Walking through Ezekiel 13: A Word for Today

    Ezekiel 13 addresses two people: the lying prophets of Israel and the lying daughters who prophesied out of their own heart. Ezekiel 13 is also a message for each one of us. Are the words we hear God’s truth? God’s absolute truth must be our foundation. We must make sure the teachings we have heard are truth so we don’t build our lives on lies. False Prophets and white washed walls            The prophets were to protect the people by building a wall of defense around them. This wall would protect them from their enemies. Was this literal? Figurative? Or both?  Whatever the answer, the message is clear – the prophets were not building a sturdy and safe wall of protection for the people.  This left an open door for the enemy to come in and attack. Scripture uses the word ‘white wash’ or a slimy mortar as the filing agent the prophets used to fix the breaks in the wall. Instead of building their wall of protection with a true and fortified defense, they only covered up the cracks.  They tried to make everything look right, saying their words were from God, but they were only covering up the truth. What was the truth? The breaks in the walls were still there even though they hid them. This white wash seems to symbolize the lies and false teachings of these prophets. Building our foundation on lies is like covering the breaks in the wall or building a house on sand. The scripture reminds me of the parable of the man who built his house on the rock and the man who built his house on the sand. One house crumbled down and one house stood firm. Their structures were the same, but the foundation beneath them caused them to either stand firm or crumble.      Notice-when the defense or wall was weak (unstable with cracks), the enemy came in. In Genesis 4:6, the Lord warns Cain  ⁶ Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? ⁷ If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.       Sin is always crouching at our door to overtake us. What is the foundation you rely on? Are you relying on the whitewash of the walls or are you fully grounded and rooted in the Word of God as in Jeremiah 17:7-8 and unshakable? Have you allowed the desires of the world and worries to come in and steal God’s Word from your heart?     The false prophets prophesied of their own heart. The Hebrew meaning of the word heart is: feelings, reflection, inner man and thinking. In other words, the words were made up prophesies that did not come from God. This same thing is happening today. Ezekiel’s words may be ancient but the message stands forever. Remember back in Jeremiah we were taught that if a prophet prophesies Peace! Good Tidings! Money! And the Whoo Hoo’s – we are to consider it, but don’t believe it until it happens. On the other hand, when we hear a warning we are to listen and take heed.             The true work of the prophet in Ezekiel 13:

1. To fortify the walls, fill in the breaks and make it a strong defense from enemies
2. To protect and warn the people
3. To keep the people safe

           The False prophets of Ezekiel 13

1. They claim “The Lord saith” but the Lord did not speak to them
2. They expected God to make their claims come true, hoping the Lord would cause it to happen
3. Covered the truth with lies building the walls with whitewash, a slimy mortar that wouldn’t hold. Foolishness
4. They envisioned futility and devise lies
5. Made people hope in their false predictions
6. They were like foxes in the desert- to devour and destroy. They were sly and seducing
7. Seduced God’s people with false promises and good tidings- Peace! When there was no peace. Prosperity! Peace! Money! (Coexist?!)  
8. They caused the people to wander far from God.

     The lies the people believed and listened to would soon be their downfall. Doesn’t seem fair, does it? The sheep were punished because they followed the wrong shepherds.  We are each individually responsible to consider and search out the truth. You are responsible to search the bible, to seek God and make sure the teachings you have been taught are true and reliable. Claiming ignorance before the throne won’t work. He knows you.  And know this- just because you see miracles in the way you do things doesn’t mean it is the hand of God. We are warned the antichrist will come with signs and miracles also, this is why knowing the truth of God’s Word is so important. In Jeremiah, the people prayed and worshipped the Queen of Heaven. When they did, the people lived in peace and had all they had. Jeremiah warned them by the Word of God to stop but they refused. Their reply was – We have been worshipping the Queen of Heaven all these years and we have lived in health and prosperity and we won’t change. The people continued to mix pagan rituals and brought them into the temple. I wonder if we have done the same. I know there might be traditions engrained in my life that are not of God, or maybe there are things I should be doing that I’m not. The days are no different now than the days of Ezekiel or Jeremiah . Imagine throwing away one of your family traditions, that’s how the people in Ezekiel’s day felt. They went to the temple, feeling all holy and righteous; they would bow down to the Sun god and perform pagan rituals at the gates of the temple. Am I talking about a certain religion? No- it’s a warning to consider all our teachings, everything we hear, and ask for discernment. There are many tv preachers that have mixed up God’s Word , just be careful. God promises us that if we Seek, we will Find. If we knock, He will open the door. If we Ask, He will answer. Seek, Ask, Knock – find the truth.  LYING WOMEN Prophets       Besides the false prophets, The Lord also spoke against false prophetesses who would prophesy from their own heart. They sewed magic charms to attach to their sleeves and made veils for their heads as they searched for lost spirits. I’ve read different views on this, so this is my take on it. Read it for yourself and ask God to give you discernment. I believe there are many lessons and many layers to scripture, so maybe there is another message for you written within the words.       Of course, the first thing we think of is fortune tellers, sorcerers, witches and such. This may be true, but I think these woman were hidden and blended among the Holy people. They seemed like holy godly woman. They claimed to hear from the Lord.  Scripture is clear that magic and sorcery is a sin, but these women mixed it up so you couldn’t tell Holy from evil. It was mixed. Does the bible say we can’t sew something on our sleeve? Uhhh no. Does the bible say we can’t wear a veil? Uhhhh, I don’t think so. ……and so the lying women deceived the people into using beads, charms, veils and other rituals that caused the people to wander far from God. You see, its key to ask yourself  ‘Does this honor God or does this take my focus off God?’      We’re safe here, right? Well, I don’t know. Do we have magic charms? Crystals? Dream catchers? magic charms on your bracelet? necklace?Idols we hold on to for good luck? You didn’t like that one did you- oh no, I heard you making excuses for what you had. That’s exactly what the people of Israel did. “What’s the big deal Lord? It’s just a pillow on my sleeve, and so what If I chase after dead souls” yea, dead souls/ spirits they chased after. They searched out for the lost souls- the wording is different in different scriptures. If this is true, let’s look at what they did. They were calling out for people who had died.  God said:  ” Why don’t you search out for the souls who are living!?!?!?!?! Why don’t you save the lives of the souls that are coming to you!?!?!?!!?”                 How would you answer that?      As the prophets above were referred to as foxes, so the people who came to the prophetesses were their prey to devour and destroy. The Lord said that the lying daughters who prophesied from their own heart had made the hearts of the righteous sad and strengthened the hand of the wicked. “They made the hearts of the righteous sad”        When we believe and trust in false words our wall of protection is no protection at all. It looks like it, but it’s not. Because they listened to false prophets, their protection was gone and now they were prey to their enemy. Believing in wrong teaching is dangerous and detrimental to your eternal life. You decide. Do you want to keep listening and believing everything that sounds so good or will you let God’s word pierce your heart and change you. When I watched Billy Graham last week, his words were so powerful. The message of the cross and repentance never gets old. Each day it’s a brand new message. Remember the Cross today and what the Lord did for you. Remember the blood that was shed for our wretched ways.  Decide to change and be Holy as God, your creator, created you to be.    Lord,     Search me and see if there is anyway that is not right, if  there is any way in me that is not in line with your scripture. Give me discernment between what is Holy and what is not Holy. Give me a heart like you O Lord, to love what you love and despise what you despise. Help me put away anything that is an abomination before you . Open my eyes so I can see the truth and that each one of us would save the souls that come to us. In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen Hear the Word of the Lord Ezekiel 13 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel, that prophesy, and say thou unto them, that prophesy out of their own hearts, Hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord God, Woe unto the foolish Prophets that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing. O Israel, thy Prophets are like the foxes in the waste places. ⁵ Ye have not risen up in the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel, to stand in the battle in the day of the Lord. They have seen vanity, and lying divination, saying, The Lord saith it, and the Lord hath not sent them: and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word of their prophecy.  Have ye not seen a vain vision? and have ye not spoken a lying divination? ye say, The Lord saith it, albeit I have not spoken. Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Because ye have spoken vanity and have seen lies, therefore behold, I am against you, saith the Lord God, ⁹ And mine hand shall be upon the Prophets that see vanity, and divine lies: they shall not be in the assembly of my people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the Lord God.¹⁰ And therefore, because they have deceived my people, saying,Peace, and there was no peace: and one built up a wall, and behold, the others daubed it with untempered mortar, ¹¹ Say unto them which daub it with untempered mortar, that it shall fall: for there shall come a great shower, and I will send hailstones, which shall cause it to fall, and a stormy wind shall break it.¹² Lo, when the wall is fallen, shall it not be said unto you, Where is the daubing wherewith ye have daubed it?¹³ Therefore thus saith the Lord God, I will cause a stormy wind to break forth in my wrath, and a great shower shall be in mine anger, and hailstones in mine indignation to consume it.¹⁴ So I will destroy the wall that ye have daubed with untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be discovered, and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof, and ye shall know, that I am the Lord. ¹⁵ Thus will I accomplish my wrath upon the wall, and upon them that have daubed it with untempered mortar, and will say unto you, The wall is no more, neither the daubers thereof,¹⁶ To wit, the Prophets of Israel, which prophesy upon Jerusalem, and see visions of peace for it, and there is no peace, saith the Lord God. ¹⁷ Likewise thou son of man, set thy face against the daughters of thy people, which prophesy out of their own heart: and prophesy thou against them, and say, ¹⁸ Thus saith the Lord God, Woe unto the women that sow pillows under all armholes, and make veils upon the head of everyone that standeth up, to hunt souls: will ye hunt the souls of my people, and will ye give life to the souls that come unto you?¹⁹ And will ye pollute me among my people for handfuls of barley, and for pieces of bread to slay the souls of them that should not die, and to give life to the souls that should not live, in lying to my people, that hear your lies? ²⁰ Wherefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will have to do with your pillows, wherewith ye hunt the souls to make them to flee, and I will tear them from your arms, and will let the souls go, even the souls that ye hunt to make them to flee. ²¹ Your veils also will I tear, and deliver my people out of your hand, and they shall be no more in your hands to be hunted, and ye shall know that I am the Lord.²² Because with your lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad, and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life,²³ Therefore ye shall see no more vanity, nor divine divinations: for I will deliver my people out of your hand, and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

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