This chapter continues the previous chapter, as the Lord continues to inform Ezekiel about prophecies. Here’s the chapter in its entirety: “Then this message came to me from the Lord: “Son of man, speak against the false prophets of Israel who are inventing their own prophecies. Tell them to listen to the word of the Lord. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Destruction is certain for the false prophets who are following their own imaginations and have seen nothing at all!”
“O people of Israel, these prophets of yours are like jackals digging around in the ruins. They have done nothing to strengthen the breaks in the walls around the nation. They have not helped it to stand firm in battle on the day of the Lord. Instead, they have lied and said, ‘My message is from the Lord,’ even though the Lord never sent them. And yet they expect him to fulfill their prophecies! Can your visions be anything but false if you claim, ‘This message is from the Lord,’ when I have not even spoken to you?”
“Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because what you say is false and your visions are a lie, I will stand against you, says the Sovereign Lord. I will raise my fist against all the lying prophets, and they will be banished from the community of Israel. I will blot their names from Israel’s record books, and they will never again see their own land. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord!” (Wow! I’ve missed understood God’s Word and I’ve had questions about its meaning…am I sinning against the Lord and making false claims?)
“These evil prophets deceive my people by saying, ‘All is peaceful’ when there is no peace at all! It’s as if the people have built a flimsy wall, and these prophets are trying to hold it together by covering it with whitewash! Tell these whitewashers that their wall will soon fall down. A heavy rainstorm will undermine it; great hailstones and mighty winds will knock it down. And when the wall falls, the people will cry out, ‘Where is the whitewash you applied?’
“Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will sweep away your whitewashed wall with a storm of indignation, with a great flood of anger, and with hailstones of fury. I will break down your wall right to the foundation, and when it falls, it will crush you. Then you will know that I am the Lord! At last my anger against the wall and those who covered it with whitewash will be satisfied. Then I will say to you: ‘The wall and those who whitewashed it are both gone. They were lying prophets who claimed peace would come to Jerusalem when there was no peace, I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!’
Judgment against False Women Prophets
“Now, son of man, also speak out against the women who prophesy from their own imaginations. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Destruction is certain for you women who are ensnaring the souls of my people, both young and old alike. You tie magic charms on their wrists and furnish them with magic veils. Do you think you can trap others without bringing destruction on yourselves? You turn my people away from me for a few handfuls of barley or a piece of bread. By lying to my people who love to listen to lies, you kill those who should not die, and you promise life to those who should not live.
“And so the Sovereign Lord says: I am against all your magic charms, which you use to ensnare my people like birds. I will tear them from your arms, setting my people free like birds set free from a cage. I will tear off the magic veils and save my people from your grasp. They will no longer be your victims. Then you will know that I am the Lord. You have discouraged the righteous with your lies, when I didn’t want them to suffer grief. And you have encouraged the wicked by promising them life, even though they continue in their sins. But you will no longer talk of seeing visions that you never saw, nor will you practice your magic. For I will rescue my people from your grasp. Then you will know that I am the Lord.” (Ezekiel 13) (Yes, Lord! Thank you for being our Savior!)
Lord, thank you for your Word today! Thank you for being our protector, our rescuer, and our Savior! We love you!
May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
….AND MAY WE ALL PRACTICE THIS WITH ONE ANOTHER.
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