Ezekiel
14 reminds me of the barriers to relationships that we create. Some
people prevent real relationships out of fear; others block positive
ones because they believe the lie of unworthiness. We see the
tendency in others so easily, as they gravitate toward the damaged,
but we miss it in ourselves. In today’s chapter, these damaged
souls came to the prophet. They did not come to learn God’s truth,
but to force him to change his message. God spoke to Ezekiel, “Son
of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked
stumbling blocks before their faces“.
What an interesting expression. The idols in their hearts block
them from seeing. We tend to laugh off the thought of having idols
because we think of them as some kind of figurine that we supposedly
worship. But He repeats the phrase three times, each time noting
they block or separate. God tells the prophet “speak
to them and tell
them“. More accurately, it
might read, “warn them” when they “set
up idols in their hearts… and then go to a prophet”
that they are not willing to listen. When you have a very small god,
you can blame it for all of your problems. It is much safer to say,
“That’s just the way I am” than to bow to the Great I Am. You
may lie to yourself, but you cannot lie to God.
God
says, “I the Lord will answer
them myself“. And He tells
why, “to recapture the hearts
of the people… who have all deserted Me“.
What does Gods say? “Repent!
Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices!”
Some will read this with introspection, others will simply dismiss
it. To those that dismiss it, He says they “separate
themselves from Me and set up idols in their hearts“.
And He adds, “I will remove
them from
My people“. Note that God
does not damn them, He removes them. Have you found yourself removed
from godly people?
For
the rest of the chapter God describes His purpose and process. After
God separates those that will not hear, those remaining “will
no longer stray from Me, nor will they defile themselves… They will
be my people, and I will be their God“.
He mentions three renowned men, “Noah,
Daniel and Job” and notes even
as righteous as they were, “they
could not save their own sons or daughters“.
I believe His point is that no matter how righteous your mom or dad
were, you must stand before God on your own. God makes a promise to
Ezekiel, that after Jerusalem falls, “there
will be some survivors… They will come to you, and when you see
their conduct and their actions, you will be consoled… you will
know that I have done nothing in it without cause“.
There are biblical truths that should not be ignored. If you have
been creating barriers to relationships, please listen to the words
Jesus taught in Matthew chapter 24, “Heaven
and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away“.
He continues talking about His yet future second coming, “But
about that day or hour no one knows… As it was in the days of
Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man… Therefore keep
watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come… be
ready“. If you have set up
idols in your heart, please understand that there is one relationship
that can mend all other. Will you stand on your own, or you will you
stand with the Savior?