“These men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces.”
Today we are looking at Ezekiel 14: 1-8.
1-5 Some of the leaders of Israel approached me and sat down with me. God’s Message came to me: “Son of Man, these people have installed idols in their hearts. They have embraced the wickedness that will ruin them. Why should I even bother with their prayers? Therefore tell them, ‘The Message of God, the Master: All in Israel who install idols in their hearts and embrace the wickedness that will ruin them and still have the gall to come to a prophet, be on notice: I, God, will step in and personally answer them as they come dragging along their mob of idols. I am ready to go to work on the hearts of the house of Israel, all of whom have left me for their idols.’
6-8 “Therefore, say to the house of Israel: ‘God, the Master, says, Repent! Turn your backs on your no-god idols. Turn your backs on all your outrageous obscenities. To every last person from the house of Israel, including any of the resident aliens who live in Israel, all who turn their backs on me and embrace idols, who install the wickedness that will ruin them at the center of their lives and then have the gall to go to the prophet to ask me questions I, God, will step in and give the answer myself. I’ll oppose those people to their faces, make an example of them, a warning lesson, and get rid of them so you will realize that I am God.
CULTURAL & HISTORICAL INSIGHT
Ezekiel 14 is shocking because:
These men approach the prophet properly.
They sit respectfully.
They appear religious.
But God interrupts immediately:
“These men have set up idols in their hearts.”
In ancient Israel, idolatry wasn’t just about statues
it was about trust, loyalty, dependence, and desire.
Anything you rely on, cling to, defend, or refuse to surrender
becomes an idol.
This chapter proves something critical:
You don’t need a pagan altar to practice idolatry.
You only need a divided heart.
HIDDEN TRUTH — God Will Answer You… According to Your Idols
This is one of the most sobering passages in Scripture.
God says:
“I will answer them myself according to the multitude of their idols.” (v.4)
That means:
If you cling to idols,
God may allow your answers to confirm your delusions.
Not because He approves
but because He is exposing what you love.
This is not silence.
This is judgment through permission.
The scariest thing is not God saying “no.”
The scariest thing is God saying “fine.”
The message is consistent across Scripture:
🙅♂️❤️
God will not share the heart.
| Scripture | Verse |
|---|---|
| Isaiah 29:13 | lips near, hearts far |
| Hosea 4:6 | destroyed for lack of knowledge |
| 2 Kings 17:15 | worthless idols → worthless people |
| Jeremiah 17:9 | the heart is deceitful |
| Matthew 6:24 | you cannot serve two masters |
| Revelation 2–3 |
This Is About Us
Ezekiel 14 is written for people who:
✔ attend church
✔ read Scripture
✔ seek God’s will
✔ want reassurance
✔ ask for guidance
✔ expect blessing
…but quietly protect:
• comfort
• tradition
• identity
• culture
• habits
• control
• approval
God is not fooled by posture.
He is not impressed by attendance.
He looks directly at the heart and asks:
“What are you refusing to let go of?”
Because until the idol is removed,
clarity will never come.
Abba,
Search us deeper than our words.
Expose the idols we excuse,
the comforts we defend,
the things we refuse to surrender.
Do not answer us according to our idols.
Do not allow us to be comforted in deception.
Break what competes with You.
Remove what distracts us from You.
Restore a heart that belongs fully to You.
We don’t want guidance without surrender.
We don’t want blessing without obedience.
We don’t want religion without relationship.
Purify our hearts.
We choose You alone.
Amen.
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