Ezekiel 13
COMMENTARY:
: 3 Thus says the Lord GOD; Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing. (5036 “foolish” [nabal] means vile person, senseless, impious, wicked, ungodly, stupid, godless, or lacks understanding.)
DEVOTION: We read about a man in the lifetime of David named Nabal. He was the husband of a wise woman. David had protected the sheep of Nabal, so that, no harm came to them. He approached Nabal who insulted his man and himself. David was on his way to kill all the males in the household of Nabal but his wife met him with a peace offering.
Here we have false prophets who are telling the people that the LORD is going to give them peace when they are lying to the people. They have had no message from the LORD. They were not going to receive a message of the LORD because HE would not speak through them. HE pronounced judgment on them for leading the people of Judah astray.
These men were describes as individuals who were following their own spirit. They wanted to be popular. They wanted individuals to listen to them talk even when they were not telling the truth. They had seen nothing from the LORD.
Ezekiel was a true prophet and he had to confront these false prophets because the LORD gave him instructions to do it. It had to be hard because these false prophets were popular and he was not popular.
The same is true today in our world. There are many false prophets who preach what people want to hear and they receive a reward for their preaching. Along comes a true preacher and people want to put him down because he is saying things they don’t want to hear. He is talking about judgment instead of blessing.
God only sends blessings with HIS people honor HIM and bring glory to HIS name. If this is not happening, and it isn’t, then a message of coming judgment needs to be preached. It will not be popular but it will be true. God wants HIS servants to speak the truth in love.
CHALLENGE: Does the faces of those who you are preaching or teaching affect what you have to say? Can you confront people with the truth when they are believing a lie? Our world needs true prophets of God who love the people of God enough to tell them the truth of HIS Word to them.
: 6 They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The LORD says: and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word. (3176 “hope” [yachal] means wait, to look forward to the occurrence of or arrival of, await, to expect, or implying a resolution to the waiting.)
DEVOTION: There were many false prophets who would say what they thought the people wanted to hear. They were imagining false visions and declaring lies obtained by human invention.
Satan started with lies to Adam and Eve in the garden and he has had individuals and even angels to continue these actions throughout time.
Too often people would rather believe the lies than to genuinely hear the Word of the LORD. The Bible declares the word of the LORD to believers. In it the way the LORD truly works is found and HIS servants will understand how HE works and will listen to the Holy Spirit instead of false teachers.
Today we have to watch who we are listening to regarding what the LORD is genuinely saying to those who are trying to serve HIM. There are more false prophets in the pulpits of churches today than those who are genuinely preaching the Word of the LORD.
We have to watch who we are listening to and check them out by the teachings of the Bible and through the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our life.
Our hope has to be based on the Word of God and the message of the Holy Spirit to us today. If we are listening properly, we will know what to do in any given situation.
CHALLENGE: The ministry of the Holy Spirit is still active in the lives of those who are genuine believers. Discernment is necessary today as it was them. Watch whose voice you are listening to!
: 18 And say, Thus says the Lord GOD; Woe to the women that sew pillows to all armholes, and make kerchiefs upon the head of every stature to hunt souls! Will you hunt the souls of my people, and will you save the souls alive that come unto you? (3704 “pillows” [keceth] means band, fillet, covered amulets, false phylacteries, magic charm band or used by false prophetesses in Israel to support their demonic fortune-telling schemes.)
DEVOTION: There were false prophets in Israel. There were false prophetesses. The false prophets were saying that there would be peace.
The LORD stated that they were giving false hope and a false peace. The people believed their lies. They claimed to have visions from the LORD – a lie. They were said to be building a wall with untempered mortar. The wall was going to fall down.
These prophetesses would fake people out by promising them special powers with the use of magic charm bands for their wrists or elbows. These charms would prevent them from going into captivity. They promised them a false peace.
They were helping the demons or Satan’s army to get a foothold into the minds of the children of Israel. They were hunting down all the people they could to deceive them with this false hope. People were thinking they were safe and saved from any problems.
The LORD told them to stop. With all this false hope going around the people who were true followers of the LORD were sad. The reason for the sadness was that these women who were giving false hope were strengthening the hands of those who practiced wickedness.
The wicked thought they were on good standing with God. The righteous wondered what was happening because of all the teachings of the false prophets. There was confusion.
Who are we listening to today? There are many people out there that promise that if you will support their ministry – you will be blessed with more money. There are many who promise that if you send them money – they will send you a healing cloth or something to give you special powers with God. These are false prophets.
If we give to the LORD with a motive of getting – it is wrong! We should give because we love the LORD and want to give glory to HIS name through a ministry. Our motives have to be eternal not personal.
Are we listening to the wrong voices today? Remember that if someone in ministry takes more than they need – they will answer to the LORD. But also remember that if the LORD does tell us to give to a ministry and we don’t – we will answer to the LORD.
CHALLENGE: Check out the motive of those who are asking for money and your motive for giving the money. Our motive for giving should not be to get something in return.
: 23 Therefore you shall see no more vanity nor divine divinations: for I will deliver MY people out of your hand: and you shall know that I am the LORD. (5337 “deliver” [natsal] means recover, escape, rescue, to pull out, save, to free from harm or evil, snatch away, extricate or to deliver from sin and guilt.)
DEVOTION: The children of Judah were believing both men and women who were telling them that there was no problem with the way they were living. They were going to live in peace and safety. Many of the people were believing these false teachers and false women who were telling them that they could trust in their amulets and holy clothes to protect them from evil.
These women were using witchcraft to influence God’s people. They were giving false hope through their magic spells. The only reason they were doing this was for the money. They had no relationship with the ONE TRUE GOD. HE was not giving them the words to say it was the enemy of all believers who was behind their teachings and ways. We have these types of individual around today. They will do anything and say anything to gain money from those who want to believe they are doing right when they are genuinely doing wrong in the eyes of the LORD.
False hope is no hope at all. The truth of the Word of God is our only hope. God doesn’t give us an easy life. HE wants us to serve HIM in spirit and truth and not depend on easy living.
Today we find that many people who claim to be believers are looking at their horoscope instead of looking to the LORD in prayer and Bible reading. There are some false teachers who will send you a piece of cloth with healing in it because they have prayed over it. The women here in the text were selling magic charms to protect the people from evil. These were giving people the feeling that they were safe. It was a false hope again.
God promised to rescue HIS people, those who were trusting in HIM alone, from their enemies.
One day the LORD has promised to extricate believers out of HIS tribulation time period. It is still coming in the future. We have to realize that what we are going through today is nothing compared to what is going to happen in the future in our world.
God is going to pull out HIS own people at some time in the future. I believe that there is going to be a seven year period of Tribulation that is coming and that during that time period there will be 144, 000 witnesses of Jewish heritage that will take the place of those who are genuine believer today. The church which is made up of only genuine believers will be raptured and these witnesses will reach individuals who are not believers at this time.
Study the Word of God to see what the future holds but don’t believe every person who comes with false promises that there is no judgment coming. Judgment is coming to the world because of its rejection of Jesus Christ and the teachings of the Word of God. There are many false teachers who are both men and women that will tell you what you want to hear but they will not be genuine. God always tells us what we need to hear not what we want to hear.
CHALLENGE: Watch out for false teachers who tell you that you can live as you please as long as you do what they say. We have to do what the Bible says!!
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Word of the LORDverses 1, 2
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal)verses 1, 2, 5-7, 14
Lord – Adonai (Owner, Master)verses 3, 8, 9, 13, 16
GOD – Jehovahverses 3, 8, 9, 13, 16
Lord GODverses 3, 8, 9, 13, 16, 18, 20
I have not spokenverse 7
I am against youverse 8
Mine hand shall be upon the prophets
that see vanity and that divine liesverse 9
Know that I am the LORD GODverses 8, 21
Judgment of Godverses 9-23
I will even rend ti with a strmy wind in
MY fury, and there shall be an
overflowing shower in MINE anger
and great hailstones in MY fury to consume itverse 13
I will break odwn the wall that you have
daubed with untampered mortar,
and bring it down to the ground
so that the foundation thereof shall
be discovered and it shall fall, and
you shall be consumed in the midst
thereofverse 14
You shall know that I am the LORDverse 14
I will accomplish MY wrathverse 15
I am against your pillowsverse 20
I will tear them form your armsverse 20
Your kerchiefs will I tear and deliver MY
people out of your handverse 21
I will deliver MY people out of your handverse 23
You shall know that I am the LORDverse 23
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Those that speak vanity an lies will not be
in the assembly of God’s people
neither shall they be written in
the writing of the house of Israel
neither shall they enter inot the
land of Israelverse 9
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Prophecy out of their own heartverses 2, 17
Foolish prophetsverse 3
Follow their own spiritverse 3
Seen vanityverses 3, 6, 9, 23
Lying divinationverses 6, 7, 23
Give false hopeverse 6
Vain visionverse 7
Spoken vanityverse 8
Seen liesverse 8
Divine liesverse 9
Seduced God’s peopleverse 10
Give false peaceverses 10, 16
Women who give false hopeverses 17-23
Liesverses 19, 22
Wickedverse 22
Strengthen hand of the wickedverse 22
Not return from wicked wayverse 22
False promisesverse 22
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Prophesyverses 2, 17
Hear the Word of the LORDverse 2
Stand in the gapverse 5
Being sent by Godverse 6
Hopeverse 6
Confirm the wordverse 6
Know the LORDverses 9, 14, 21, 23
Righteousverse 22
Deliververse 23
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Son of man = Ezekielverses 2, 17
Told to prophesy against the prophets of Israel
Set your face against the daughters
of your people which prophecy
out of their own heart – you
prophesy against them
False prophets of Israelverse 2
Israelverses 2, 4, 5, 9, 16
Like foxes in the desertsverse 4
House of Israelverse 5
LORD has not sent false prophetsverse 6
Jerusalemverse 16
False prophets with vision of peace when
there is no peaceverse 16
Daughters of the peopleverse 17
pollute God among God’s people
for pieces of bread, to slay
the souls that should not die
and to save the souls alive
that should not live
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Day of the LORDverse 5
Great hailstones shall fall and a stormy wind shall rentverse 11
DONATIONS:
Remember that all donations to Small Church Ministries are greatly appreciated. The treasurer will send a receipt, at the end of the year unless otherwise requested. Please be sure to make check out to “Small Church Ministries.” The address for the treasurer is P.O. Box 604, East Amherst, New York 14051. A second way to give to the ministry is through PayPal on the website: www.smallchurchministries.org. Also, if you can support this ministry through your local church please use that method. Thank you.
Visit our Facebook page for Small Church Ministries – please invite others to join us on Facebook. Thank you. Look for the logo from the devotionals.