Ezekiel 8
Scripture
Ezekiel 8:12 NLT
“Then the Lord said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the leaders of Israel are doing with their idols in dark rooms? They are saying, ‘The Lord doesn’t see us; he has deserted our land!’"
Observation-What does it say?
Ezekiel receives another vision from God. God was showing him all the sinful and detestable things the people of Israel were doing. Even the leaders of Israel (70 elders), were all worshipping idols of some sort! These actions provoked God to anger, and caused God to act in fury.-(vs.18)
Understanding-What does it mean?
We cannot hide anything we do from God. He sees everything!
The people of Israel made the mistake of thinking God's silence against them was because He had forsaken them. They blamed God for the hardships they were experiencing and they believed God did not see their situation. They failed to realize that maybe they were experiencing these hardships because of their rebellion against God. The people's sinfulness had drew God's wrath and fury against them.
Just because we think God doesn't hear us and that He has forsaken us (which is a lie from the devil), it doesn't give us a license to sin. Remember that our God is a jealous God. He desires to be number one in our lives, and He wants us to be totally reliant on Him. Just because He remains silent on some things in our lives doesn't mean He turned His back on us. It doesn't mean we should immediately replace Him with idols in our lives the way the Israelites did in this passage. If anything, in those times we feel God's silence, we should call upon Him even more desperately by fasting, praying, and reading His Word. Because if we are to call ourselves God's children, we need to believe and trust in Him. We must remember the promises He has for us.
“Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Deuteronomy 31:8 NLT
Life Application
When the going gets tough, the tough get praying!
Today, I'll remember when things get tough, and it seems that God may be out of the situation that I'm in, to seek Him, and pray! I will find a quiet place and seek His presence, instead of turning my back to Him and replacing Him with some cheap "idol" in my life. Because when it comes to God's presence in our lives, we should accept no substitutes.