Ezekiel chapter 14

vs 1

I'm not sure what they were expecting exactly. Perhaps to hear the word of the Lord, or the word at least of one of the more out-there prophets.

vs 2

As it often does.

vs 3

Ahh, so that's why they are there. Doing a bit of spiritual guidance shopping around. Maybe God has something different and interesting to say to Dagon, or Molech, or the Sun? Well, guys, there is a difference between consulting 30 different advisors and choosing one or a mix, and choosing between a God who claims to be all powerful and all knowing, and someone or anyone else.

vs 4

God has been saying this sort of thing a lot lately in Ezekiel, "When people do some thing, I'm going to treat them like they've done the thing." And then usually he goes on to explain how that treatment will pan out.

vs 5

This is God's plan - to recapture hearts. How he goes about it includes destruction, sickness, hunger, war and death. But his plan isn't to kill everyone. His plan his to change the heart of his people.

vs 6

God inevitably calls for repentance. Because that is what God has always wanted - for his people to repent and to come back to him. It is never too late, even when it's too late, as it were. God always accepts repentance.

vs 7

Now this verse, in isolation, might sound pretty good. "Hey, I can do whatever I want, and still hear from God!" But in the context, hearing directly from God probably isn't really what the idolator wants. And if it is, they probably shouldn't.

vs 8

God's answer will be to disown them. This is such a powerful picture in a family based culture. It totally removes your identity.

vs 9

So if some idolator goes to a prophet, only God himself is allowed to speak to that idolator. If the prophet says a single thing, makes a single prophecy for the person, God will hold them as guilty as he holds the idolator.

vs 10

The idea being that God is wanting to show the utter and complete separation from his people that these idolators must suffer.

vs 11

Once the idolators and the prophets who serve them have been punished, once the repentant have asked forgiveness, once the people have been cleansed of the poison within their number, then Israel will once again be clean. Then God will be their God once more - to his people, not to a people that have rejected him.