The prophet had seen idols in the temple in Jerusalem (chap. 8), but now he saw idols in the hearts of the elders in Babylon (vv. 3, 4, 7). God had disciplined those men by taking them from Judah to Babylon, and He had been merciful to them in sparing their lives; yet nothing brought them to repentance. They pretended to be spiritual by inquiring of Ezekiel, but God saw their hearts and told His servant the truth (Heb. 4:13).
Judgment was inevitable: famine, hungry beasts, war, and pestilence (Rev. 6:1–8). Noah saved his family (Heb. 11:7), Daniel rescued his friends (Dan. 2), and Job prayed for his three friends and delivered them (Job 42:7–10); but nobody’s intercession would save Jerusalem or anybody in it. A person’s righteousness could save only himself or herself; it could not save another.
Cherishing sin in the heart will lead to practicing sin in the life: “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he” (Prov. 23:7). A good prayer for all of us is Psalm 139:23–24.
Jesus’ Righteousness
Sinners are saved from God’s eternal wrath not by their righteousness (Titus 3:4–7) but the righteousness of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Savior of the world (Isa. 53:6; 2 Cor. 5:21). Not only that, but He is in heaven today, interceding for His people at the right hand of God (Heb. 4:14–16; 1 John 2:1–2). This is not an excuse for us to sin, but it is an encouragement to know that our future is secure because of what He did for us on the cross and what He is now doing for us in heaven.
