The Abomination of Idolatry.

 By: Dr. Dale Weckbacher

 

Text: Ezekiel 9

 

Ezekiel 9:9-10

Then he said to me, “The guilt of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great. The land is full of blood, and the city full of injustice. For they say, ‘The Lord has forsaken the land, and the Lord does not see.’ ¹⁰ As for me, my eye will not spare, nor will I have pity; I will bring their deeds upon their heads.”

(ESV)

 

In the movie Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, there is a scene where a priest is offering Indiana Jones as a sacrifice to his pagan god. When we think of idolatry, this is the image that most people have in their minds but idols in one’s life can take on other forms as well. Jesus said that our hearts are in what we treasure in our lives (Matthew 6:21) with that treasure representing the idol in our lives. If what we idolize is Jesus Christ and our relationship with Him, it is something that will never disappoint us. However, if our treasure is in anything else, it is a created thing and part of the corrupt world in which we live and will disappoint us. Idolatry of any form is an abomination to God and something we as believers must avoid.

 

The form of a man that spoke to Ezekiel in Ezekiel 8, now cries in his ears with a loud voice, calling for the executioners of the city with their destroying weapons in their hands (Ezekiel 9:1). Six men then arrive from the direction of the upper gate facing north with their weapons in hand. Along with these six men, a man clothed in linen with a writing case at his waist also arrives. All seven men go in and stand beside the bronze altar (Ezekiel 9:2).

 

The glory of the Lord moved from the cherub on which it rested to the threshold of the house and called to the man in linen with the writing case (Ezekiel 9:3). The Lord spoke to the man in linen and instructed him to pass through the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over the abominations committed in the city (Ezekiel 9:4). The Lord instructed the other six men to pass through the city after the man in linen and strike without pity (Ezekiel 9:5). They are to kill old men, young men, maidens, little children, and women. They are to begin striking in the sanctuary. However, they are not to touch those having the mark from the man in linen (Ezekiel 9:6). The executioners are even to defile the house of the Lord by filling the courts with the slain. The executioners go out and begin striking with Ezekiel falling on his face and crying out to the Lord, asking if the Lord intends to destroy all the remnant of Israel with his wrath (Ezekiel 9:7-8).

 

The Lord then responds to Ezekiel’s cries by telling him that the guilt of the house of Israel and Judah is great with the land full of blood and the city full of injustice, believing God does not see (Ezekiel 9:9). As for the Lord, he will not spare any idolaters or show pity, bringing their abominations of idolatry upon their heads (Ezekiel 9:10). The man in linen then returns with word that he has done what was commanded by the Lord (Ezekiel 9:11).

 

Idolatry is an abominable sin in Israel and Judah with those committing it sentenced to execution. This passage foretells God’s plan for killing the idolaters while saving those not participating in the idolatry. Death seems an extreme sentence that even brought grief to Ezekiel (Ezekiel 9:8). However, even in the dispensation of grace, we are reminded that the penalty for sin is death but with the promise of eternal life in Jesus Christ (John 3:16; Romans 6:23). In this passage we see a just God executing those committing idolatry and a merciful God marking those not participating in idolatry, so they escape death by the executioners (Ezekiel 9:4-6). While death for sin, any sin, seems harsh, a just God carrying out this penalty does not do so without providing a way of escape.

 

Modern idolatry does not usually take the form of one bowing down or offering sacrifices to a statue of a god at a temple built for that god, but idolatry is still a problem for humanity. There is the idolatry of government with people depending on the government or some political system to provide for their needs. Idolatry can take on the form of addictions to drugs, alcohol, pornography, or even video games as an escape from the challenges of life. Idolatry can even take on the form of good things like family, career, or a sports team which are not evil in themselves but when they become the thing we treasure most in our lives, they deprive us of intimacy with God.

 

Everyone has a God-shaped hole in their heart that can only be filled by a personal relationship with God through the shed blood of Jesus Christ for their sins (Acts 4:12; 2 Corinthians 4:4). Everyone will attempt to fill this hole in their lives but when they attempt to fill it with anything other than God, it becomes an idol in their lives that will disappoint them. If you are reading this and have not asked Jesus to forgive your sins or if you have idols in your life other than Jesus Christ, I urge you to pray with me now,

 

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, spent three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

 

May God challenge, convict, and bless everyone reading this post.