Ezekiel 8 Moments

Idolatry. That's not really a word we think about a lot these days. Few Christians in the west have to decide what to do with the household idols. We mistakenly think that idolatry is outright, blatant worship of a false god. Scripture gives us a vivid picture to the contrary. In Ezekiel 8, we see idolatry as a spectrum, ranging from false compromises to false worship, with stops at false beliefs and false focuses along the way. 

As I read this chapter today, God immediately struck my heart with the realization that there are many ways idolatry can take place right on the grounds intended to worship God - in our personal temples and corporate places of worship. The visual associated with this text would be that each stage of idolatry was associated with a more intimate part of the temple. On the grounds of the temple, a "statue of jealousy" was erected - blending worship of Yahweh with worship of a false deity. At the entrance to the court of the Israelites, tools intended for worship of Yahweh were used in idolatry, because the people rejected the truth of God and embraced a lie. At the Nicanor gate, women focused on a false god. And in the inner court, the people's backs were turned to the temple and they engaged in full-blown idol worship of the sun. The closer to the holy of holies, the worse the idolatry became. Why? Because it was accepted at the earlier stages, by the time it reached the inner court the people were experts at rationalizing.


I thought a lot about this. The reality is that the more we accept false compromises, the easier it becomes to believe lies and focus on the wrong things and ultimately find ourselves worshipping someone or something other than God. The examples in italics below helped me wrap my mind around how incredibly easy it is to exchange the truth of God for a lie.

It seems like such a small thing. Nothing, really, if you think about it logically. Talking about God and spirituality without reference to Jesus and the cross just makes me more relevant, opens more doors, keeps me in a place of influence. I'm just waiting for the right moment. Paul did it in Acts 17 - appealed to the people of Athens from their level of understanding. Of course, he did make it clear that he was there to proclaim truth. I haven't quite gotten to that point yet. But I will, really. I'm just waiting for the right moment. A false compromise.

8:5 He said to me, “Son of man, look up toward the north.” So I looked up toward the north, and I noticed to the north of the altar gate was this statue of jealousy at the entrance.

8:6 He said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing – the great abominations that the people of Israel are practicing here, to drive me far from my sanctuary? But you will see greater abominations than these!”

There is no way that I can reconcile this tragedy with the sovereignty and goodness of God. I can't really admit it at church, but I think God isn't as involved with our lives as we'd like to think. So now as I face these people at work and try to help them, I need to give them something they can understand. I used to think God was watching everything I did but now I'm not so sure. I think I'll just Google some self-help phrases, and lead the staff in a positive thinking exercise. That should be sufficient. When I go to church I'll try to think about this from God's perspective but right now, I just need something that makes everyone feel better. A false belief.

8:7 He brought me to the entrance of the court, and as I watched, I noticed a hole in the wall. 8:8 He said to me, “Son of man, dig into the wall.” So I dug into the wall and discovered a doorway.

8:9 He said to me, “Go in and see the evil abominations they are practicing here.” 8:10 So I went in and looked. I noticed every figure of creeping thing and beast – detestable images – and every idol of the house of Israel, engraved on the wall all around. 8:11 Seventy men from the elders of the house of Israel (with Jaazaniah son of Shaphan standing among them) were standing in front of them, each with a censer in his hand, and fragrant vapors from a cloud of incense were swirling upward.

8:12 He said to me, “Do you see, son of man, what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each in the chamber of his idolatrous images? For they think, ‘The Lord does not see us! The Lord has abandoned the land!’” 8:13 He said to me, “You will see them practicing even greater abominations!”

Our church has to be relevant. People just don't want to hear doctrine and sit through long sermons. Besides, who are we to say we have a handle on the truth. It's a new century. Some people say we have to hold on to our roots in the midst of a shifting landscape. Maybe that's not the case at all. Maybe letting go of our roots is the only way we can see where this new world takes us. Besides, look at all the failures of the church through the ages. Those roots haven't really helped, have they? A false focus.

8:14 Then he brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the Lord’s house. I noticed women sitting there weeping for Tammuz. 8:15 He said to me, “Do you see this, son of man? You will see even greater abominations than these!”

Seriously, did people ever believe that? We have found a new idea, a new way to relate to truth. Our church has embraced this new approach and we boldly move forward. A false worship. 

8:16 Then he brought me to the inner court of the Lord’s house. Right there at the entrance to the Lord’s temple, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs to the Lord’s temple, facing east – they were worshiping the sun toward the east!

8:17 He said to me, “Do you see, son of man? Is it a trivial thing that the house of Judah commits these abominations they are practicing here? For they have filled the land with violence and provoked me to anger still further. Look, they are putting the branch to their nose! 8:18 Therefore I will act with fury! My eye will not pity them nor will I spare them. When they have shouted in my ears, I will not listen to them.”

I wrote these examples not in judgment but in understanding, because at one point or other in my life I've faced each of those struggles. The answer for me - for all of us - can be found in the first verses of the chapter, before Ezekiel was shown these visions.

8:1 In the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth of the month, as I was sitting in my house with the elders of Judah sitting in front of me, the hand of the sovereign Lord seized me. 8:2 As I watched, I noticed a form that appeared to be a man. From his waist downward was something like fire, and from his waist upward something like a brightness, like an amber glow. 8:3 He stretched out the form of a hand and grabbed me by a lock of hair on my head. Then a wind lifted me up between the earth and sky and brought me to Jerusalem by means of divine visions, to the door of the inner gate which faces north where the statue which provokes to jealousy was located. 8:4 Then I perceived that the glory of the God of Israel was there, as in the vision I had seen earlier in the valley.

When we encounter the glory of the living God ... when we perceive His presence and His hand seizes us ... when our focus is on Him and we are increasingly knowing Him ... when we love Him more than life itself ... we find Him fully sufficient. We find clarity that allows us to compromise on non-essential things like worship style but refuses to yield ground on essentials like the object of our worship. We find intimacy that gives us an understanding of the character of God and the person of Christ, and we quit believing lies. We find ourselves so enthralled with Him that we can't focus anywhere else. And we find that false worship holds no appeal whatsoever. Like a newlywed madly in love, we simply don't want anyone else. And in His presence, we find true wholeness.