A Stumbling Block of Iniquity
Israel turned against the Lord so thoroughly that He destroyed them utterly, leaving only a small remnant of the people to carry on the covenant with Him. How could this happen, when God had blessed them and given them every advantage of knowing Him? Ezekiel answered that question for all of us. (Ezekiel 7:19) They had a stumbling block of iniquity that led them away from the Lord. The same thing leads multitudes away from the Lord today.
When things got bad in Jerusalem, there was no food to buy. People turned to cannibalism. They had committed every other abomination against the Lord, so that was simply one more to add to their list. The people had gold and silver, for which they had sought and worked to obtain, both in good ways and bad ways. When things were desperate, they found out that silver and gold could not deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath. It could not even put food in their stomach. In fact, it was the source of their sin. The love of money had led them to sin and to forget God. It was the cause of their stumbling. Once they realized this truth, it was too late to avert disaster.
Could it be that money is a stumbling block of iniquity for you, too? If you find yourself not having time to read the Bible, pray, and go to church because you feel the need to earn money or to enjoy the things that money can buy, then, it is a stumbling block for you. It will have the same result as it did for the people in Ezekiel's day, unless you put the Lord first, and realize that money can't bring us close to the Lord, which is what we need most in life.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Ezekiel 9-12.
When things got bad in Jerusalem, there was no food to buy. People turned to cannibalism. They had committed every other abomination against the Lord, so that was simply one more to add to their list. The people had gold and silver, for which they had sought and worked to obtain, both in good ways and bad ways. When things were desperate, they found out that silver and gold could not deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath. It could not even put food in their stomach. In fact, it was the source of their sin. The love of money had led them to sin and to forget God. It was the cause of their stumbling. Once they realized this truth, it was too late to avert disaster.
Could it be that money is a stumbling block of iniquity for you, too? If you find yourself not having time to read the Bible, pray, and go to church because you feel the need to earn money or to enjoy the things that money can buy, then, it is a stumbling block for you. It will have the same result as it did for the people in Ezekiel's day, unless you put the Lord first, and realize that money can't bring us close to the Lord, which is what we need most in life.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Ezekiel 9-12.