Idolatry Will Be Punished

Ezekiel 14:1-11

1 Now some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me. 2 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 3 "Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts, and put before them that which causes them to stumble into iniquity. Should I let Myself be inquired of at all by them?

4 "Therefore speak to them, and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Everyone of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, and then comes to the prophet, I the LORD will answer him who comes, according to the multitude of his idols, 5 that I may seize the house of Israel by their heart, because they are all estranged from Me by their idols."'

6 "Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Repent, turn away from your idols, and turn your faces away from all your abominations. 7 For anyone of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell in Israel, who separates himself from Me and sets up his idols in his heart and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, then comes to a prophet to inquire of him concerning Me, I the LORD will answer him by Myself. 8 I will set My face against that man and make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of My people. Then you shall know that I am the LORD.

9 "And if the prophet is induced to speak anything, I the LORD have induced that prophet, and I will stretch out My hand against him and destroy him from among My people Israel. 10 And they shall bear their iniquity; the punishment of the prophet shall be the same as the punishment of the one who inquired, 11 that the house of Israel may no longer stray from Me, nor be profaned anymore with all their transgressions, but that they may be My people and I may be their God," says the Lord GOD.'"

Israel set up idols in their hearts which caused them to stumble and fall off the way God set before them to walk according to His word and into iniquity, sin of their thoughts and affections and deeds.  The LORD therefore refused to hear their prayers and requests for counsel from the messenger of God because they had set their own gods in His place and the sin of putting their hearts elsewhere.  God told Ezekiel to tell them about the idols in their hearts that lead them into sin and warned them of daring to ask His counsel when they were worshiping their idols instead of heeding the counsel of the first commandment as it was written in His word to hear and obey.  He seized such ones estranged from Him by the heart due to false worship and divided affection.  The call to them was given to repent from such sin and turn to Him alone.  By separating themselves from the LORD and setting stones of stumbling (Romans 11:9-10, 1 Peter 2:7-8) in front of their path instead of clearing the way to God without such roadblocks (Hebrews 12:1) tripping them and keeping them from pleasing Him in sole worship and allegiance.  If they continued in such sin and came to hear a word from Him, they would be turned back to first repent or face rejection as they rejected Him.  If a prophet then spoke to appease them instead of telling the truth of the whole counsel of God, that one would also find God’s hand against him along with the one coming for false peace and safety from the prophet.  They would suffer the same fate.  This was all corrective discipline to keep God’s people from straying as wandering sheep from their good Shepherd.  He told them plainly that if they worshiped Him alone that they would be His people and He their God.  His sovereign authority gave protection in grace when they followed Him and stopped setting up their own idols and the immortality coming from them in His place.  Idolatry will be punished but repentance by faith in His grace and righteousness leads to life as we now know in Christ through the gospel.  He was born this day we celebrate as Christmas so that we might find that forgiveness in grace unearned to call us out of the darkness of idolatry and immortality to worship Him only and live in step with His Spirit in we who have been reborn in the child who was God’s Word born as a man to deliver us from straying any longer.  We wandering sheep without a Shepherd no have one (Matthew 2:6, Mark 6:34, 1 Peter 2:25).  Turn and follow Him by faith today, oh lost sheep!