Ezekiel 13:1-23

The Word of God is a sacred trust.  To teach the Word of God or speak in such a way as to be revealing the Word of God is a high and holy calling that is never to be taken lightly.  There is a very big difference between speaking God’s word and speaking my own desires.  We all like to be liked so when we speak there is always a temptation to tell the people what they want to hear instead of what God has revealed.  This is a temptation that must be avoided at all costs.  Ezekiel condemns the prophets and prophetesses of his day for using their position to deceive the people instead of telling the people the truth of God’s Word.  We must learn to take the job of teaching God’s Word very seriously because all who do this will face a harsher judgment.

THE JUDGMENT OF THE PROPHETS: The prophets were deceiving the people of Israel with false messages of hope as if they were coming from God.  Ezekiel and Jeremiah were warning the people of God’s coming judgment and calling them to turn from their sin in repentance.  These false prophets were contradicting that message by saying that the people were secure and could just continue living in the sinfulness of their ways and God would do nothing.  Ezekiel tells them that they are digging holes in their own walls to let the enemy in and then covering those holes with whitewash so that they look secure.  However, the rain of God’s judgment is about to pour down on them and wash that whitewash away and leave the people exposed.  They had a popular message but it was untrue and the people would be judged just the same but God’s judgment on them would be greater because they not only practiced sin but encouraged others to do the same.  It is a dangerous thing to speak the Word of the Lord and we should never do so lightly.


THE JUDGMENT OF THE PROPHETESSES: Not only were there men prophesying in the name of the Lord but there were women as well who were speaking a message of comfort, joy and hope to the people.  They would sew strips of cloth as coverings for the people and pretend that these would protect the people from God’s wrath.  Ezekiel exposes this as false hope and false teaching.  These women would profit from these messages and were apparently selling these bracelets as a means of supporting themselves by selling “good news.”  This is an abomination to the Lord and will bring swift and harsh judgment.  There is nobody who can escape the judgment of God, not men, women or children apart from trusting the Lord and following His true Word.  We must not be deceived or deceive others.  God’s Word must be the source of our hope and nothing else.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Isaiah 54:1-17

Hope is a wonderful blessing from God, without which we would be vulnerable to all kinds of destructive tendencies in our lives.  Today’s society is marked by depression, anger, fear, anxiety and self-righteousness, in large part, because of the sense of hopelessness that prevails in our culture.  Isaiah writes to a people who are about to be taken into captivity because of their sin.  God knows that they will feel rejected, threatened and hopeless so He reveals His future plans for the nation in order to give them hope in the midst of the coming trial.  Hope is the expectation of good based upon the promises of God.  Many times when our lives are marked by the sins mentioned above it is because we have forgotten or failed to focus upon the promises of God’s Word. THE PROMISE OF GOD: From the very first day that God revealed His plan for the nation of Israel, He promised numerous descendants.  God chose Abraham, not because he was more righteous than any of the other people of his
Read more

1 Timothy 1:3-7

As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not   to teach any different doctrine,   nor   to devote themselves to myths and endless   genealogies, which promote   speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith.    The aim of our charge is love   that issues from a pure heart and   a good conscience and   a sincere faith.    Certain persons, by   swerving from these, have wandered away into   vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law,   without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.   There will always be false teachers that come into the church attempting to distract people from the truth and destroy people’s faith.  When this happens, it is the job of spiritually mature leaders to confront these false teachers and correct their teachings.  However, it is important that this correction be accomplished with the right motives and methods. 
Read more

1 Timothy 2:11-15

Let a woman learn quietly   with all submissiveness.    I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.    For Adam was formed first,   then Eve;   and Adam was not deceived, but   the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.    Yet she will be saved through   childbearing—if they continue in   faith and love and holiness, with self-control. There is certainly controversy and confusion about this passage in many churches today.  The idea of a distinction between men and women and their roles in the family and church certainly goes against the flow of many cultures around the world.  Some would argue that the literal and plain teaching of this passage is no longer applicable to today’s culture.  However, it is always dangerous to discard biblical teaching or try to interpret Scripture based on the cultures in which we live.  Certainly, the Spirit who inspired this text was aware of the many changes that would occur in future cul
Read more