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;
The verse describes every man of the house of Israel who sets up idols in his heart and puts the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face and yet comes to the prophet to inquire of God. Such a comer is not sincerely seeking God while clinging to those idols and cannot expect a favorable answer, for the Lord answers him that comes according to the multitude of his idols, exposing a divided loyalty that has estranged him from God.
The idols of the heart are not only images of wood and stone but love of worldly things, pleasure in unrighteousness, and fellowship with the works of darkness. Pride and luxury can become such heart-idols and pollute what is sacred. These cherished idols become stumbling blocks that separate from God and leave people in spiritual darkness, often without recognizing their condition. Unless they are deliberately put away, those who cherish them will not be acknowledged as His sons and daughters.
The verse is fearfully applicable to teachers in this age who cherish idols in the heart, wrest the Scriptures, speak falsehood, stir up prejudice bitter as gall against the truth, and as blind guides lead the blind while few study the Scriptures for themselves and mere assertions are accepted as truth. It condemns ministers who find the Sabbath and the nearness of Christ's coming offensive, prejudice the people against them, confuse uninformed minds with multitudes of false theories and false interpretations of Scripture, and brand Sabbathkeepers as deluded fanatics. It condemns those who prophesy smooth things and deceits and cry peace, peace, believed by a self-satisfied multitude that loves to have it so and rests at ease in Zion.
Putting the stumblingblock before the face also means cherishing wrong principles in managing God's work, holding high ideas of one's own individuality, wanting one's own way instead of God's way, rejecting reproof, and manifesting the same exacting and intolerant spirit as the ruling Pharisees. The time is near when providence will make manifest what principles have been cherished. Unless such men are converted they will be separated from the work, and the same judgments that fell upon the Pharisees will fall upon them.