Ezekiel 14: A Call to Repentance and a Warning Against Hypocrisy
Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me.
And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them?
Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the Lord will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols;
That I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols.
Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; Repent, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.
For every one of the house of Israel, or of the stranger that sojourneth in Israel, which separateth himself from me, and setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to a prophet to enquire of him concerning me; I the Lord will answer him by myself:
And I will set my face against that man, and will make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.
And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the Lord have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.
And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity: the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him;
That the house of Israel may go no more astray from me, neither be polluted any more with all their transgressions; but that they may be my people, and I may be their God, saith the Lord God.
The word of the Lord came again to me, saying,
Son of man, when the land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon it, and will cut off man and beast from it:
Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord God.
If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land, and they spoil it, so that it be desolate, that no man may pass through because of the beasts:
Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only shall be delivered, but the land shall be desolate.
Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say, Sword, go through the land; so that I cut off man and beast from it:
Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only shall be delivered themselves.
Or if I send a pestilence into that land, and pour out my fury upon it in blood, to cut off from it man and beast:
Though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.
For thus saith the Lord God; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast?
Yet, behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be brought forth, both sons and daughters: behold, they shall come forth unto you, and ye shall see their way and their doings: and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought upon it.
And they shall comfort you, when ye see their ways and their doings: and ye shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, saith the Lord God.
Ezekiel 14 speaks powerfully to the themes of idolatry, hypocrisy, and divine judgment, offering both a stern warning and a glimmer of hope for repentance. This chapter reveals God's unwavering commitment to holiness and His desire for genuine devotion from His people. It also emphasizes the limits of intercession when a nation has fully embraced wickedness. Let's delve into the nuances of this important chapter.
Confronting Hypocrisy (Ezekiel 14:1-11)
Ezekiel’s message in Ezekiel 14:1-11 is aimed squarely at the hypocritical elders among the exiles in Babylon. These men, outwardly appearing to seek God’s guidance, were secretly harboring idols in their hearts and placing sinful stumbling blocks before themselves (Ezekiel 14:1-3). Perhaps they came to Ezekiel seeking reassurance or a favorable prophecy, such as the timing of their return to Jerusalem. But God saw through their facade.
God’s message through Ezekiel, the fourth message of certain judgment, wasn’t the comforting word they expected. It extended beyond just the elders sitting before Ezekiel, encompassing anyone from the house of Israel who turned to idols and then presumed to seek a word from God (Ezekiel 14:4). Anyone who inquires of God while secretly worshiping idols would indeed get an answer from him, but not the answer desired. God’s answer would be a word of judgment: "I will set my face against them and make them an example and a byword. I will cut them off from my people" (Ezekiel 14:8). He would make the idolater an example to others so that they understood what would happen to those who make a pretense of following God but whose hearts are far from him. There are many people today who follow the same path, and it remains a dangerous route.
The Lord didn’t want to judge his people; instead, he wanted them to see the folly of their ways and turn back to him. He wanted to recapture their hearts, so he urged them through Ezekiel, “Repent! Turn away from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices!” (Ezekiel 14:6). God has the same message for people today. Unbelievers are urged to turn from their idols to trust in Jesus Christ. And even Christians are urged to guard themselves from idols (1 John 5:21). This is the only way to experience true blessing from God, in fact. Since God is a jealous God, there is no room for competing deities in our lives (see Exodus 20:5; 34:14; James 4:5).
If a prophet was deceived and answered an idolater, he was clearly a false prophet whom God himself had deceived for the purpose of exercising his judgment (Ezekiel 14:9). Both the prophet and the idolater would bear their punishment (Ezekiel 14:10). God’s goal was to prevent his people from straying and defiling themselves. He desired to see them restored: "Then they will be my people, and I will be their God" (Ezekiel 14:11).
The Inevitability of Judgment (Ezekiel 14:12-23)
Ezekiel 14:12-20 presents Ezekiel’s fifth and final message, an unusual affirmation of Judah’s inevitable judgment regardless of who prayed for its deliverance. The Bible is filled with examples of the power of intercessory prayer, but here God declares the futility of such prayer in this case—not because of any lack of power within prayer, but because of Judah’s hopeless descent into sin. It had exhausted God’s patience—“exhausted” is a fitting word here since God said at least five times in Ezekiel that Judah’s people were so sinful that he was going to “exhaust” his anger against them (see 6:12; 7:8; 13:15; 20:8, 21).
To illustrate the severity of the situation, the Lord proposes a hypothetical scenario in which a nation sins against Him by acting faithlessly, causing Him to stretch out His hand in judgment (Ezekiel 14:13). While unnamed, the nation is clearly Judah. God emphasizes that even if righteous individuals like Noah, Daniel, and Job were present in the land, their righteousness would only save themselves (Ezekiel 14:14). Regardless of the specific judgment—famine (Ezekiel 14:13), dangerous animals (Ezekiel 14:15), sword (Ezekiel 14:17), or plague (Ezekiel 14:19)—these righteous men could only deliver their own souls (Ezekiel 14:16, 18, 20). Noah, Daniel, and Job are presented as paragons of faith and godly favor, yet even their combined righteousness cannot atone for the collective wickedness of the nation.
It's important to contrast this with the Lord Jesus Christ. He alone is able to save all sinners by his own righteousness. Anyone who trusts in Christ as his sin-bearer, in fact, is granted a righteousness that is not his own—“the righteousness from God based on faith” (Philippians 3:9).
These four devastating judgments—sword, famine, dangerous animals, and plague—are what God vowed to send against Jerusalem (Ezekiel 14:21). They foreshadow the four horsemen that God will unleash on an unbelieving world during the great tribulation (see Revelation 6:1-8). Importantly, not every person in Judah would die. There would be survivors who would be taken to Babylon so Ezekiel and the other exiles could be consoled about the devastation . . . on Jerusalem (Ezekiel 14:22). The consolation, however, wasn’t based on the righteousness of these survivors. Rather, the people exiled previously would see the newcomers’ unrighteous conduct and actions, and Ezekiel would know that it was not without cause that God brought destruction on Jerusalem (Ezekiel 14:23). That God was just in his judgment.
Key Takeaways and Applications
Ezekiel 14 delivers several crucial lessons:
- God sees the heart: We cannot hide our true intentions from God. He is not fooled by outward appearances of piety when our hearts are far from Him.
- Idolatry is destructive: Whether it manifests as the worship of physical idols or the pursuit of worldly desires, idolatry separates us from God and leads to judgment.
- Repentance is essential: God desires genuine repentance and a turning away from sin. He offers forgiveness and restoration to those who sincerely seek Him.
- Collective sin has consequences: While individual righteousness is valued, a nation's widespread sin can lead to collective judgment, even affecting the righteous within it.
- God's justice is unwavering: God's judgments are always just and righteous, even when they are difficult to understand.
Ezekiel 14 challenges us to examine our own hearts and lives. Are we harboring any idols that compete for God's attention? Are we living authentically before Him, or are we putting on a facade of righteousness? Let us heed the call to repentance and turn wholeheartedly to the one true God, seeking His forgiveness, His guidance, and His transforming power. Only then can we experience true blessing and avoid the consequences of hypocrisy and idolatry. This chapter serves as a powerful reminder that true faith is not a matter of outward performance but of inward transformation and genuine devotion to God.
Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me.
And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them?
Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the Lord will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols;
That I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols.
Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; Repent, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.
For every one of the house of Israel, or of the stranger that sojourneth in Israel, which separateth himself from me, and setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to a prophet to enquire of him concerning me; I the Lord will answer him by myself:
And I will set my face against that man, and will make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.
And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the Lord have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.
And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity: the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him;
That the house of Israel may go no more astray from me, neither be polluted any more with all their transgressions; but that they may be my people, and I may be their God, saith the Lord God.
The word of the Lord came again to me, saying,
Son of man, when the land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon it, and will cut off man and beast from it:
Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord God.
If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land, and they spoil it, so that it be desolate, that no man may pass through because of the beasts:
Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only shall be delivered, but the land shall be desolate.
Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say, Sword, go through the land; so that I cut off man and beast from it:
Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only shall be delivered themselves.
Or if I send a pestilence into that land, and pour out my fury upon it in blood, to cut off from it man and beast:
Though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.
For thus saith the Lord God; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast?
Yet, behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be brought forth, both sons and daughters: behold, they shall come forth unto you, and ye shall see their way and their doings: and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought upon it.
And they shall comfort you, when ye see their ways and their doings: and ye shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, saith the Lord God.
Ezekiel 14 speaks powerfully to the themes of idolatry, hypocrisy, and divine judgment, offering both a stern warning and a glimmer of hope for repentance. This chapter reveals God's unwavering commitment to holiness and His desire for genuine devotion from His people. It also emphasizes the limits of intercession when a nation has fully embraced wickedness. Let's delve into the nuances of this important chapter.
Confronting Hypocrisy (Ezekiel 14:1-11)
Ezekiel’s message in Ezekiel 14:1-11 is aimed squarely at the hypocritical elders among the exiles in Babylon. These men, outwardly appearing to seek God’s guidance, were secretly harboring idols in their hearts and placing sinful stumbling blocks before themselves (Ezekiel 14:1-3). Perhaps they came to Ezekiel seeking reassurance or a favorable prophecy, such as the timing of their return to Jerusalem. But God saw through their facade.
God’s message through Ezekiel, the fourth message of certain judgment, wasn’t the comforting word they expected. It extended beyond just the elders sitting before Ezekiel, encompassing anyone from the house of Israel who turned to idols and then presumed to seek a word from God (Ezekiel 14:4). Anyone who inquires of God while secretly worshiping idols would indeed get an answer from him, but not the answer desired. God’s answer would be a word of judgment: "I will set my face against them and make them an example and a byword. I will cut them off from my people" (Ezekiel 14:8). He would make the idolater an example to others so that they understood what would happen to those who make a pretense of following God but whose hearts are far from him. There are many people today who follow the same path, and it remains a dangerous route.
The Lord didn’t want to judge his people; instead, he wanted them to see the folly of their ways and turn back to him. He wanted to recapture their hearts, so he urged them through Ezekiel, “Repent! Turn away from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices!” (Ezekiel 14:6). God has the same message for people today. Unbelievers are urged to turn from their idols to trust in Jesus Christ. And even Christians are urged to guard themselves from idols (1 John 5:21). This is the only way to experience true blessing from God, in fact. Since God is a jealous God, there is no room for competing deities in our lives (see Exodus 20:5; 34:14; James 4:5).
If a prophet was deceived and answered an idolater, he was clearly a false prophet whom God himself had deceived for the purpose of exercising his judgment (Ezekiel 14:9). Both the prophet and the idolater would bear their punishment (Ezekiel 14:10). God’s goal was to prevent his people from straying and defiling themselves. He desired to see them restored: "Then they will be my people, and I will be their God" (Ezekiel 14:11).
The Inevitability of Judgment (Ezekiel 14:12-23)
Ezekiel 14:12-20 presents Ezekiel’s fifth and final message, an unusual affirmation of Judah’s inevitable judgment regardless of who prayed for its deliverance. The Bible is filled with examples of the power of intercessory prayer, but here God declares the futility of such prayer in this case—not because of any lack of power within prayer, but because of Judah’s hopeless descent into sin. It had exhausted God’s patience—“exhausted” is a fitting word here since God said at least five times in Ezekiel that Judah’s people were so sinful that he was going to “exhaust” his anger against them (see 6:12; 7:8; 13:15; 20:8, 21).
To illustrate the severity of the situation, the Lord proposes a hypothetical scenario in which a nation sins against Him by acting faithlessly, causing Him to stretch out His hand in judgment (Ezekiel 14:13). While unnamed, the nation is clearly Judah. God emphasizes that even if righteous individuals like Noah, Daniel, and Job were present in the land, their righteousness would only save themselves (Ezekiel 14:14). Regardless of the specific judgment—famine (Ezekiel 14:13), dangerous animals (Ezekiel 14:15), sword (Ezekiel 14:17), or plague (Ezekiel 14:19)—these righteous men could only deliver their own souls (Ezekiel 14:16, 18, 20). Noah, Daniel, and Job are presented as paragons of faith and godly favor, yet even their combined righteousness cannot atone for the collective wickedness of the nation.
It's important to contrast this with the Lord Jesus Christ. He alone is able to save all sinners by his own righteousness. Anyone who trusts in Christ as his sin-bearer, in fact, is granted a righteousness that is not his own—“the righteousness from God based on faith” (Philippians 3:9).
These four devastating judgments—sword, famine, dangerous animals, and plague—are what God vowed to send against Jerusalem (Ezekiel 14:21). They foreshadow the four horsemen that God will unleash on an unbelieving world during the great tribulation (see Revelation 6:1-8). Importantly, not every person in Judah would die. There would be survivors who would be taken to Babylon so Ezekiel and the other exiles could be consoled about the devastation . . . on Jerusalem (Ezekiel 14:22). The consolation, however, wasn’t based on the righteousness of these survivors. Rather, the people exiled previously would see the newcomers’ unrighteous conduct and actions, and Ezekiel would know that it was not without cause that God brought destruction on Jerusalem (Ezekiel 14:23). That God was just in his judgment.
Key Takeaways and Applications
Ezekiel 14 delivers several crucial lessons:
- God sees the heart: We cannot hide our true intentions from God. He is not fooled by outward appearances of piety when our hearts are far from Him.
- Idolatry is destructive: Whether it manifests as the worship of physical idols or the pursuit of worldly desires, idolatry separates us from God and leads to judgment.
- Repentance is essential: God desires genuine repentance and a turning away from sin. He offers forgiveness and restoration to those who sincerely seek Him.
- Collective sin has consequences: While individual righteousness is valued, a nation's widespread sin can lead to collective judgment, even affecting the righteous within it.
- God's justice is unwavering: God's judgments are always just and righteous, even when they are difficult to understand.
Ezekiel 14 challenges us to examine our own hearts and lives. Are we harboring any idols that compete for God's attention? Are we living authentically before Him, or are we putting on a facade of righteousness? Let us heed the call to repentance and turn wholeheartedly to the one true God, seeking His forgiveness, His guidance, and His transforming power. Only then can we experience true blessing and avoid the consequences of hypocrisy and idolatry. This chapter serves as a powerful reminder that true faith is not a matter of outward performance but of inward transformation and genuine devotion to God.