Minding Your Thoughts
A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life
Ezekiel 23:18 … then my mind was alienated from her, like as my mind was alienated from her sister.
Note: Remember, we are considering every usage of the word mind in Scripture. Yesterday and today the same verse is used because the word mind is used in it twice.
Romans 15:4 records, For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. Therefore, everything in the Old Testament, every story, illustration, parable, and historical fact holds a lesson for us. Sometimes it takes some digging to find those rare nuggets of wealth to enrich our understanding. This portion of Scripture is one such teaching. For three days we have been digging into the idea of “alienation of mind,” hopefully you are finding the work beneficial to your thought life.
Twice in Ezekiel chapter 23 the Word of God states that someone’s mind was alienated from a group of people. Jerusalem alienated her mind from Babylon; God alienated His mind from Jerusalem and Samaria (the capital cities of Israel and Judah). In each case it was because the actions of Babylon, Jerusalem and Samaria were extremely egregious. They were detestable, unacceptable, awful, shameful and extremely hurtful.
Alienating one’s mind is not a matter to be taken lightly. Jerusalem was physically overrun and enslaved by Babylon. Jerusalem and Samaria had become totally apostate toward God committing unspeakable spiritual idolatry against Him. It seems today that so many become alienated from others over transient and inconsequential matters. Sometimes because of anger, ego, or simple jealousy many alienate themselves from others without just cause, this is not that. In the two examples in Ezekiel 23, alienation of the mind was the last resort after all other remedies of reconciliation have been exhausted.
This word “alienate” and all its derivatives is only used seven times in all of Scripture. Perhaps it should likewise be seldom and judiciously used in this life also. Its last usage is in Colossians 1:21. This one verse seems to wrap up the entire concept nicely. Therein we are reminded that our minds were alienated from God through our wicked works, yet He reconciled us back to Himself. If He can reconcile us to Him, maybe we can reconcile with those we’ve alienated. If He can, we can.
May the Lord Bless and be pleased with your thought life today,
William T. Howe, Ph.D.
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