Scripture
"Then some of the leaders of Israel visited me, and while they were sitting with me, this message came to me from the Lord: 'Son of man, these leaders have set up idols, in their hearts. They have embraced things that will make them fall into sin. Why should I listen to their requests?" (Ezekiel 14:1-3)
Observation
Growing up, I never seemed to be able to get away with anything. Nearly every time I did something wrong and lied about it, I thought I was able to put on a pretty good front, I thought I was playing it cool and had my game down, but somehow my parents always seemed to know. It was like they could see through the front, through the games, right into my heart. This type of wisdom and discernment came to mind as I read Ezekiel 14.
The leaders of Israel had gotten pretty good at looking pretty good. In front of their people they knew how to do the right things to appear wise, obedient, and trustworthy. In fact, one of those things was going to the prophet of God, Ezekiel, for the wisdom of God. Here’s the problem, God knew! God knew their unfaithfulness, God knew their disobedience, and God knew the condition of their hearts. They weren’t out worshiping statues of false gods, thus they thought their actions were hidden. Yet, God’s wisdom and discernment saw right into their hearts. Because of that, he posed the question to Ezekiel, “Why should I listen to their requests?” Their disobedience was seen, their heart was seen, and they’d have to reap the repercussions of their choices.
Application
So today, the question stands...“What’s the condition of your heart?” In the areas that you think no one sees and no one knows have you set up idols? Now, you might be thinking, “I don’t worship golden statues”, yet an idol is anything that becomes more important to you than God. This means that even good things can become idols. So maybe some good questions to ask yourself are:
What consumes my thoughts?
What absorbs my heart and imagination?
Where do I find validation, worth, and satisfaction?
If we were honest, there are many things that consume our thoughts, absorb our hearts, and give us validation to a much greater extent than God...and sadly, these are idols. Again, good things can become idols! Your job can become an idol, a relationship can become an idol, and your possessions can become an idol. Your achievements, your aspirations, and your dreams can all become idols in your heart, and today God warns that these idols have the potential to draw you into sin. So today choose to:
- Reprioritize your heart and ensure He’s first.
- Cleanse your heart from things that shouldn’t be there.
- Submit the rest use them to honor Him!
Prayer
Jesus, please forgive me for allowing the things of this world to become idols in my heart. Help me to reprioritize, to cleanse, and to submit it all that You might be honored through my actions and so I can remain obedient and covered by You. In Your name, Amen!
