We read the prophets to examine our own inner condition. In today’s passage, God begins by asking His wayward people, “How sick is your heart?” (Ezekiel 16:30).
The historical situation of Ezekiel 16.31-34 may offer an interesting look into Israel’s past, but we must also ask ourselves: how have we taken God’s gifts and given them to substitutes for God, hoping they will fulfill our desires?
This was God’s accusation against Israel. Could the same be true for us? Let’s take a spiritual inventory and see if we resemble Israel in 590 BC.
Here are five observations by scholars, theologians, and social commentators about modern substitues for God.:
(1) Materialism and Consumerism as Idolatry: Many see America’s wealth as a blessing, yet some argue that materialism has replaced God as the focus of society’s values. People may idolize wealth, career success, or personal comforts, focusing more on acquiring goods than on using resources to serve God and other people.
Here is a sermon by Timothy Keller on the world of idols that we face and must overcome. It helps us evaluate our engagement with the idol of materialism.
(2) Worship of Technology: Have we considered that the time we spend scrolling through media could ultimately erode the moral and spiritual values that we hold dear.
(3) Nationalism as a Substitute for Faith: Extreme patriotism or nationalism is present when national success or identity takes precedence over Jesus’ teachings about compassion, justice, and humility.
(4) Success and Ambition as Forms of Idolatry: Many see the American Dream as a blessing, but some Christian voices have warned that the drive for success and achievement can become idols, replacing God’s direction with personal ambition.
(5) Entertainment Culture: Entertainment in America, including sports, music, and film, is a significant industry and is often viewed as one of the country’s “gifts.” Consider the amount of time and money that is given to entertainment in comparison to devotion to our Lord.
Your Idols Will Always Let You Down
In one of Tim Keller’s excellent sermons, he tells us that your idols will always let you down.
Ezekiel’s message to God’s exiles in Babylon, which was also delivered to those remaining in Jerusalem, warned that their idols would not only fail them but ultimately lead to their destruction. Babylon was coming to tear down their walls and strip away everything sacred and valuable to the people of that time.
In the later chapters of Ezekiel, we see how God grieves over his people’s refusal to repent.
He makes it clear in the final verse of this section that his grace, which offered a loving relationship with Him, has been redirected to the idols they have chosen.
As a result, God’s only option is to allow the consequences of their behavior to unfold in their lives.
Because you have not remembered the days of your youth but have enraged me with all these things, therefore I have returned your deeds upon your head, says the Lord God (Ezekiel 16.43).
The words, “How sick is your heart” (verse 30) should stir us, and so should God’s statement, “I have returned your deeds upon your head.”
Both are calls for us to turn to God with wholehearted faith, love, repentance, and a commitment to follow Him.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
Real Voices 