The Indictment: Ezekiel 22:1-31
https://biblehub.com/nasb_/ezekiel/22.htm
I received a call one day from the FBI. They were investigating a company I had purchased, for Fraud. The previous owners were bidding on government contracts set aside for Veteran Owned companies. Neither owner was a veteran. But, they had a veteran identified as the owner. According to the rules, the Veteran had to be the majority owner and be the highest earner in the company. The Owners made him the majority owner, on paper, but only paid him a small fee for use of his veteran status.
It was fraud…they called it “Veteran Shopping.”
The FBI wanted to speak with me to find out if I was truly the owner or, was I a victim of a rebranded fraudulent venture by the same gentlemen. I told them, in no uncertain terms, the previous owners were no longer part of the company and I was indeed the majority owner. They asked to see all of my documentation and asked if I was aware of the fraud that had taken place. Furthermore, how did I select this specific company to buy if I wasn’t playing the same fraud game?
What began as simple questions began feeling like accusations…
They had nothing specific…it just seemed fishy to them. To shorten the story, I told them I was finished speaking with them if they had nothing further. I was asked if I would testify at a Grand Jury regarding what I knew and I told them I would gladly testify as to how they were implying criminal behavior on my part but knew nothing further.
The previous owners were indicted without my testimony…
Explanation: Allegations can be thrown around easily. They are not supposed to result in indictments without compelling evidence. This is the story in Ezekiel 22; God has stated He was going to destroy Jerusalem based on vague allegations of Idolatry and violation of the sabbath. But…did He have proof? This chapter is like the convening of a Grand Jury; God presents his evidence and secures an indictment.
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Charge |
Evidence |
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Murder |
A “city of murderers” guilty of shedding innocent blood |
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Idolatry |
Filthy and foul, defiled by making and worshiping idols |
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Moral bankruptcy |
“Valueless slag” and “dross” left after smelting silver—useless mixture of metals |
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Nihilism |
They had completely forgotten God and ignored His commands |
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Hedonism |
Pervasive sexual immorality (adultery, incest, rape), bribery, extortion, and false killing |
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Blasphemy |
Despised holy things, violated the Sabbath, treated parents with contempt, oppressed widows, orphans, and foreigners |
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Deflection |
Ruled by predatory princes, corrupt priests, lying prophets, and wolf-like leaders who destroyed lives for money |
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Myopia |
A polluted land without rain, destined for God’s crucible and exile |
I can look at this list and shudder…I see myself in some of those charges and ask “what else would I expect God to do?” By the grace of God, I have been declares “sinless” by the blood of Jesus Christ, poured out for my forgiveness.
Application: Based on Ezekiel 22 and biblical principles, churches that ascribe to activities like idolatry, oppression, injustice, and moral corruption would face similar expected consequences. First, they would experience spiritual consequences including the loss of God’s presence, spiritual blindness, moral decay, and widespread disaffection with Christianity as people abandon faith when religious communities become oppressive. When a church embraces idolatry and injustice, God withdraws His Spirit, and the church becomes spiritually barren—just as God searched for one righteous person in Ezekiel but found none.
Second, the church would suffer reputational damage, losing credibility in society and causing people to view religion as toxic. We have to begin asking ourselves; Is the chaos and hedonism in our culture our own fault? Rather than point our finger a politicians and educators…we might look in the mirror. Ezekiel 22:3-4 states directly: “You city that brings on herself doom by shedding blood in her midst and defiles herself by making idols, you have become guilty because of the blood you have shed and have become defiled by the idols you have made.”
Ultimately, the church faces divine judgment following the Ezekiel pattern: God pours out wrath, and the church is scattered or exiled from its mission and purpose. The church becomes like valueless slag—corrupt dross that must be destroyed. Once a church abandons God as its Hope, devastating consequences result, and the church that becomes the idol disappears from God’s purpose, losing its mission entirely.
So, what do we do…?
True believers can take several important steps to correct the trend of idolatry, injustice, and spiritual corruption in churches:
- First, expose idolatry when we see it and don’t be silent. Call believers back to the pure gospel—Christ crucified, risen, and glorified. This is the foundational correction.
- Second, pursue personal righteousness. This means walking with integrity, committing to God’s ways rather than serving ourself, working righteousness by exhibiting justice and promoting good, speaking truth in our heart, not slandering with our tongue, doing no evil to our neighbor, despising evil (seeing it as evil and hating what God hates), and honoring those who fear the Lord.
- Third, flee sin and make no provision for it. Don’t allow opportunities for sin to linger in our life. Order our schedule, relationships, and life to resist temptation. Read our Bible and obey it, pray and submit to God’s guidance, journal and examine whether we’ve pursued righteousness or indulged sin.
- Fourth, be a catalyst for positive change. Look at our home and community and ask if our presence is contributing to healthy, growing relationships. Make our presence a place of joy, peace, and love. Follow Jesus’ example and watch how we and the places we find ourself can change.
- Fifth, find and build a Christian community where we will be challenged, encouraged, and equipped to flee sin and pursue righteousness. This is most important in a local church with diversity from various life stages who help guide us.
- Sixth, don’t elevate our church preferences as the gold standard. Learn from and partner beyond our “tribe”—reach out to immigrant churches, diversify blogs and podcasts, and listen to voices that challenge us. Don’t evaluate church in terms of “what I got out of it” but ask “How was God glorified?”
- Seventh, don’t quit the minute it gets hard. Show up at church even when we don’t feel like it. Don’t neglect meeting together. Challenge ourself to stick around even when the honeymoon period wears off.
Finally, remember that the pursuit of holiness is drawing nearer to God. Answer Jesus’ call to take up your cross and follow Him. As Paul wrote: “Flee from youthful passions, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.”
Or…we can do nothing and wait for God to do what He will do. I choose the former.
Prayer: “Dear Lord,
I come before you with a heart that sees the stumbling in your church. I don’t want to be a bystander who watches decay while standing silent. I want to be someone who stands in the breach.
Challenge me, Lord…Give me the courage to expose idolatry when I see it, not to condemn but to call my church back to the pure gospel—Christ crucified, risen, and glorified. When I see injustice, oppression, or moral compromise, help me not to be silent.
Make me a catalyst for positive change…Where there is spiritual blindness, let me be someone who sees. Where there is pride, let me be humble. Where there is division, let me be peacemaker. Let my presence be a place of joy, peace, and love.
Give me faithfulness to stick around…Don’t let me quit when it gets hard. When the honeymoon period wears off, let me show up. When the church is failing, let me be the one who stays, serves, and Labors.
Teach me to pursue righteousness…Flee from my own youthful passions. Pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Let my life exemplify what I ask of others.
Make me prayerful…Your church has no power apart from prayer. If I’m prayerless, I’m powerless. Let me fast and spend time praying and reading the Your Word. Let me hear God more clearly and draw closer to Him. Deny myself and draw near so I can stand in the gap.
Challenge me to be the one…You searched for someone to stand in the breach and found none. Let me be that one person. Let me work righteousness, exhibit justice, speak truth, honor those who fear you, and despise evil as evil.
Make me a servant…Like Jesus who wrapped Himself in a towel and washed His disciples’ feet, let me serve. Not to be seen, but so that others see Christ in me.
Lord, I don’t want to be the problem…I want to be part of the solution. Even if I’m the only one. Even if it costs me. Even if it’s hard. Use me.
In your power, not mine. Amen..”
Live boldly out there today…
