Ezekiel 14:1-11 CJB “Then certain of Isra’el’s leaders came to me; and while they were sitting with me, 2 the word of Adonai came to me: 3 “Human being, these men have taken their idols into their hearts, thus setting in front of themselves the stumblingblock that leads to sin. Should I let them consult me at all? 4 Therefore speak to them, and tell them that Adonai Elohim says, ‘Everyone in the house of Isra’el who takes his idols into his heart, thus setting in front of himself the stumblingblock that leads to sin, and then comes to the prophet, I myself, Adonai, will answer him in a manner suited to his many idols, 5 in order to grab hold of the house of Isra’el in their hearts; since, through their idols, they have all fallen away from me.’
6 “Therefore say to the house of Isra’el that Adonai Elohim says, ‘Repent! Turn yourselves away from your idols, turn your faces away from all your disgusting practices! 7 For everyone, whether from the house of Isra’el or a foreigner living in Isra’el, who separates himself from me and takes his idols into his heart, thus setting in front of himself the stumblingblock that leads to sin, and then comes to the prophet, asking him to consult me for him, I myself, Adonai, will answer him. 8 I will set my face against that person, make him a warning sign and an example, and cut him off from my people. Then you will know that I am Adonai.
9 “‘Now, whenever a prophet is enticed into speaking a word, it will be I, Adonai, who will have enticed that prophet. I will stretch out my hand over him and destroy him from among my people Isra’el. 10 The prophets will bear the guilt for their sins — the sin of the prophet will be the same as the sin of the inquirer — 11 so that the house of Isra’el will no longer wander away from me or defile themselves with all their crimes; rather, they will be my people and I will be their God,’ says Adonai Elohim.”
In this text, God speaks through His Prophet, Ezekiel, and reveals that men have set up idols in their hearts. When we think of idols, we typically think of the golden calf or statues from other religions, but the truth is, an idol is anything we put before God. Things we enjoy can be given a place that supersedes our worship of God. Does football become an idol when the preacher goes “short” to allow people to get home in time for a noon kick-off? What about a “kick-off Sunday” service theme for the first game of the season, is that bringing an idol into the church?
Last Friday, we entered the month of Elul on God’s calendar; it is a time to search our hearts, repent, and draw near to God. When John the Baptist came on the scene preaching in the wilderness, he said, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 3:2). In Greek, repent means to change your mind; however, the Hebrew concept to which John, Jesus, and the Apostles would be referring to is teshuvah. Teshuvah means to return to God, and returning to God denotes a forsaking of sin.
The text of Ezekiel chapter fourteen showed us that physical idols are not the only problem; we can set up idols in our hearts and put things before God, which causes a rift in our relationship with Him.
James 4:7-8 CJB “Therefore, submit to God. Moreover, take a stand against the Adversary, and he will flee from you. 8 Come close to God, and he will come close to you. Clean your hands, sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded people!”
Scripture speaks about the circumcised heart in Deuteronomy 10:6 and Chapter thirty, Verse six, and Jeremiah 4:4. Ezekiel 44:7 warns against admitting the uncircumcised heart into the Temple of God.
The question remains, What is repentance? Is it just saying, “I repent,” or is their action involved? Revelation 2:1-5 CJB ““To the angel of the Messianic Community in Ephesus, write: ‘Here is the message from the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven gold menorahs: 2 “I know what you have been doing, how hard you have worked, how you have persevered, and how you can’t stand wicked people; so you tested those who call themselves emissaries but aren’t — and you found them to be liars. 3 You are persevering, and you have suffered for my sake without growing weary. 4 But I have this against you: you have lost the love you had at first. 5 Therefore, remember where you were before you fell, turn from this sin, and do what you used to do before. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your menorah from its place — if you don’t turn from your sin!”
Repentance includes confessing and stopping wrong actions and doing the right ones. To the lukewarm in Revelation 3:18, Jesus says, buy gold refined by fire; there are things we must do in response to the grace of God.
Romans 13:8-14 CJB “Don’t owe anyone anything — except to love one another; for whoever loves his fellow human being has fulfilled Torah. 9 For the commandments, “Don’t commit adultery,” “Don’t murder,” “Don’t steal,” “Don’t covet,” and any others are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does not do harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fullness of Torah.
11 Besides all this, you know at what point of history we stand; so it is high time for you to rouse yourselves from sleep; for the final deliverance is nearer than when we first came to trust. 12 The night is almost over, the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and arm ourselves with the weapons of light. 13 Let us live properly, as people do in the daytime — not partying and getting drunk, not engaging in sexual immorality and other excesses, not quarrelling and being jealous. 14 Instead, clothe yourselves with the Lord Yeshua the Messiah; and don’t waste your time thinking about how to provide for the sinful desires of your old nature.”
We must “put on the Lord” daily; we must mortify the deeds of the flesh1 and walk in righteousness. We are called to a standard of holiness, and the grace of God will enable us to walk in His ways.
Psalm 139:23-24 CJB “Examine me, God, and know my heart; test me, and know my thoughts. 24 See if there is in me any hurtful way, and lead me along the eternal way.” These words should be our prayer during the month of Elul.
This is a wonderful season of closeness with God, and we can be as close to Him as we are repentant in heart. David was known as a man after God’s heart. How can that be said about a murdering adulterer? Because that was one series of events in his overall life, a series of which he sincerely repented of in Psalm chapter fifty-one and never did again. God is full of grace to those who repent – boldly approach the throne of grace this month.
- Romans 8:13, Colossians 3:5, 1 Corinthians 9:27
Resource: The Mortification of Sin by John Owen
Casey D. Bell 
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