Ezekiel 14:1

Ezekiel 14:1 says, Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me.  Ezekiel said certain of the elders of Israel came to and sat before him.  They were evidently there to see what he had to say, more out of curiosity than belief that what he was saying was true, I believe. Many people come to church or even listen to what Christians have to say today, not out of faith or because they believe what is being said but just out of curiosity about what is being said and often so they can argue against it.   

Verse two adds, And the word of the Lord came unto me saying, As usual, Ezekiel said that the word of God came to him.  If we are in a situation where we are proclaiming God’s word today, we need to first make sure that it is God's word.  If Ezekiel had just told them what he thought, it could have been wrong, but if it was the word that God gave him to share, it never would be, and the same is true for us today as followers of Christ.  

Verse three adds, Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them?  God said that these men had set up their idols and had become a stumbling block to the people of Israel.  Matthew Henry says these were likely elders of Israel who were note a part of Ezekiel's regular listeners, who had come from throughout Babylon to Jerusalem.  Ezekiel had received them with honor, but God said his honor for them was misplaced, since they didn’t know Him.  If religious leaders come to us today, we should never honor their position but should make sure that they actually believe God’s word first, and then if we honor them, it should be because of their service to God and not just because of their position in the church. God asked if He should hear them because they did not believe in Him and worshipped false gods, and the implied answer was no.  God is not going to hear people if they come to Him for any reason other than because they believe Him and accept His word as the truth, or to give them guidance after they accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.  As long as we worship idols or make anything more important to us than our relationship with God, He is not obligated to hear us if come to Him without faith in His salvation plan. 

Verse four states, Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the Lord will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols;  God told Ezekiel that he was to tell these men that God knew that they had come while worshipping a multitude of idols and having become a stumbling block to the people of Israel that they were supposed to lead spiritually.  We need to pray that those who profess to be the leaders in the church today never become a stumbling block to Christians because they do not believe God’s word and proclaim something that is not consistent with His word.   

Verse five adds, That I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols. God asked Ezekiel if He should take the people of Israel as His people when they were worshipping idols instead of Him, and again the implied answer is no.  If we come to God looking for validation of what we believe and put our faith in anything other than Him, He is never obligated to hear us.  Until people come to God through faith in Jesus Christ, He will call them to salvation, but as long as they put other gods ahead of Him and refuse to accept His gift of salvation, He is not obligated to hear them, especially if what they believe in leads people away from Him becomes a stumbling block to them.