God Condemns the Idolaters
Ezekiel 14
“Some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat down in front of me. Then the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all? Therefore speak to them and tell them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When any of the Israelites set up idols in their hearts and put a wicked stumbling block before their faces and then go to a prophet, I the Lord will answer them myself in keeping with their great idolatry. I will do this to recapture the hearts of the people of Israel, who have all deserted me for their idols’” (Ezekiel 14:1-5).
The Lord had not abandoned His people even while they were in exile, for He had given the Prophet Ezekiel to them to deliver His messages. Therefore, these elders who had come to Ezekiel knew that he was a true prophet from the Lord even though they did not readily receive all the messages given. Unfortunately, their hearts were not receptive to receiving the truth about the sinful conditions that led them into their current state of captivity.
In this new prophetic message, these elders were waiting to hear a Word from the Lord, only to have a rebuke regarding the idolatry in their hearts, which had remained unchanged. They wanted words of peace, prosperity, and possibly a reprieve from their Babylonian exilement. They did not seek correction from the Lord but only His hand of blessings and favor. Unfortunately, this was not what they were going to get, as their lack of humility to seek God’s face for repentance was the furthest from their hearts of stone.
These elders did not love the Lord. Instead, they loved their idols and held onto them in their hearts. One can see that even though the exiles may not have been bowing down to these idols physically, their hearts were far from the Lord. They went through the motion of seeking His face by inquiring of Ezekiel regarding a Word from the Lord without wholeheartedly serving Him. They were fully aware that serving other gods caused God’s wrath to be displayed upon them, yet they held on to times’ past. However, this was not good enough for the Lord. He was not to be shared with anyone or anything, whether tangible or intangible. The Bible says: “’Even now,’ declares the Lord, ‘return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.’ Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. Who knows? He may turn and relent and leave behind a blessing—grain offerings and drink offerings for the Lord your God” (Joel 2:12-14). Unfortunately, America has a lot of gods, which has caused this nation to fall into debauchery, such as:
a.) Sports
b.) Celebrities
c.) Video Games/Entertainment
d.) Gambling
e.) Pornography/Sex
f.) Titles
g.) Money
h.) Material Possessions
i.) Physical Appearance
j.) Technology
k.) Relationships w/family, friends, etc.
l.) Popularity
“Therefore say to the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Repent! Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices!” (Ezekiel 14:6).
The Lord did not have a word of prosperity and peace for these elders. The Lord commanded them to turn away from their idolatry and wicked ways. Despite their being in captivity, the Lord still expected them to return to Him. Geographical location has nothing to do with one’s ability to serve the Lord. Our God is omnipresent. Therefore, He is always available to those who seek Him with a sincere heart. The Bible says: “But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the Lord your God and obey him. For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your ancestors, which he confirmed to them by oath” (Deuteronomy 4:29-31). The Lord had not forsaken Israel; Israel had forsaken the Lord. Similarly, America has forsaken the Lord and replaced Him with false gods from the White House to the Church house. This is not to say that everyone within this nation has done this because there is a remnant. Yet, let’s make no mistake in saying that this nation has forsaken her God, and judgment is on the way.
“ ‘When any of the Israelites or any foreigner residing in Israel separate themselves from me and set up idols in their hearts and put a wicked stumbling block before their faces and then go to a prophet to inquire of me, I the Lord will answer them myself. I will set my face against them and make them an example and a byword. I will remove them from my people. Then you will know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 14:7-8).
The Lord took issue with the elders and those of Judah. They had abandoned the Lord in their hearts and sought after other gods. Their loyalties were divided between the God of Israel, who brought them out of Egypt, and the gods of foreign nations that did nothing for them. As a result, the Lord was not interested in giving them a Word through the prophet that would cause them to be comfortable in their sins without any change of heart. They sought God’s hand but not His face. They desired His blessings without complete obedience. These elders wanted God’s all but only gave Him a piece of themselves. Therefore, the Lord would make them a byword and thrust them from His heart as they had done to Him. On the outside, the elders seemed to want the Lord’s presence, but the reality was that they were far from Him. The Bible says: “But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). Due to their idolatry, the Lord was going to remove the infection from their midst. They would not be allowed to infect the rest of God’s people with their idolatrous ways. They would be judged accordingly. The Bible says: “But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more” (Luke 12:48).
“‘And if the prophet is enticed to utter a prophecy, I the Lord have enticed that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand against him and destroy him from among my people Israel. They will bear their guilt—the prophet will be as guilty as the one who consults him. Then the people of Israel will no longer stray from me, nor will they defile themselves anymore with all their sins. They will be my people, and I will be their God, declares the Sovereign Lord’” (Ezekiel 14:9-11).
The false prophets of Israel were greatly responsible for the sinful condition Judah found themselves. Instead of listening to the true prophets, the people gathered around them prophets who appeased their deceptive ears. So, the Lord would punish those prophets and those who consulted them. The Lord’s servants only spoke what came from His mouth, not from their own imagination. However, the false prophets made up lies to tell the people and did not encourage them to seek God’s counsel. The Bible says: “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near” (Isaiah 55:6). It was important for Judah to seek God’s face because He was the One who knew the end from the beginning. Unfortunately, Judah was too rebellious to pay attention to the Lord’s warnings.
Jerusalem’s Judgment is Final
“The word of the Lord came to me: ‘Son of man, if a country sins against me by being unfaithful and I stretch out my hand against it to cut off its food supply and send famine upon it and kill its people and their animals, even if these three men—Noah, Daniel and Job—were in it, they could save only themselves by their righteousness, declares the Sovereign Lord’ ” (Ezekiel 14:12-14).
The Lord gives Ezekiel another message regarding the sins of Judah. This message was one of a personal nature to help His servant understand the reason behind His determination to bring judgment upon Judah, which would not be deterred. One of the common practices with the prophets was intercession on behalf of the people. Moses interceded with the Lord on behalf of Israel when they made a golden calf to worship. It was the Lord’s desire to destroy them all, but Moses pleaded with the Lord not to take out His wrath on them in such a way. The Lord relented and did not bring about the disaster He’d planned (Exodus 32:7-14).
To Be Continued...Amazon.com TBA
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