What is the meaning of Ezekiel 14:7? For when any Israelite or any foreigner dwelling in Israel God’s warning is not limited to ethnic Israel alone. Anyone living among the covenant community—native-born or sojourner—is held to the same standard. • Exodus 12:49, Numbers 15:15: “One statute shall apply to the native and the foreigner.” • Isaiah 56:6-7 speaks of foreigners who “hold fast My covenant.” The Lord’s address is all-inclusive; no one can claim exemption from His moral law or from its consequences. Separates himself from Me To “separate” is to consciously turn away from God’s fellowship and authority. It is rebellion, not mere drifting. • Deuteronomy 29:18 warns of hearts that “turn away from the LORD.” • Jeremiah 17:5 declares the curse on the one “who turns away from the LORD.” Separation is self-chosen; the sinner breaks communion and forfeits blessing. Sets up idols in his heart The real battleground is internal. Physical statues are merely the outward symptom of inward loyalties. • Ezekiel 14:3 already noted, “These men have set up idols in their hearts.” • Colossians 3:5 equates greed with idolatry, showing the heart-level nature of the sin. Idolatry is cherishing anything—pleasure, security, status—above the living God. Puts a wicked stumbling block before his face The idolater not only harbors sin but positions it where it constantly entices, trips, and enslaves. • Leviticus 19:14 warns against placing a stumbling block before the blind. • Romans 14:13 urges believers not to “put a stumbling block” in a brother’s way, highlighting how sin traps both self and others. The phrase pictures deliberate, repeated exposure to temptation: sin cherished becomes sin practiced. And then comes to the prophet to inquire of Me Here is spiritual duplicity—seeking a word from God while clinging to rebellion. • 1 Samuel 28:6 shows Saul seeking guidance while already rejected. • Isaiah 1:15 records God hiding His eyes when hands are full of blood. The act looks pious, yet the heart is unchanged; it is religion without repentance. I the LORD will answer him Myself Rather than speak through the prophet, God intervenes directly—and the answer is judgment, not guidance. • Ezekiel 20:3: “I will not be inquired of by you.” • Proverbs 1:28-30: “They will call on Me, but I will not answer.” The Lord’s personal response underscores His holiness; He will not be manipulated or mocked. summary Ezekiel 14:7 exposes the danger of hidden idolatry masked by outward religiosity. Whether native or foreigner, anyone who deliberately turns from God, treasures idols, and yet seeks prophetic counsel will receive a direct and severe answer from the Lord Himself. The verse calls for wholehearted loyalty: remove the idols, abandon the stumbling blocks, and seek God with undivided hearts, for He sees beneath appearances and responds with perfect justice. |
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