Then some elders of Israel came to me and sat down before me. And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts and have put right before their faces the stumbling block of their iniquity. Should I be consulted by them at all?” (vv.1-3)
Here God gave Ezekiel supernatural insight into the hearts of these leaders. Like the leaders mentioned in Ezekiel 8:10-12 and 8:16, these were idol worshippers. Their idols were not evident outwardly, but in their hearts. This secret idolatry made them to stumble into iniquity.
Knowing the hidden sin in their life, God asked Ezekiel and obvious and important question. This question, with the assumed answer of “no,” showed that God had no obligation to answer the inquiry of these men who harbored such secret sin.
In Ezekiel’s day, God dealt thoroughly with this kind of secret idolatry. His throne on earth has always been in the hearts of His people. That’s why we must rid our hearts of anything that destroys our contentment with Him, before it destroys us.
The Truth: “And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell.” (Mark 9:47)
Here God gave Ezekiel supernatural insight into the hearts of these leaders. Like the leaders mentioned in Ezekiel 8:10-12 and 8:16, these were idol worshippers. Their idols were not evident outwardly, but in their hearts. This secret idolatry made them to stumble into iniquity.
Knowing the hidden sin in their life, God asked Ezekiel and obvious and important question. This question, with the assumed answer of “no,” showed that God had no obligation to answer the inquiry of these men who harbored such secret sin.
In Ezekiel’s day, God dealt thoroughly with this kind of secret idolatry. His throne on earth has always been in the hearts of His people. That’s why we must rid our hearts of anything that destroys our contentment with Him, before it destroys us.
The Truth: “And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell.” (Mark 9:47)
