For we did not heed the voice of the Lord, our God,
in all the words of the prophets whom he sent us,
but each one of us went off
after the devices of his own wicked heart,
served other gods,
and did evil in the sight of the Lord, our God.
This is us. It isn't a word spoken in condemnation. God does not delight in the death of the sinner. He rejoices when the sinner returns to him so he can give him life. He runs out to embrace the returning prodigal. We are called to recognize the idolatry in our lives so that we can turn from it. We are Chorazin. We are Bethsaida. Part of our problem is a willful ignorance is the depths of our need for God. But the more we grow in holiness the more we find that we stand in need of the grace of God.
How do we avoid the fate of Tyre and Side, Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum? When our idols seem to be working well we may feel like we're being exalted to heaven. But they are inconsistent. They ultimately fail. Even if things seem relatively good in our lives right now we must continue to listen, to hear, and to heed the voice of the LORD.
Whoever listens to you listens to me.
Whoever rejects you rejects me.
And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.
When we find idols in our hearts and sin in our lives let us not wallow there, bemoaning our weakness and imperfection. Let us instead turn to the LORD. Let us approach his throne of grace where we receive mercy in our time of need (see Hebrews 4:16).
He is ready and waiting to deliver us. He actually longs to set us free. He hates idols not because they harm him but because they harm us. If we cry out to him he will come quickly to help us.
Remember not against us the iniquities of the past;
may your compassion quickly come to us,
for we are brought very low.
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