully throw off the yoke of bondage from their stiff necks were born from their misplaced hope in the temple. It was for this reason that fourteen months after Ezekiel had been called into the office of prophet to the captives by the River Chebar, the Almighty demonstrated to him in a vision that “the glory of the LORD departed from the threshold of the temple and stood over the cherubim” (Ezekiel 11:18). This vivid portrait that the Lord sketched for Ezekiel begins with him being shown the abominable idolatrous acts that were being committed on the temple grounds, to which God asks, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great abominations that the house of Israel commits here, to make Me go far away from My sanctuary” (Ezekiel 8:5-6)? The powerful delusion that the dwellers of Jerusalem had corroborates the inspired Psalmist’s description of people like them as he writes, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good” (Psalm 14:1, cf. Ezekiel 8:12). This Scripture provides vital insight as to why God concluded that the temple His servant David had lovingly and originally designed for Him, needed to be destroyed. It should be noted that this decision was not one that our Lord made lightly considering that three hundred seventy-four years were allowed to pass from when Solomon finished constructing the temple (960 B.C., cf. 1st Kings 6:1, 37-38) to when Nabuzaradan plundered and burned it all down (586 B.C., cf. Jeremiah 52:12-23). This historical fact certifies the priestly account that expounds the reason for God allotting this much time to pass was because “He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place” (2nd Chronicles 36:15b). History reminds us that in ancient times if invaders were to capture a temple the conquered inhabitants of the land understood this to mean that their gods now favored them. However, if the temple was burned by the conquerors, this would be the decisive blow to the citizens of the overrun city. This action communicated that they had been completely abandoned by their gods. They assumed that the only reason the gods would sanction the destruction of their “home” (i.e. temple) was because they were being punished for their wickedness. Jeremiah lamented, “The Lord was like an enemy. He has swallowed up Israel, He has swallowed up all her palaces; He has destroyed her strongholds, and has increased mourning and lamentation in the daughter of Judah. He has done violence to His tabernacle, as if it were a garden; He has destroyed His place of assembly; the LORD has caused the appointed feasts and Sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion. In His burning indignation He has spurned the king and the priest. The Lord has spurned His altar, He has abandoned His sanctuary; He has given up the walls of her palaces into the hand of the enemy. They have made a noise in the house of the LORD as on the day of a set feast” (Lamentations 2:5-7). Verily, the Israelites’ false concept that the Lord was still with them in spite of their disloyal heart to Him, tipped over God’s righteous cup of wrath over them. For this reason, it is valuable for us today to learn to avoid being entangled in this same dreaded web. Although the physical temple where the priests served the Lord no longer exists, let us keep in mind that today we are His temple through Christ (cf. 2nd Corinthians 6:14-18). Therefore, it is imperative that we learn from the mistakes of the past with the intent of preventing ourselves from following the same destructive path. Let us always consider Paul’s cautionary words stating, “If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are” (1st Corinthians 3:17).