Ezekiel 14:1-23
Monday, 22 November 2021
Whenever one of you Israelites or one of you foreigners who live in the Israelite community turn away from me and worship idols, and then go to consult a prophet, I, the LORD, will give you your answer! -Ezekiel 14:7
Ezekiel gives a reproof for those who consult the false prophets. Some of the leaders come to Ezekiel as to one who has authority; but he, endowed with the genuine prophetic spirit, sees through to their hearts, and finds the idols of self-will and an insubmissive spirit to the Lord. Inquiring of the Lord with such a spirit is denounced by the prophet.
God used Ezekiel to strongly speak to His people about their state of affairs, bringing to them His counsel. They had sinned and miserably fallen from following the Lord and so God’s words to them were often harsh in order to make them repent and turn back to Him. God has an answer for every situation under the sun, His voice is powerful, mighty and strong. It may not sound audible to us often, but that does not mean He is not speaking. In many occasions, the ideology of God’s voice does not tie up with man’s concept. This gives a distinct clarity between the perception and comprehension of sinful man and a Holy God.
The God of all creation is compassionate and merciful- sometimes man tends to take advantage of this aspect and tries to walk in his own wisdom practicing his own acts of worship and beliefs! He thinks they will be endorsed by God. But that is far from the truth! Though He punishes the guilty, His heart of compassion wants to win them back to Himself. God knew the hearts and minds of the Israelites and foreigners living in that land that it was full of idols – yet He considers ways to turn them back to Himself- “All those idols have turned the Israelites away from me, but by my answer I hope to win back their loyalty. Now then, tell the Israelites what I, the Sovereign LORD, am saying: Turn back and leave your disgusting idols.” (Eze. 14:5-6)
The way we see our lives determines the level at which the voice of God affects us positively. How we define life determines our destiny— our perspective influences how we honor God’s voice, invest our time, spend our money, use our talents and value our relationships. Sometimes our perceptions about issues tamper with the implementation of the Master’s desire at a given point even when He speaks to us- because there is a mindset that will not work according to His will, but ours! That kind of mindset unwilling to understand and submit to God’s voice and will gives a clear picture of the idolatry mentality!
Nothing is bigger than the authority of God, His words and His voice. God honors those who honor His voice and His words and submit to them even if it is once- that may make history and bring glory to his holy name. Noah, Daniel and Job are good examples of those who honored/ listened to the Master’s voice and the authority of His words unlike those in their generation.
Apart from hearing and submitting to the voice of God on earth, one thing we must always bear in mind is that, we were put on earth to make a contribution. We weren’t created just to exist—
God designed us to make a difference! We are called to serve God not out of fear, guilt or even duty- but out of joy and deep gratitude for what He has done for us! We owe Him our lives- through the salvation we received through Christ, our past has been forgiven, our present is given meaning, and our future is secured.
Prayer: LORD give me the ear to hear Your voice and desire to submissively honor Your word. Amen
Reference: studylight.org