Ezekiel 13:1-7
The false prophets brought a message of hope to the people, but it wasn't from God. It was a false hope that created kept the people from accepting what had become inevitable. The prophets were convinced, and convinced others, that God would bring divine deliverance from Babylon. Jeremiah dealt with these prophets directly (Jeremiah 28:12-15). Their prophecies came from their hope and desires, from a longstanding belief that God wouldn't let anything bad happen to them regardless of their rebellion against him. They served and worshiped other gods but held out hope Yahweh would save them.
The word 'woe' isn't over used. When we see it, we know the seriousness of what was happening. It marks an oracle of pity, pain or disappointment. The false prophets were like the foxes in the desert. The fox was sly, cunning and motivated by its own self-interest. This describes these prophets. They failed to serve as watchmen, failed to warn of the impending judgment.
Their visions were false and their divination a lie. They used prophetic language in saying, "Thus says the Lord," but the Lord hadn't said anything to them. They were misrepresenting God. In spite of this, they continued on, hoping their word would be confirmed.
Ezekiel 13:8-9
The consequence of misrepresenting God in such important circumstances would result in further separation of God from them. This would make it abundantly clear they were not speaking for him. God was against them. His hand would be against them. We can know this isn't God ignoring them, or just creating more distance, but also actively moving against them. He gave three things:
- They wouldn't be in the assembly of His people.
- They wouldn't be written in the record of Israel.
- They wouldn't enter into Israel.
It is as if God removed the bad apples to keep from spoiling the rest. With this done, they would know He was Lord.
Ezekiel 13:10-12
The false Prophets consistently spoke of peace and safety, even when there was no peace. Ezekiel and Jeremiah constantly spoke out against the false prophets and their words. It was difficult to tell the difference in that day between the true and false, they both sounded and looked the same though their messages were completely opposite.
Ezekiel said these false prophecies were like walls with untempered. Instead of reinforcing he wall, giving it strength to withstand, they cover it with whitewash; it covered over the weaknesses and imperfections and appeared very complete and strong. However, when it was tested by rain and hail and wind, it would fall. Should not the Lord ask them where the whitewash is? The false word of peace wasn't truth but it was what they wanted to hear. It was comfortable and didn't cause any disruption to their lives, so they believed it. But belief in the untrue doesn't make it so. When there was no peace, would it not be fair to ask, "Where is the peace and safety?" What would the false prophet say? He would be proven false and worthy of death (Deuteronomy 13).
Ezekiel 13:13-16
God extends the metaphor to further describe what He'll do in His fury. His wrath is often described in terms of a storm. He would bring:
- A stormy wind
- Flooding Rain
- Great hailstones
He would bring their wall down and expose its foundations. Everyone would know what this wall was built upon. They would be consumed in its midst. Then, there would be no doubts which was the false prophet. There would be no doubt about who was Lord. His wrath would be spent on the wall and those who whitewashed it.
Ezekiel 13:17-21
These women may have thought of themselves as prophetesses. They prophesied woe to those sewing magic charms for bracelets. The word used for charms is used twice, only here in this passage. The veils were a special head covering used for these magical rituals. The rituals were to speak to the dead. These took place on every height to hunt souls. The 'hunting souls' is thought to be necromancy, the communication with the dead. They would give a word for the payment of barley.
In a sense the dead they spoke to were those of Jerusalem who faced God's wrath. They were as good as dead but kept alive by a false hope. These women gathered the souls, followers of false prophecies, someone who told them what they wanted to hear. God was against them. God would tear them away; they were like trapped birds he'd set free to fly away. He would also remove the veil from these women by proving them fakes and liars. They would no longer entrap God's people. Then, all would know He is Lord.
Ezekiel 13:22-23
The lies told by the false prophets discouraged and disheartened the righteous while the hands of the wicked were strengthened and encouraged. The righteous were lured into their cultic practices and encouraged to abandon their righteous ways. The wicked were strengthened and thereby had no reason to turn from their ways. God would deliver his people by putting an end to the false prophets. When done, they would know He was Lord.
©2019 Doug Ford
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