Causing Oneself to Stumble

In my most recent posts, I have said a little about praying from a heart that is not willing to obey God whenever His answers are contrary to our own desires (here), as well as our need to move past merely praying good intentions, to taking obedient actions and making wise decisions (here). In this post, I want to share another important caveat about the condition of our hearts when we come before God with our requests.

The overthrow and destruction of the Israel and Judah, and subsequent 70 years of Babylonian captivity (526 BC - 455 BC) was God's last resort to chasten the Northern and Southern kingdoms. The chosen people of God refused to repent from their persistent unfaithfulness against Him, even after many, many prophets were sent to call them back to God. They had long strayed far from the days of Moses and Joshua, and from the various times of revival they experienced under a few godly kings. In fact they had surpassed some of the pagan nations around them in ungodly, abominable practices. During one phase of the Babylonian captivity while Ezekiel the prophet was in exile, some of the elders of Israel approached him to inquire of the Lord on their behalf. They came and sat before him and we are not told what was their specific request but read what God began to say to Jeremiah:

"Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts, and put before them that which causes them to stumble into iniquity. Should I let Myself be inquired of at all by them?"
Ezekiel 14:3

In the scripture above, the LORD revealed that the elders who had come to the prophet had set up their idols in their hearts. That is to say, they had an affectionate bent towards their idols and did not truly want to let them go. They gave their idols a place to reign, knowing that it would lead them away from God into iniquity. But then they came to the LORD as if they valued His word.

There are things that we know are wrong. There are things that are not wrong in themselves, but we know that they lead us to a slippery slope and may eventually result in compromise and sin. There are things we know our consciences are not clear about but we excuse away the pinpricks rather than seek God in His word and prayer to settle the matter with finality. All of these scenarios have to do with a heart that does not love God as it should, and hence, does not hate sin as it should. Such a heart is willing to take risks with sin, or to sin outright.

The rest of the chapter is very telling. God made it clear that when they come to Him in this condition without a true willingness to repent and obey, He would let them hear what they wanted to hear, answering them 'according to their idols'. He would allow the false prophets to mislead them. And then both the prophet and the one who inquired would be punished for their unfaithfulness to God which led them to both desire, inquire, and speak falsely.

What is the lesson for us here? We must nurture a love for the truth of God. We must be willing to obey all of the time - not only when it seems easiest or most convenient to us. When the truth of God will point out compromise or sin in our lives, we must learn to accept the humbling of correction. We cannot tolerate things that cause us to stumble into iniquity and also expect to grow in relationship with God. Furthermore, God's help and counsel come to those who are sincere in seeking Him.