יחזקאל, פרק י״ד, פסוק ג׳

Seeking guidance from God loses all meaning when it is rooted in hypocrisy. When individuals approach Him while secretly and openly maintaining loyalties to idol worship, their requests for direction become a hollow gesture.

The primary approach among commentators is that this spiritual failure begins internally, within the minds and hearts of the sinners. Idol worship completely occupies their thoughts [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Their devotion is not a superficial act; rather, they cling to their false beliefs with absolute faith [מלבי״ם]. Deep down, their hearts are fully directed toward these idols with the clear intention of serving them [רש״י].

Alongside this internal corruption is the physical reality of their actions. These individuals do not merely harbor sinful thoughts; they actively practice idol worship in their daily lives [מצודת דוד]. They deliberately place the source of their sin right in front of their eyes, making the idol a constant object of reverence [רש״י]. Furthermore, they actively seek out and place themselves in environments that guarantee they will stumble into sin [מלבי״ם].

Faced with this double reality of sin in both thought and deed, God responds with a rhetorical question of rebuke. He asks whether it is fitting for Him to pay attention to them, answer their words, or fulfill their requests while their hearts remain devoted to false gods [רש״י, רד״ק, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Because these individuals are entirely consumed by their wrongdoings, acting as heretics in their minds and apostates in their actions, all hope for their repentance is lost. Consequently, there is absolutely no justification for God to answer them [מלבי״ם].