Ezekiel 14:4
“Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols;”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →God will answer, but with a terrible mercy: He will give them an answer that mirrors back the idols they serve.
Context
God shifts from asking whether He should answer to saying that He will answer, but not in the way they expect. This is the parable's hinge: the consequence. When someone comes with idols in their heart to seek God's word, they get a word that echoes their idolatry back to them.
What Does Ezekiel 14:4 Mean?
There is a haunting logic here. A heart full of idols cannot receive a pure word from God. When such a person comes to the prophet, what they receive is not the word of God in its truth, but a word filtered through the lens of their own divided heart. God will answer 'according to the multitude of his idols,' meaning the answer will reflect back what they already believe because they came committed to what they already want.
This is not punishment so much as consequence. It is as if God says, 'You came to have your idols confirmed. Very well. You will hear what confirms them.' The tragedy is not that God refuses to speak, but that the seeker has made himself incapable of hearing anything but an echo of his own worship.
Application
We must be honest about what we seek when we approach Scripture or prayer. Do we come to be changed, or to be confirmed? God grants us the terrible freedom to become what we worship. Let us worship Him only.