42 lines
2.3 KiB
Markdown
42 lines
2.3 KiB
Markdown
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title = "Ezekiel 14:1–11"
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date = "2023-04-04"
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### [Read the passage.](https://biblia.com/bible/esv/Ezekiel14.1-11)
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Now we have a small interlude where the message of the Lord given through
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Ezekiel does not concern the inhabitants of Jerusalem, but the exiles who are
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there near him. In particular we have "certain of the elders of Israel" (_v.
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1_) who have come to the prophet for a word from the Lord, and yet they have
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taken idols into their hearts. This could mean that they actively worship the
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Caananite gods like their compatriots back in Jerusalem, or have begun to
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follow the Babylonian gods of their conquerors, or have forsaken the Lord in a
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more subtle way by turning to wealth and power or putting their ethnicity and
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holy city before God in their hearts. Whatever the case, the Lord knows it and
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they stand condemned.
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The Lord does not play second fiddle to anyone or anything. Just as you don't
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ask your spouse what clothes to wear on a date with someone else, you don't ask
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the Lord what the future holds for you when you have asked a funny looking rock
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to bless you as well. It's just asking for trouble. And indeed, that is what He
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says He will bring to these elders: trouble enough to make everyone around them
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to notice and learn from their bad example until they are not around any more.
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But it is not just the idolaters who are in danger here. If the prophet agrees
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to give them a prophetic word, the Lord will deceive him and the word he gives
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to the idolaters will be false. And thus he will incur the same punishment as
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the idolater who asked for the word in the first place. Now there's an
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uncomfortable verse. The idea of God being deceptive is not a fun one,
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especially when remembering other verses that tell us that God loves truth and
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hates lies. But other translations use different words like "enticed" or
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"prevailed upon" instead of "deceived". I'll have to do a word study and figure
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out just what the Hebrew word really means here. But for now, we can be sure
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that God is against idolatry, and anyone who enables idolatry in the name of
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the Lord can expect judgement just as severe.
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* * *
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You are sovereign, and yet we are responsible for our actions, thoughts, and
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feelings. However, we can trust in You and Your goodness even when we don't
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understand.
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