Ezekiel 14

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Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me. 

Ezekiel was in his home and was visited by some of the leaders.

And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 

Then God spoke to Ezekiel.

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 told Ezekiel that these men were not sincere, they already plan to continue in the sins that will cause them to fall:  Do they seek to know what I want to tell them?

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; 

Tell those men that whoever comes to you to hear a word from Me, I will tell them the truth they need to know.  They come to Me with an already made-up mind to continue with idols and they want me to say something they want to hear?  I will be God and tell them exactly what they must know.

That I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols.

I want my people to know the truth of My Word.  My people have been deceived by the idols these men worship and they have no idea of who I am. 

Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Repent, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations. 

Tell them I said to repent and come back to Me.

For every one of the house of Israel, or of the stranger that sojourneth in Israel, which separateth himself from me, and setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to a prophet to enquire of him concerning me; I the LORD will answer him by myself: 

Anyone who comes to you with an insincere heart, I will be the one who will speak directly to them.

And I will set my face against that man, and will make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. 

The man that behaves with an insincere heart will die.

And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the LORD have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel. 

If the prophet tells a prophesy and thinks he is right, I will cause him to think he is right and that prophet will die.

And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity: the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him; 

Anyone who believes in the lying prophet will get the same punishment as the prophet.

That the house of Israel may go no more astray from me, neither be polluted any more with all their transgressions; but that they may be my people, and I may be their God, saith the Lord GOD. 

I will destroy those who follow false leaders so that the people who will follow Me will know that I am God.

The word of the LORD came again to me, saying, 

Son of man, when the land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon it, and will cut off man and beast from it: 

When the people in the land refuse to follow my instructions, I will cause death to rest in that land by the lack of food, water, wild beast, and disease.

Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD. 

If Noah, Daniel, and Job were there, they will be been spared, but the people in the land will be destroyed.

If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land, and they spoil it, so that it be desolate, that no man may pass through because of the beasts: 

Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only shall be delivered, but the land shall be desolate. 

Again if Daniel, Job, or Noah was living in the land, I would still allow the land to be destroyed but save their lives.

Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say, Sword, go through the land; so that I cut off man and beast from it: 

Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only shall be delivered themselves. 

Again if the three men I spoke of were in the place I will destroy, they will be saved but the people in the land will be destroyed.

Or if I send a pestilence into that land, and pour out my fury upon it in blood, to cut off from it man and beast: 

Though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness. 

Pestilence will be another plague I will send and even if Noah, Daniel, or Job were there, they will be saved but the pestilence of the land will destroy all others.

For thus saith the Lord GOD; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast? 

Because of the sins of the people of God, God warned them of how things will be by using famine, sword, brutal beast, and disease (pestilence) to destroy them.  This destruction did not have to happen, but the people did not believe what God promised.  His promises are good if only we are obedient and He promised to curse us for not believing He would keep His Word when we are disobedient.

Yet, behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be brought forth, both sons and daughters: behold, they shall come forth unto you, and ye shall see their way and their doings: and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought upon it. 

Some of the people who stayed behind after not submitting to Nebuchadnezzar will be brought to where you are and you will witness what happened to them and see their behavior and you will know why I destroyed Israel.

And they shall comfort you, when ye see their ways and their doings: and ye shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, saith the Lord GOD.

You will understand why I had to do what I did and you will know I did it for the right cause.