Idolaters
Condemned
Some
of the Elders of Israel came to me
And
sat down in front of me.
2
THEN THE WORD OF THE LORD CAME TO ME:
'Son
of man, these men have Set Up Idols in their hearts
And
put Wicked Stumbling Blocks before their faces.
Should
I let them Inquire of me at all?
4
Therefore speak to them and tell the,
'THIS
IS WHAT THE SOVEREIGN LORD SAYS:
When
any Israelite Sets Up Idols in his heart
And
puts a Wicked Stumbling Block before his face
And
then goes to a Prophet,
I
the Lord will answer him Myself
In
keeping with his Great Idolatry.
5 I
WILL DO THIS TO RECAPTURE THE HEARTS
OF
THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL,
WHO
HAVE ALL DESERTED ME FOR THEIR IDOLS.'
6
'Therefore say to the House of Israel,
'THIS
IS WHAT THE SOVEREIGN LORD SAYS:
REPENT!
Turn from your Idols
And
Renounce all your Detestable Practices!
7
'When any Israelite or any Alien living in Israel
Separates
himself from Me and Sets Up Idols in his heart
And
puts a Wicked Stumbling Block before his face
And
then goes to a Prophet to Inquire of Me,
I
the Lord will answer him Myself.
8 I
WILL SET MY FACE AGAISNT THAT MAN
AND
MAKE HIM AN EXAMPLE AND A BY WORD.
I
WILL CUT HIM OFF FROM MY PEOPLE.
THEN
YOU WILL KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD.
9
'And if the Prophet is persuaded to Utter Prophesy,
I
the Lord have persuaded that Prophet,
AND
I THE LORD WILL STRETCH OUT MY HAND AGAINST HIM
AND
DESTROY HIM FROM AMONG MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.
10
THEY WILL BEAR THEIR GUILT--
THE
PROPHET WILL BE AS GUILTY
AS
THE ONE WHO CONSULTS HIM.
THEN
THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL WILL NO LONGER STRAY FROM ME,
NOR
WILL THEYH DEFILE THEMSELVES ANYMORE
WITH
ALL THEIR SINS.
THEY
WILL BE MY PEOPLE,
AND
I WILL BE THEIR GOD,
DECLARES
THE SOVEREIGN LORD.'
Judgment
Inescapable
12
'THE WORD OF THE LORD CAME TO ME:
'Son
of man, if a Country Sins against Me
BY
BEING UNFAITHFUL
And
I Stretch Out My hand against it
To
cut off its food supply
And
Send Famine upon it and Kill its men and their animals,
14
EVEN IS THESE THREE MEN—NOAH, DANIEL AND JOB--
WERE
IN IT, THEY COULD SAVE ONLY THEMSELVES
BY
THEIR RIGHTEOUSNESS,
DECLARES
THE SOVEREIGN LORD.
15
'Or if I Send wild beast through that Country
And
leave it Childless and it becomes Desolate
So
that no one can pass through it because of the beasts,
16
AS SURELY AS I LIVE, DECLARES THE SOVEREIGN LORD,
EVEN
IF THESE THREE MEN WERE IN IT,
THEY
COULD NOT SAVE THEIR OWN SONS OR DAUGHTERS.
THEY
ALONE WOULD BE SAVED
BUT
THE LAND WOULD BE DESOLATE.
17
'Or if I bring a Sword against that Country and say,
LET
THE SWORD PASS THROUGH THE LAND,'
AND
KILL ITS MEN AND THEIR ANIMALS,
18
AS SURELY AS I LIVE, DECLARES THE SOVEREIGN LORD,
EVEN
IF THESE THREE MEN WERE IN IT,
THEY
COULD NOT SAVE THEIR OWN SONS OR DAUGHTERS.
THEY
ALONE WOULD BE SAVED.
19
'Or if I Send a Plague into that Land
AND
POUR OUT MY WRATH UPON IT THROUGH BLOODSHED,
KILLING
ITS MEN AND THEIR ANIMALS,
AS
SURELY AS I LIVE, DECLARES THE SOVEREIGN LORD,
EVEN
IF NOAH, DANIEL AND JOB WERE IN IT,
THEY
COULD SAVE NEITHER SON NOR DAUGHTER.
THEY
WOULD SAVE ONLY THEMSELVES BY THEIR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
23
'FOR THIS IS WHAT THE SOVEREIGN LORD SAYS:
How
much worse will it be when I Send against Jerusalem
MY
FOUR DEADLY JUDGMENTS—
SWORD
AND FAMINE AND WILD BEASTS AND PLAGUE--
TO
KILL ITS MEN AND THEIR ANIMALS!
22
Yet there will be some Survivors—sons and daughters
WHO
WILL BE BROUGHT OUT OF IT,
THEY
WILL COME TO YOU,
AND
WHEN YOU SEE THEIR CONDUCT AND THEIR ACTIONS,
YOU
WILL BE CONSOLED REGARDING THE DISASTER
I
HAVE BROUGHT UPON IT.
23
YOU WILL BE CONSOLED
WHEN
YOU SEE THEIR CONDUCT AND THEIR ACTIONS,
FOR
YOU WILL KNOW
THAT
I HAVE DONE NOTHING IN IT WITHOUT CAUSE,
DECLARES
THE SOVEREIGN LORD.'
(Ezekiel
14)
Judgment
is Inescapable for any Nation
That
Defies the Sovereign Lord and His Word;
Only
the Righteous will be Saved.
Idolatry
is anything that one has in ones life
That
is more important than Obedience to God and His Word.
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