Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumbling-block of their iniquity before their face should I be inquired of at all by them?
The elders of Israel come and sit down in front of the prophet. They look like men who want to hear from God. Before they ask a single question, God tells Ezekiel what is inside them. Can a man whose heart is already given to something else still expect an answer from God?
The charge falls on what these men wanted. One writer points out that nothing outside them forced this.
Whatever they looked like, and whatever they claimed, they had set up their idols in their heart. Nothing outside them forced or pushed them into it. The elders liked these detestable things. They chased after idols with secret greed. They fed their craving for false gods by putting the stumbling block of their iniquity before their face. This was bold, open, deliberate rebellion against the Lord.
Their position made it worse.
These men claimed to be inquiring of the Lord, but the idolatry in their hearts is now exposed. They were the elders of Israel. They should have led the people in the Lord's ways, and they were the men people looked to for the nation's revival.
The phrase "stumbling block" has a plain, physical sense.
Anything placed in the way of another over which he might stumble and fall. The law forbade it, and such things had to be taken out of Israel's way (Lev. 19:14; Isa. 57:14). Their iniquity, however, became a stumbling block to them (Ezek. 7:19; Ezek. 14:3-7).
Setting it "before their faces" is read as public, not private. The gap between their speech and their lives is the whole scandal.
They came with a show of piety and religion. It sounded good to inquire of the Lord and to seek the prophet-priest for that purpose. While their lips spoke of asking the Lord, their hearts were full of idolatry. They had put this stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces. That means they openly defied the Lord God of Israel by what they did.
Why go to a prophet at all? One writer says they wanted a god they could manage.
They were now treating Ezekiel as a false prophet himself. So they were putting the Lord among the false gods too, as someone they could flatter, coax and bribe into agreeing with their own desires. How strange is the mystery of the human heart! It must have a god, and yet it will not bow to him. It must have a god, yet in reality it is its own god.
God's reply is not silence. He sets the go-between aside and answers for Himself.
So God declares what will happen if they come to Him through someone they can work on more easily than they can work on God Himself. They hope such a man can draw God round to their own mind. Instead they will find that He answers for Himself, and shows His own unchangeable nature all the more.
King Saul shows this principle at work. He consulted a medium at Endor, and God overrode her.
Saul was a corrupt man. In his heart, and before his face, the world stood as his idol and stumbling block. Because of this the Lord now answers him Himself. He takes the matter out of the witch's hands altogether. He gives Samuel for a moment, just as Saul wanted, but only in judgment, only "according to the multitude of his idols."
What God asks of them is a turning, and the asking is mercy.
God would answer every man according to the state of his heart, which He knows perfectly, and not according to his outward show of religion. They were estranged from God in their sins, and God would not own them unless they turned away from their idols. Despite all their sins and the coming judgment, God longed to spare His wayward people, if they would turn from their sins.
The definition of an idol here reaches everyone.
And remember, an "idol" is anything a person prefers to Christ and lets slip in between Him and the soul. It is useless to hide one corner of your heart from God's searching light and keep the other part lit up! The darkness will soon spread from that dark idol closet over the whole heart, and, sadly, over the conscience too.
Prayer is where this shows up first, and one writer ties it directly to honesty before God.
Anything that challenges the supremacy of Christ in our lives is an idol. It is iniquity, and "if I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened" (Ps. 66:18). We cannot pray with sincerity if the eye is not fixed on one thing, or if the heart is divided.
- Heart — the idols went up inside them first. God reads the heart before they even ask, and answers what He finds there, not the show.
- Face — a private preference ends in open defiance. Their own sin became the thing they tripped over.
- Middleman — they wanted a prophet they could work on and a god they could flatter. God refuses the deal and answers for Himself.
- Answer — He replies "according to the multitude of his idols." Saul found that out at Endor: an answer came, but it came in judgment.
- Turn — the way back is not a better question but repentance. God would spare His people if they turn from their idols.
Therefore speak to them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumbling-block of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet, I Jehovah will answer him according to this, according to the multitude of his idols
Elders of Israel sit down in front of the prophet as though they want a word from God. Before they can ask anything, God tells Ezekiel what is really inside them. This verse is God's ruling on such a visit. The man who keeps idols in his heart and still comes to ask will get an answer — one shaped by his idols.
The two phrases describe two things at once: a hidden appetite and an open defiance. One writer separates the two: nobody forced these men into idolatry. They wanted it.
The holy people had defiled themselves. Their guides deserved more blame than the people they led astray by their example. Whatever they looked like, whatever they claimed, they had "set up their idols in their heart." No outside force or influence made them do it. The elders liked these abominations. They ran after idols with secret greediness. They gratified their craving for false gods by placing the stumbling block of their iniquity before their face — bold, open, deliberate rebellion against the Lord.
The men who came were the leaders of Israel. What they asked sounded right.
He who searches the hearts knew what was in them. They came with pious, religious pretensions. It sounded well to inquire of the Lord and to seek the prophet-priest for that purpose. While their lips spoke of asking the Lord, their hearts were full of idolatry. They had put this stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces, which means they openly defied the Lord God of Israel by what they did.
Behind the visit lay a calculation: the prophet is easier to work on than God. God answers that by speaking for Himself.
They must learn that the prophet really represents the Lord. He is not a go-between who arranges terms between the people and the God they have offended. So God tells them what will happen if they come to Him through a man they can work on more easily than they can work on Him. They hope such a man can pull God round to their mind. Instead they will find that He answers for Himself, and shows all the more that He never changes.
The answer promised here is not information. It is exposure: God shows what the idols are worth.
He is mighty and despises no one. But He will be no party to His own dishonour, and He makes His judgments do good to those who fear Him. How else could He answer the rebellious elders except in a way that made His majesty felt? They wanted an answer out of curiosity. He would prove the worthlessness of their many idols, "that I may catch the house of Israel by their heart because they have all become estranged from me by their idols."
God's reason for this answer is the state of the whole nation. One writer sets that beside what Paul says about everyone else.
Of His earthly people — the Jew — God has to say "they are all estranged (foreigners) from Me through their idols" (Ezek. 14:4). Of the other nations Paul writes "being alienated (non-participant) from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them" (Eph. 4:18). Foreigners and non-participants — that is the state of mankind in sin: idol-worshippers who do not know God. We do well to face the truth of Scripture, however solemn and searching it is.
God does not stop at exposing them. The next word to them is a call to come back.
God would answer every man according to the state of his heart as known perfectly to Him, and not according to his religious pretensions. They were estranged from God in their sins, and God would not own them unless they turned away from their idols. Even after all they had done against Him, God says to His people, "Thus says the Lord God: Return, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations." How good it is to hear that! Despite all their sins and the coming judgment, God would gladly spare His wayward people, if they would turn away from their sins.
Carved images are not the only kind. The test is what you put first.
Remember, an "idol" is anything you prefer to Christ and let slip in between Him and your soul. It is hopeless to hide one corner of your heart from God's searching light while you keep the other part lit up. The darkness will soon spread from that dark idol shrine over the whole heart, and, sadly, over the conscience too.
- Heart first. The idol goes up inside the man before it stands anywhere else. Nobody pressured these men into it — they liked it.
- Face next. What the heart wants soon comes out into the open — hidden appetite turns into public defiance.
- Approach after. With both in place they still came to enquire, lips saying one thing while the heart was full of idolatry.
- Answer accordingly. No middleman can talk God round. He answers for Himself, and His answer matches the idols and proves them worthless.
- Return. God exposes the heart in order to win it back. He takes hold of the heart that strayed and calls the estranged to turn from their idols.
that I may take the house of Israel by their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols.
In Ezekiel 14, a group of Israel's elders sit down in front of the prophet, ready to hear from God. God speaks first, and verse 5 gives His reason for answering them at all: He means to reach the heart that has wandered from Him.
God names a problem that starts inside the heart. One writer shows how that hidden liking turned into open defiance:
Their hearts were full of evil. While their lips spoke of asking the Lord, their hearts were full of idolatry. They liked idolatry. Their hearts were in it. They had put this stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces. That means they openly defied the Lord God of Israel by what they did.
God does not refuse to reply. He replies in a way that matches the state of the person asking. His purpose is to take hold of them where the trouble lies:
The message for such men is that the Lord would answer anyone who comes according to the number of his idols. He is mighty and despises no one. But He will take no part in His own dishonour, and He makes His judgments do good to those who fear Him. How else could He answer the rebellious elders except in a way that made His majesty felt? They sought an answer out of curiosity. He would prove the worthlessness of their many idols, "that I may lay hold of the hearts of the house of Israel, who are all estranged from me through their idols." Elders and people alike had gone from God. He would deal with their heart, rising above them in the very thing where they acted proudly.
Why would people who still keep up religious appearances want idols at all? One commentator traces it to a wish for gods a person can manage. They had begun to treat the true God the same way:
Among those who keep such a respectable outward show of correct belief, the heart has, for the most part at least, gone after the common idolatry. This is how false prophets rose up among the true ones. They took their inspiration, as we soon see, from the desire of the people. Under whatever name, the people really wanted gods of their own — manageable gods, as the idols certainly were... They were now treating Ezekiel as a false prophet himself. So they put the Lord among the false gods too, as one they could flatter, coax and bribe into agreeing with their own desires.
"Estranged from me" is God's own verdict on the distance between Him and them. The remedy is not better religious performance but turning away from the idols:
God would answer every man according to the state of his heart, which He knows perfectly, and not according to his religious claims. They were estranged from God in their sins, and God would not own them unless they turned away from their idols. How good it is to hear God say to His people, even after all they had done against Him, "Return, and turn away from your idols, and turn away your faces from all your abominations." Despite all their sins and the coming judgment, God was willing to spare His wayward people, if they would turn away from their sins.
The elders hid their idols in the heart. One writer puts the same question to the reader:
Remember, an "idol" is anything that is preferred to Christ and allowed to slip in between Him and the soul. It is useless to hide one corner of your heart from God's searching light while you keep the other part lit up! The darkness will soon spread from that dark idol closet over the whole heart. Sadly, it spreads over the conscience too.
The elders asked God a question while holding on to what dishonoured Him. Another writer applies the same inconsistency to prayer:
Whatever challenges the supremacy of Christ in our lives is an idol. It is iniquity, and "if I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me" (Ps. 66:18). We cannot pray sincerely if the eye is not single, or if the heart is divided.
- Heart first. The idol goes up inside the heart before anyone sees it outside. God's charge starts with what the elders wanted.
- Heart answered. God replies according to the idols a man holds, and that answer exposes how empty they are.
- Heart caught. God's answer lays hold of Israel where they acted proudly. He deals with the heart, not just the question.
- Heart estranged. Their real problem is distance from God, not a lack of religious activity. Religious claims count for nothing with One who knows the heart.
- Heart returned. The way back is to turn from the idols, and the invitation stands even with judgment already in view.
Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah Return ye, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.
Elders of Israel sit down before the prophet to ask God a question, and God tells Ezekiel what they are hiding inside. The answer is not the guidance they came for but a command to turn — so what does God mean by "repent," and why start with the heart?
These men were the nation's leaders, and nothing in their appearance gave them away.
God's holy people had defiled themselves. Their leaders deserved more blame than anyone who followed their example. However they looked, and whatever they claimed, they had "taken their idols into their hearts." This was not a matter of outward force or influence. The elders liked these abominations. They ran after idols with secret greediness. They fed their appetite for false gods by setting the stumbling block of their iniquity before their face. That was bold, open, deliberate rebellion against the Lord.
Their words were religious. Their hearts were not.
The One who searches hearts knew what was in them. They came making a pious, religious show. It sounded well to inquire of the Lord and seek the prophet-priest for that purpose. While their lips spoke of asking the Lord, their hearts were full of idolatry. They liked it. Their hearts were in it. And they had put the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces, which means they openly defied the Lord God of Israel by what they did.
A Bible dictionary lists this verse among the passages that define repentance. The definition turns the mind toward God, and then back on oneself.
Repentance has been described as "a change of mind Godward that leads to a judgement of self and one's acts." 1 Kings 8:47; Ezek. 14:6; Matt. 3:2; Matt. 9:13; Luke 15:7; Acts 20:21; 2 Cor. 7:9-10; etc. This would not be possible but for the thought of mercy in God. It is the goodness of God that leads to repentance. Rom. 2:4.
The verse calls for two turns, not one: away from the idols inside, and away from the abominations set in front of them. The surprise is that God calls at all.
Their sins had made them strangers to God, and God would not own them unless they turned away from their idols. How blessed it is to hear God say to His people, even after all they had done against Him: "Repent and turn away from your idols, and turn away your faces from all your abominations." Despite all their sins and the coming judgment, God would gladly spare His wayward people if they would turn away from their sins.
The verses that follow spell out the alternative. God answers such a person Himself, and even that has an end in view.
Then comes an even plainer message to the house of Israel in verses 6-11. They are to repent and turn from their idols. If not, the Lord would answer such inquirers Himself, by cutting them off — the deceived prophet as well as those who come to him… So God acts as judge. He shows Himself set against a people set against Him. He sends those who lie to those who love a lie, so that both may be punished together, so that Israel may learn the needed lesson and be His people as He is their God.
One writer turns the verse on the reader. A divided heart, he says, leaves prayer unanswered.
But the challenge is to every one of us. Are there no idols in our hearts and lives?… God is sifting out the hearts of men. Let us be quick to answer Him. Let us yield our hearts to Him and say, "Search me, O God." Whatever challenges the supremacy of Christ in our lives is an idol. It is iniquity, and "if I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened" (Ps. 66:18). We cannot pray sincerely if the eye is not single, or if the heart is divided.
- Heart first. No one forced these leaders to serve idols. They set them up inside, and they liked them.
- Heart exposed. God answered the question they had not yet asked. Pious words over a divided heart fool no one but the speaker.
- Heart changed. Repentance is a change of mind Godward that leads to judging yourself. It is possible only because there is mercy in God.
- Heart and face. He asks for both: turn from the idols inside, and turn your face from the abominations in front of you. That He asks at all, after everything, is mercy.
- Heart owned. Refuse, and God answers Himself in judgment. Respond, and He names the outcome: "they may be my people, and I may be their God."
For every one of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, who separateth himself from me, and setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumbling-block of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet to inquire of me by him, I Jehovah will answer him by myself;
God had just spoken about the elders who sat in front of the prophet. Here He makes it a rule for everyone: any Israelite, and any foreigner living among them. These people are religious. They come to a prophet to ask about God, but their hearts already belong to something else.
Nothing outside them forced this. They wanted it. One commentator shows how deliberate it was:
Whatever they looked like, and whatever they claimed, they had "set up their idols in their heart." No outside force or influence was involved. The elders liked these detestable things. They chased idols with secret greed, and they fed their craving for false gods by putting the stumbling block of their iniquity before their face, in bold, open, deliberate rebellion against Jehovah.
The idol sits inside the heart. The stumbling block stands out in the open. One writer explains what that open display looked like:
They came with a show of piety and religion. It sounded good to ask the Lord and to seek out the prophet-priest for that purpose. While their lips spoke of asking the Lord, their hearts were full of idolatry. Their hearts were in it. They had put this stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces, which means they openly defied the Lord God of Israel by what they did.
They wanted gods of their own. One writer traces what that desire produced:
Yet among these people with a respectable, orthodox outside, the heart has mostly gone after the common idolatry. This is how false prophets rose up among the true. They drew their inspiration from the desire of the people, who under any name wanted gods of their own — manageable gods, which the idols certainly were, though the power of Satan was not lacking in them. They were now treating Ezekiel as a false prophet too, and so putting Jehovah among the false gods, as one who could be flattered, coaxed and bribed into agreeing with their own desires.
The verse ends by removing the middleman:
They must learn that the prophet, who truly represents Jehovah, is no go-between who can make terms between the people and the God they have offended. So God declares this: suppose they come to Him through a man they can work on more easily than they can work on Him, hoping this man can bring God round to their mind. They will find that He answers for Himself, and shows His own unchangeable nature all the more.
One writer sees Saul as a case of this. Saul went to a medium for an answer, and God stepped in over her head:
Saul was a corrupt man. The world was his idol and his stumbling block, set up in his heart and kept before his face. Because of this the Lord now answers him Himself. He takes the matter out of the witch's hands altogether. He gives Samuel for a moment, as Saul wanted, but only in judgment, only "according to the multitude of his idols." It is only to tell him of the vengeance now waiting at the very doors for him, his house, and his people.
An answer does come — but it matches what the asker already loved:
This is how God acts in judgment. He shows Himself contrary to a contrary people, and He sends liars to those who love a lie. The purpose is that both may be punished together, and that Israel may learn the lesson they needed, and be His people as He is their God.
The threat is real, yet God still calls them back:
God would answer every man according to the state of his heart, which He knew perfectly, and not according to his religious pretensions. They were estranged from God in their sins, and God would not own them unless they turned away from their idols. Despite all their sins and the coming judgment, God would gladly spare His wayward people, if they would turn away from their sins.
The same test reaches anyone who keeps one part of the heart shut to God:
Your heart is not upright before God. You keep some part of it shut up from Him. You do not want the light of God's presence to enter that dark room in your heart, because it is a secret idol shrine, and you do not want the idol exposed to the light of a God who is rightly jealous... And remember, an "idol" is anything you prefer to Christ, and allow to slip in between Him and the soul.
- Heart first. The heart sets up the idol inside before anyone sees it outside. Nobody forces it; the heart wants it.
- Heart exposed. The stumbling block in plain view is open defiance, from people who still use the language of asking God.
- Heart answered. God refuses a go-between who can be worked on. He replies for Himself.
- Heart matched. The reply matches the idols — those who love a lie are sent a lie, and that is the judgment.
- Heart turned. The one way out is to turn from the idols. God answers the real state of the heart, not religious pretence.