Is it possible to drive God away? The answer is a resounding “Yes!” Ezekiel gives us one sure way—idolatry. In a fascinating account, the prophet recorded what made God leave the room. In Ezekiel 8:1, we read that the leaders of Judah were gathered at Ezekiel’s home. They were probably seeking a word of encouragement and comfort from the Lord (Ezekiel 14:1, Ezekiel 20:1). God, in reply, gave Ezekiel four scenes in a vision:
• A large idol located at the north gate of the inner courtyard of the temple that made the Lord very jealous (Ezekiel 8:3-6).
• Seventy spiritual leaders bowing to idols in secrecy (Ezekiel 8:9-12).
• Women weeping for the god Tammuz at the north gate of the temple (Ezekiel 8:14).
• Twenty-five priests turning their backs on God and worshiping the sun (Ezekiel 8:16).
Essentially, the practices he saw represented the rampant idolatry of all the people, the civic leaders, the women, and the priests. The exclusive worship of Yahweh had broken down completely in the holy city.
How about today? How has idolatry entered the church? Pastor Kevin DeYoung writes that idolatry preaches “a spirituality that gets me lots, costs me little, is easy to see, easy to do, has few ethical or doctrinal boundaries, guarantees me success, feels good, and doesn’t offend those around me.”
Mack Stiles, author of 17 Things My Kids Taught Me about God, offers a useful tip on how to identify idols in our lives: “Ask yourself this question: In what ways are you dissatisfied with the way God is running things? If you can identify your dissatisfaction with how God is running the show, you can identify the place where you are tempted for idols to become your God. Kill the idols in your life by making Christ your life.”
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: 1 Kings 1:5-27
More:
Read Psalm 62:1-12 to reaffirm your trust in God alone.
Next:
In what ways are you dissatisfied with how God is running things? What do you need to turn over to Him? Why?
tom felten on April 11, 2013 at 10:39 am
Poh Fang, I’ve been thinking about idols lately, They can crowd out my awareness of God and my desire to worship Him. Sometimes they are good things, but not the best thing—God alone. May we all seek Him with surrendered hearts today!
daisymarygoldr on April 24, 2013 at 11:35 pm
Absolutely agree with you, Poh Fang; it is possible to drive God away and remove Him from our midst. Many are convinced God will never leave. This false assurance is due to misuse of scriptural promises like “God will never leave nor forsake you” being taken out of context. The lady who authored biblical womanhood said, “God can be wherever God wants to be,” “God needs no formal invitation. We couldn’t ‘systematically remove’ God if we tried.” It is no doubt based on the fact that God is omnipresent.
Truth is, even though God is omnipresent, He can and does withdraw His presence from His people or place, in a relational sense. And as you pointed out in Ezekiel 8:6, the presence of the idol caused the presence of God to go far away from His temple. There is nothing more tragic than evicting God out of His own residence. He will not listen to our prayers and cry for mercy (Ezekiel 8:18). When God leaves judgment follows. And it begins with His household (1 Peter 4:17).
The absence of God is a sure sign that person or place is marked for destruction. The apostle Paul asks, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him.” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17). For what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? (2 Corinthians 6:16). Let us then flee from idolatry and dare not provoke the Lord to jealously. We are not stronger than Him, are we?
As Christians we don’t bow down to physical images like the pagans do. Our idols can include money, material things, or relationships. And yes, even pastors, churches or ministries can become idols when bumper stickers and billboards promote them instead of Christ. Making an idol out of something means giving it the love that is meant only for God. If you lost something or someone you loved most and it has diminished or destroyed your trust in God, then you are guilty of idolatry.
Idol worship is detestable in the sight of God and compels Him to depart from us. Lest we think, this applied only to the OT and not to Christians living under God’s grace today, then it is important to remember Jesus was found standing ‘outside’ the rich church in Laodicea. We don’t know if the Christians at Laodicea repented to invite Christ back into the church. It is comforting however to know that Ezekiel did see the presence of the Lord return, just as He had promised: “Now let them stop worshiping other gods… and I will live among them forever.” Ezekiel 43:9.