According to tradition, it was on this day in 164 B. C., that the stones of the sacred altar were defiled by the Greeks and removed from the Temple. When it comes to God’s house, anything that has been deemed holy is not to be contaminated with those things that are considered to be common or profane. This principle is revealed to us in the very beginning, and it is seen throughout the Scripture until the very end.

One of the first times this principle is presented is in the Garden of Eden. The Bible records that the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil are growing in the midst of the Garden. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is a mingled tree producing a fruit that renders death. That is why man was told not to eat it. This same concept is addressed in 1 Kings 18:21, when Elijah addressed Israel on Mount Carmel, saying:

“And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, “How long will you halt between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow Him; but if Baal, then follow him.”

The message is very simple. God’s people are required to be set apart, and He will not long suffer His people mingling and mixing with those things that are common and profane. These forbidden things would include philosophies, religions, and traditions that lead people away from the truth. A holy God doesn’t want true worship mingled with false worship. Yeshua addressed this same issue when He spoke to the congregation of Laodicea.

“I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I would that you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of My mouth.” (Revelation 3:15-16)

As His children, the challenge is to recognize those things in our lives that are from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil — those things that are a mixture of holy and profane. Once we recognize them, we should quickly purge them from our lives. That is our duty because we have been called to be a holy and set apart people. Let us pray that the Father will help us to identify any deadly fruit in our lives that we might, with His help. rid ourselves of it. Let us embrace His Truth (the Tree of Life) and produce the fruit of life.  

Shalom.