What Hurts God?

Read Ezekiel 6:9a: "Then those of you who escape will remember Me among the nations to which they will be carried captive, how I have been hurt by their adulterous hearts which turned away from Me, and by their eyes which played the harlot after their idols."

In Ezekiel 6, the Lord addresses the Israelites' idolatry. They have forsaken their love (God) for foreign gods and therefore have committed adultery. As a result, the Lord will bring down fierce judgment on the nation of Israel, and destruction and death will occur as punishment for their sins.

This passage shows us one of the many facets of God's character...His wrath. God despises sin and wickedness, and as a just and holy God, He simply can't leave it unpunished. Sin must be judged and punished. However, in the midst of this wrath, we also see a glimpse of God's grace and mercy, as He spares a remnant (a small portion) of people from this judgment. God's mercy, grace, and compassion are other facets of His character.

When reading this passage recently, one verse in particular jumped out at me--Ezekiel 6:9. In this verse we gain some insight into how God feels about sin. Sin unleashes His wrath, but it also hurts Him. The Hebrew word used in this verse is "shabar," and means "broken, shattered, crushed." The NAS version translates this word as "hurt" and the NIV translates it "grieved." I don't know about you, but I don't normally think of God as being hurt over my sins! Do you realize that when you sin against God, you are actually grieving Him?

The sin that grieves and hurts God in this passage is idolatry, which is a form of adultery. The Israelites were bound in a covenant relationship with the Lord. He would be their God, and they would be His people. By disobeying God's law, following pagan practices, and worshiping idols, they committed adultery.

What about you? You probably don't worship literal idols, though people do bow down to statues in other parts of the world. However, idolatry is found among American teenagers in many other ways. Many of you girls may worship a boyfriend or a crush, whether it's someone you know or a celebrity (cough...Taylor Lautner...cough). You may worship your own image or your popularity. Perhaps you worship material things. Remember that leaving your heavenly bridegroom, Jesus Christ, and giving your heart to something in this world is adultery, and it hurts the Lord. I know that none of you want to grieve God by your sins. Some of you may not even realize that you are idolizing something in your life. I challenge you to ask God to examine your heart and reveal to you anything in your life that is taking His place.