Ezekiel · chapter 14 of 48
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Ezekiel 14 tells how some elders of Israel come to consult Ezekiel, but the Lord reveals that they have idols in their hearts. He calls them to repent and warns that, if they insist, he himself will answer them in his own way. Then he declares that neither Noah, Daniel nor Job could rescue a sinful land except themselves, but that a remnant of survivors will be left.
Ezekiel 14 continues the denunciation of false guides in chapter 13 and now addresses the people who consult them. The message is that the problem lies not only with those who teach falsehoods but also with those who want to hear what suits them. It is a chapter about sincerity of heart before God.
Some of the elders of Israel visit Ezekiel and sit before him. The Lord tells him that these men have taken their idols into their hearts and set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces, and asks whether he should let himself be consulted by them. Ezekiel must tell them that any of the house of Israel who takes idols into his heart and comes to the prophet will be answered by the Lord himself according to the multitude of his idols, in order to recapture the hearts of the house of Israel. So the call is: turn back and turn away from your idols.
If a prophet is deceived and speaks, the Lord himself will have deceived that prophet and will destroy him, and the prophet and the one who consults will bear their guilt, so that Israel may no more go astray from him.
Then the Lord speaks of judgment on a land that acts faithlessly. Even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in it, they would save only themselves by their righteousness. He describes four calamities: famine, wild beasts, sword and pestilence. In each case, even if those three men were there, they would not save their sons or daughters, only themselves. Yet a remnant of sons and daughters will come out of Jerusalem, and when the exiles see them and their conduct, they will be consoled about the disaster God brought on the city. And they will know it was not without cause.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
The elders have idols in their hearts and the stumbling block of their sin before them. Even if the idols cannot be seen with the eyes, their divided loyalty corrupts the way they seek the Lord.
The Lord calls the house of Israel to turn back and turn away from their idols and abominations. Even in a chapter of judgment, the door to repentance stays open.
Even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in that land, they would save only themselves. The faith of others, however great, does not replace each person's own responsibility before God.
A remnant of survivors will come out of Jerusalem, and their conduct will show that the judgment was not without cause. The exiles will be consoled as they understand God's justice.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: They have taken their idols into their hearts and set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces. — Ezekiel 14:3
Answer: To turn back and turn away from their idols and abominations. — Ezekiel 14:6
Answer: Noah, Daniel and Job. — Ezekiel 14:14
Answer: They would deliver only themselves by their righteousness. — Ezekiel 14:14
Answer: Sword, famine, wild beasts and pestilence. — Ezekiel 14:21
Answer: They will understand that the Lord did not do without cause what he did in Jerusalem. — Ezekiel 14:22-23
We can go to church, a Bible study or a counselor with idols still installed in the heart. Ezekiel 14 says God looks first at what is inside. Before asking for direction, it is worth asking: what am I putting in the place that belongs to him?
The chapter also reminds us that each person answers personally before God. Godly parents, leaders or faithful friends can pray and serve, but they cannot believe for us. In a small group, talk about how to walk with others in love while encouraging them toward a relationship of their own with the Lord.
Ezekiel 14 calls for repentance from the heart and shows that another's righteousness does not save others. In chapter 15 the prophet will use the image of the vine to show the worth of an unfaithful Jerusalem.
Scholars do not agree. Some think he is the Daniel of Babylon, already famous for wisdom and faithfulness in Ezekiel's time; others propose an ancient hero whose name is spelled similarly. The text presents him as an example of righteousness alongside Noah and Job.
Verse 9 says that when a prophet is deceived, the Lord himself has deceived him. Many understand this as a way of saying God allows or gives over to falsehood the person who insists on seeking what he wants to hear, not that God is the author of evil. It is a difficult passage best read in the context of the rest of the chapter.