Therefore speak to them and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Any one of the house of Israel who takes his idols into his heart and sets the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face and yet comes to the prophet, I the Lord will answer him as he comes with the multitude of his idols, that I may lay hold of the hearts of the house of Israel, who are all estranged from me through their idols. Ezekiel’s 14:4-5
We have been talking about idolatry the past couple of weeks in Connect class. Idolatry simply put is placing anything or anyone above God in our lives. It is putting a created thing in the place of worship instead of the Creator. This is what was happening in the passage above. The elders of Israel came to seek the word of the Lord through the prophet Ezekiel. They came inquiring of the Lord as if nothing was wrong in their hearts. They came expecting to hear from the Lord and to carry on life as normal, but what they received instead was a rebuke. The Lord saw their hearts, He knew they were worshiping other things.
In this passage God makes several things very clear about idolatry:
We put idols into our own hearts
Idols cause us to stumble in sin
Idols cause us to be estranged from God
Idols end up in our lives through our own choices and actions. They begin to take root in our lives when we give them too much attention and value. Something as simple as food or appearance can become an idol when our lives begin to revolve around that one thing. However, just as the people of Israel had multiple idols, we often have more than one thing that is becoming idolatrous in our lives.
These idols promise to make us happy and give us the life we think we want. However, as Ezekiel tells us, these idols are stumbling blocks. These things we want so badly cause us to stumble and fall as we seek to walk the life God has set before us. It is like trying to navigate a dark living room after your child has been playing with legos and left them scattered all over the floor. These little blocks that can build amazing things when used in the right way are now causing you severe pain and frustration as they cause you to stumble through the room. Similarly, created things when used and enjoyed the way God intended bring great joy and worship; however, when we put them in the place of God, they cause us to stumble and sin. Not only do idols cause us to stumble, they also cause separation between us and the Lord. We cannot have a vibrant relationship with the Lord when we are harboring idols in our hearts.
When we stop to think about how easy it is for us to have idols in our hearts, it can be overwhelming. However, God wants to help us have victory over these things. In this passage He tells Ezekiel that He wants to lay hold of, or capture, the hearts of His people. God will help us as we seek Him for help. God’s promises are available today. You can set your heart and mind on God today and begin removing idols! While it is an ongoing process that involves consistent work, you can follow God now. You can set your mind and heart on Him, and He will help you. You don’t have to get things into order first. You need to set your heart and affections on Him, and He will help you take the next steps. Idolatry is something we will fight against for as long as we are on this earth; however, with God we can fight this battle victoriously.
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