Reading for today:  Ezekiel 13-15
Original Post:  September 6, 2014


I see quite a bit of symbolism and illustration in today's reading.   False prophets are described as builders who are constructing a wall.   Have you ever thought about what you say, and what you profess to believe in as a "wall"?    This is intriguing:  I like to build things, so if I consider for a moment that what I believe in, or stand for is a "building", how do I evaluate the quality of my work? God points out in this passage that the only religion that has good construction grade materials is the one that originates with Him.    There were (and still are) plenty of false religions around today.   They are false when they don't maintain Jesus as their sole rescuer and source.   Anything that includes Jesus but doesn't keep Him at the center is false.   Any message that they bring, claiming to have heard from God is false.    This passage tells us that some of the prophets claimed God had sent them with a message, but He really hadn't.   That's a false prophet.   And, I'll bet the message was something that everyone wanted to hear.   That's how it usually works.

Do you remember the tale of the three little pigs?  Each one built his house out of different kinds of material.  When the day of testing came, only one house remained.    Matthew 7 talks about the two builders who chose different types of ground to build on...one chose bedrock, the other sand.   When the wind and rain came, the house built on sand collapsed.

These stories (one biblical and one not) illustrate the point that God is making through Ezekiel.  There will be a time of testing, and that test will be sent by God, to reveal what is genuine and what is false.   If the people hadn't listened to falsehood, and worshiped idols, then no test would be necessary, but as it was God needs to prove that they are serving false gods.   All of this is so that He can win them back, and put them on the right path again.

What do you believe in?   There are many different beliefs, but only one is going to withstand the storm.   We live in days of pluralism...when many different beliefs are accepted as equally true.   But that simply is a lie.   Will the house you have built up out of your beliefs withstand judgment day?   It it's anything but faith in Jesus Christ, it won't.

Second thought:   the elders of Israel (really, Judah at this point...because the Northern Kingdom has already fallen, and the first of three groups of captives has left) sit in front of Ezekiel and ask for insight.   But, they are guilty of having "idols in their hearts".  That's the first time I've seen it expressed this way in our reading.   In their spirit, they are worshiping something else as more important than God.   They still want to know what God says, they just aren't guaranteeing that they are going to obey it.     God's face is set against them.

This calls for some soul searching as well.   Do I have any idols set up in my heart?   Have any begun to be constructed there, that I haven't demolished?   The thing about idols is that they seem to creep into your life when you aren't paying attention.   Kind of like weeds in a garden.   Our hearts require frequent attention to keep them "idol free".

You've seen the USDA nutrition guidelines on the side of food items before.   Many companies have begun advertising what ISN'T in their food.  For instance, "our tuna is Dolphin free" and "our chicken has no growth hormones".   My cereal advertises that it has "no trans-fats" and my clothing company lets me know that my shirts were made "without child labor".      It's too bad we can't design a guideline for activities that would help us avoid things that are bad for us spiritually.

The TV show would advertise "there are 3 sins in this show that are shown in a favorable light.  You have a 25% better chance of developing idol worship from watching this show."     and the magazines could advertise  "1 in 5 people who read this magazine develop a belief in false gods, and adopt two or more sinful thought patterns"

Of course, some shows could advertise "our movie tonight is idol free".     Okay, it sounds crazy...but I think it could be helpful....

There's so much more in this passage of Ezekiel that haven't even touched on.     What did you see?  

Jot down a thought!   Leave a comment...

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