Secret Sins
The visions of Ezekiel are some of the most startling and, at times, baffling in all of Scripture. The vision of chapter eight is not hard to decipher. Not that it doesn’t have an odd element to it as Ezekiel gets snatched up by the hair of his head and is carried off to Jerusalem by a divine apparition. In brief, what Ezekiel is shown are the secretive idolatries of the Jewish people. It was happening everywhere, but it is also being done “in the dark,” (verse 12).
In the setting of the chapter, we find Ezekiel at home and a group of the elders of Israel are with him, presumably to seek the Lord about the dire conditions of the nation. That is an important element to the subsequent vision because it is the elders of Israel who were committing idolatry in the dark, (verses 7-13).
The point is these leaders of the nation were publicly professing belief in Yahweh, the God of Israel, and seeking His mercy and help while secretly worshipping idols. God is using Ezekiel through this vision to expose the secret sins of the elders and people of Israel.
The phrase “secret sins” is probably one of the devil’s favorites. He wants us to believe it is true that sin can be done secretly, out of the sight of God, without His knowledge or awareness. As Ezekiel chapter 8 demonstrates, we might be able to hide things from other people, but we aren’t hiding them from God.
What we are hiding (or think we are hiding) from the Lord is fully known by Him. Jesus said what is done in secret will be exposed in the open. Better to go ahead and deal with it now. Bring it before the Lord of mercy and find grace in the Cross. For, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
