“And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up mine hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up mine hand unto them, saying, I am the Lord your God; In the day that I lifted up mine hand unto them, to bring them forth of the land of Egypt into a land that I had espied for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands…”
Ezekiel 20:5-6 (KJV)
“Nevertheless I withdrew mine hand, and wrought for my name’s sake, that it should not be polluted in the sight of the heathen, in whose sight I brought them forth.”
Ezekiel 20:22 (KJV)
God condemned Israel for elevating idols in their hearts (Ezekiel 20:16-17, 24, 39-44) above Him. What was the result? As Ezekiel lays out in v. 22 and elsewhere, God withdrew His hand from them.
It’s easy to see the point: because of Israel’s sin, God withdraws His presence, provision, and protection. In practice, they’re left to fend for themselves, as Adam and Eve were after the fall, in all their ignominious iniquity and sin-shattered surroundings. They’re alone in the jungle, and the devouring heathen horde can ravage unhindered and unmolested. Israel could be in no worse shape. It gets worse.
Why would they, having experienced God’s hand kindly guiding them away from slavery to flourishing and abundance, prize another? Why would Israel desire idols more than God?
Simple answer: they wanted something physical instead of their covenantal relationship with God. They simply could not say no to their carnal desires (Rom. 8:5-8). So God gave them over to their sin—allowing devastation and ruin (Rom. 1:24-28). Did they return to God? No. Israel sadly ran further from God, ultimately rejecting His Son, their anticipated Messiah (John 1:11; Rom. 9:31-33). Is this the end of the story? No! Praise God, no! God’s promises are true. God has always kept a remnant. His promises are sure (Rom. 11:1-5, 25-29).
And we’re no different. We pursue so many things other than God as ultimate ends. Like Israel of old, we pursue physical things more than our relationship with God secured by Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection. We need God, by His grace, to lay His hand over our lives and “Tune my heart to sing Thy grace.”
Because of our propensity for the physical, we need the good news of Jesus Christ to be more than a nod; it must be our very lives.
Come, Thou Fount of every blessing! Amen.
— September 17, 2026