Introduction
In the first part of chapter 12, which we were studying last week, the Lord commanded Ezekiel to perform two sign-acts or two mimes to symbolise the fall of Jerusalem. In the first mime, he was to pack his bag and get ready to leave to represent how those who survived the siege and the Babylonian attack on Jerusalem will be taken away into exile. And as part of that mime, Ezekiel also played the part of King Zedekiah, who tried to flee from Jerusalem, but who was captured by the Babylonians and blinded and taken away to Babylon. In the second mime, he was to tremble as he ate his food and drank from his cup. He was to tremble, because the people in Jerusalem will tremble when the Babylonians attack the city.
So, the Lord was announcing to those who were already in exile in Babylon — and who were hoping that Jerusalem will not fall and that the Babylonians will be defeated — that there was no hope for the city. The Lord was determined to destroy the city and the people who lived in it because of their persistent unbelief and rebellion.
In the second part of chapter 12, the Lord addressed the sceptics among the exiles in Babylon who scoffed at what Ezekiel was saying. People were saying that what the Lord foretold through Ezekiel was not going to happen. Or, if it was going to happen, it wasn’t going to happen for a long time. And so, the Lord addressed the sceptics and said to them that what Ezekiel was saying was going to happen and it was going to happen soon. The days are near when Ezekiel’s visions about the fall of Jerusalem will be fulfilled.
And we thought about what the Apostle Peter wrote in his second New Testament letter, where he said that in these, the last days in which we’re living, scoffers will come who will scoff about the coming of the Lord. So, just as people in the days of Ezekiel scoffed about God coming to destroy Jerusalem, so people in every age scoff about Christ coming to judge the living and the dead and to punish all who did not repent and believe in his name for forgiveness and peace with God. And Peter wrote about the scoffers and how it seems to them that every day is the same as the last and everything will continue and stay the same and the Lord Jesus Christ will never come again. And Peter said that the scoffers have forgotten how God has broken into history before. He broke into history in the beginning when he created the dry land. He broke into history in the days of Noah when he sent the flood to destroy all of life on the earth. And he will break into history again when Christ comes again to judge the living and the dead. Scoffers may scoff, but they’ve got it wrong, because the day of the Lord is coming.
And when we hear about the day of judgment that is coming, we should humble ourselves before the Lord, because we know that we deserve to suffer it, because we’re sinners who sin against the Lord continually. And when we hear about the day of judgment that is coming, we should give thanks to God for Christ our Saviour, who gave up his life on the cross to pay for our sins and to make peace for us with God. Because we’re sinners, we deserve to be condemned when Christ comes to judge the living and the dead. But because of Christ, we are not condemned, because he was condemned and suffered in our place. We will not be condemned, but will receive everlasting life in the presence of God. And out of gratitude for God’s kindness to us in Christ, we should live our lives for God and for his glory.
That’s what we were thinking about last week. In today’s passage, the Lord instructs Ezekiel to prophesy against the false prophets. He also instructs Ezekiel to prophesy against those who came to Ezekiel, presumably to hear a word from the Lord. But instead of being devoted to the Lord, they were devoted to false gods and idols. And then today’s passage ends with another prophecy concerning the destruction of Jerusalem. And so, we see once again that the Lord’s message to his people in those days was largely negative. It was a message of judgment. But the Lord, who is merciful and gracious and slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, cannot help but also speak about salvation.
13:1–23
Let’s turn first of all to chapter 13 which can be divided into two main parts. In verses 1 to 16 the Lord addresses male false prophets; and in verses 17 to 23 he addresses female false prophets. In fact, they’re more like witches.
According to verse 1 the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel and he was commanded to speak out against the prophets of Israel who are prophesying. But look at what the Lord says next, because he tells us that they are prophesying out of their own imaginations. So, although they may claim to be declaring the word of the Lord, their message is not from the Lord. It’s their own message. It’s their own opinion. They’re passing off their own thoughts as the word of God.
And in verse 3 the Lord pronounces a woe on them. Great sorrow is going to come on them because they’re foolish; and they’re following their own spirit, instead of God the Holy Spirit; and they have seen nothing. That is, they haven’t received any visions from the Lord, because the Lord has not sent them. And he likens them to jackals, because instead of doing good, they only cause harm. And unlike builders who repair and restore what is broken, these false prophets have done nothing to restore Israel to what it was meant to be. Instead of calling on the people to repent and to return to the Lord, the false prophets have encouraged the people to sin against the Lord. They claim to proclaim the word of the Lord, but the Lord has not sent them.
And so, from verse 8 the Lord announces his judgment on them. Because of their false words and lying visions, God is against them. And so, they will not belong to the council of his people or be listed in the records of the people. That is to say, their names will be removed from the list of God’s people. They will be regarded as foreigners who do not belong among God’s people. And they will not enter the land of Israel. When the time comes for the Lord to let the people return to the Promised Land, the false prophets will not be included among those who return. They will be banished for ever.
And look at verse 10. They have been saying peace, peace, when there is no peace with God. And they’re like those shoddy builders who paint over cracks in a wall instead of repairing it. So, instead of warning the people of the danger they’re in because of their unbelief and rebellion, the false prophets have been telling the people that everything is okay. There’s nothing to worry about. But there’s a storm coming and when the storm of God’s wrath comes and the Lord sends the Babylonians against his disobedient people, the Lord will destroy the wall: that is, his disobedient people. And he will destroy those who covered it in whitewash: that is, the false male prophets.
And then, from verse 17, the Lord addresses these false female prophets, who are more like witches. The Lord tells Ezekiel to set his face against the daughters of the people who prophesy out of their own imaginations. So, they have not received a word from the Lord, but they’re making up their own message and declaring their own opinions. And the Lord pronounces a woe upon them. Great distress is coming on these women, who sew magic charms on their wrists and who make veils for their heads. The commentators aren’t sure what the Lord is referring to here, but he seems to be describing some kind of occult practice involving magic powers which they performed. And he says about them that they ensnare the lives of the people while preserving their own. Perhaps they charged money for their services. In that case, they preserved their own lives by the income they received, but they ensnared the people by telling them lies and leading them away from the Lord. And so, they have profaned the Lord among the people. They have taught the people to turn away from the Lord and to disregard him. And they have lied to the people. They have deceived them. And they have killed those who should not have died, and they have spared those who should not live. These witches are the ones who should not live: they should die for what they have done. And instead of that, the people they have deceived die, because the people have given up what little they have to live on to these wicked women. Or perhaps he means that the female prophets did not turn the people from their sin and therefore they will suffer God’s judgment.
And so, in verse 20 the Lord announces that he is against their magic charms with which they ensnare people. And in verse 22 he says that because they have disheartened the righteous with their lies and because they have encouraged the wicked not to turn from their evil ways, they will no longer see false visions or practise divination. And I think he means they will no longer see false visions or practice divinisations because the Lord is going to destroy them. He’s going to destroy them because of the way they deceived the people and encouraged the wicked to continue in their wickedness.
14:1–11
We turn now to the first eleven verses of chapter 14 where Ezekiel tells us that some of the elders of Israel came to him and sat down in front of him. So, these are the leaders of the people. And they have presumably come to Ezekiel, because they’re hoping to hear a message from the Lord. Perhaps something has happened to disturb them. Perhaps they’re puzzled by something that has happened. And they’re hoping that Ezekiel will have a word from the Lord to reassure them. And that sounds good, doesn’t it? That’s what we want from our elders today: that they will look to the Lord and his word for guidance and direction and encouragement and hope.
However, look what the Lord says about these elders in verse 2. He says about the elders that they have set up idols in their hearts and they have put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. So, though they have come to Ezekiel to receive a word from the Lord, it seems they are not devoted to the Lord. Just as a married couple promise to forsake all others and to remain loving, faithful and dutiful to one another, so we’re meant to forsake all other gods and we’re meant to love the Lord alone. But these elders are like an unfaithful wife who goes after other men. They have gone after other gods. Since they’re now living as exiles in Babylon, then perhaps they’ve been tempted to worship the gods of the Babylonians. Or you might remember from 1 and 2 Kings how the people of Israel worshipped other gods at their high places. And so, perhaps these elders are still devoted to those gods, which they worshipped when they were in Israel. But instead of being wholly devoted to the Lord their God, they were devoted to others gods.
And in verse 3 the Lord asks what he should do. Should he let idolaters enquire of him? Should he let them consult him? These idolaters have come to Ezekiel, looking for a word from the Lord. But should the Lord answer them? And the Lord answers his own question in verse 4 where he says that he will answer them. But he’ll answer them in keeping with their idolatry. And so, his answer to them is in verse 6. His message to idolaters is: repent! Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices. Give up your sins and return to the Lord. That’s his message to idolaters in every generation. Everyone who worships an idol should turn from it and they should turn to the Lord, who is the one, true and living God.
So, that’s the Lord’s message to every idolater. But in the verses which follow the Lord is saying what he will do to all who will not repent and return to him. So, if they will not repent, he will what? Take a look at verse 8: he’ll set his face against them and he’ll make an example and a byword of them when he cuts them off from his people. That is to say, the idolater who does not repent will die. That’s what being cut off means here. And in this way the idolater will become an example or a warning to others: this is what happens to idolaters who do not repent.
And then in verse 9, the Lord refers to a false prophet who is enticed to prophesy to idolaters. And I think what he means is that the prophet is enticed to say something which encourages the idolater to continue with his idolatry. In other words, instead of commanding the idolater to repent, the false prophet tells the idolater that everything will be fine. Continue what you’re doing. Keep worshipping your idols. What you’re doing is good and not evil.
But look at verse 10, where the Lord says that he will stretch out his hand against that false prophet to destroy him. And so, both will bear their guilt: the false prophet will bear his guilt for being a false prophet and for prophesying lies; and the idolater who consulted him will bear his guilt for worshipping idols and not the true God. God will punish them both.
14:12–15:8
Let’s turn now to the final part of today’s passage which runs from verse 12 of chapter 14 to the end of chapter 15.
And in this part, the Lord mentions four ways that he might strike a country that sins against him. And, of course, he’s not speaking hypothetically. He’s not speaking about an imaginary country. He’s talking about Israel. He’s talking about his own people. They have sinned against him. Ever since he established his covenant with them in the days of Moses at Mount Sinai, they have sinned against him. And though he sent prophets to warn them, they persisted in their unbelief and rebellion. And now the Lord was getting ready to strike them in these four ways.
And so, in verse 13 he refers to how he will stretch out his hand against it and will cut off its food supply. And so, he’ll send famine on the land to cut off its men and animals. Then in verse 15 he says he’ll send wild beasts through the country and will leave it childless and desolate. Then in verse 17 he says he’ll bring a sword against it. So, he’ll send the Babylonians against it who will kill the people with their swords. And finally in verse 19 he refers to a plague. He’ll send a plague to kill and destroy the people and their animals. All four ways of striking the country are listed in Leviticus 26 as the curses which the Lord will send on his disobedient people if they will not repent and return to him.
And then the Lord mentions three righteous men. There’s Noah and there’s Daniel and there’s Job. And he says that if these three righteous men were in the country that had sinned against God, their presence in the country would not prevent the Lord from striking the wicked. Noah and Daniel and Job would be saved, but not the others. It’s possible that some people were saying that if there were some righteous people left in Jerusalem, then God will not destroy it. God will spare the wicked for the sake of the righteous. But the Lord says no. The righteous — those who remain faithful to him — will be spared. But he will not spare the wicked. He will punish them for what they have done.
And in case anyone among the exiles thinks that God is being unfair, the Lord says in verse 22 that there will be some survivors. So, some who deserve to be destroyed will be spared. And the Lord says they will come to the people who are already in exile in Babylon and who are beginning to think that God is being unfair and too harsh. And those who are already in exile will see the survivors and they’ll see just how bad the survivors really are. They’ll see their conduct and their actions and they’ll be consoled or reassured about the disaster which the Lord brought on Jerusalem, because they’ll see just how wicked the people have become. God was not exaggerating when he said they had become evil. The people living in exile will see that the Lord was right about the people in Jerusalem and how they are guilty of doing detestable things. And the people living in exile will understand that God did not punish the people of Jerusalem without cause.
And today’s passage closes with the Lord comparing the people of Israel to the wood of a vine tree. What is it good for? After all, you can’t make anything useful from the wood of a vine tree. You can’t even make a hook from it on which to hang your clothes. All you can do with it is burn it. And that’s what the Lord is going to do to his people. They are good for nothing. And therefore he’s going to set them on fire. He’s using the imagery of fire to signify his wrath against them. His wrath against them will burn like a fire. And even if they escape the fire of his fury, the fire will yet consume them. That is to say, he is determined to destroy them. There will be no escape from his wrath. The Lord will make the land of Israel desolate. And he’ll make the land desolate, because they have been unfaithful. Instead of being like a faithful wife to him, they have gone after other gods. Instead of being faithful servants, they have disobeyed his laws and disregarded his will. And so, he will destroy them and leave the land desolate. And it will be clear to the exiles in Babylon that the Lord was right to condemn and to punish the Israelites, because of their wicked conduct and actions.
Application 1
In today’s passage, Ezekiel wrote about false prophets. And throughout the New Testament, we’re warned, not so much about false prophets, but about false preachers and teachers. In 1 and 2 Corinthians Paul wrote about those preachers who relied, not on the Holy Spirit, but on the wisdom of the world. And almost the whole of Paul’s letter to the Galatians is a warning about false preachers who were preaching a false gospel. Paul referred to a similar group of people in his letter to the Philippians, where he called them mutilators of the flesh, because they were relying on circumcision for peace with God and not on Christ. In Colossians he warned his readers about being taken captive by hollow and deceptive philosophy which depends on human traditions. Again, he was referring to what certain false teachers were teaching. In 2 Thessalonians Paul tells his readers not to be alarmed by some false prophecy, which had supposedly come from Paul and his companions. Don’t listen to it, he said. In 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus, Paul encourages Timothy to preach God’s word and to watch out for false teachers. In 2 Peter, Peter warns his readers about false teachers and he says that God will pay them back for the harm they have done. And in John’s New Testament letters, he warns about anti-christs or false teachers who will lead people astray. The letter of Jude is a warning about certain godless men who have slipped in among the believers to lead them astray. And the letters to the churches in the book of Revelation contain warnings about false teaching.
False prophets were a problem in Ezekiel’s day. False teachers were a problem in New Testament times. And they’re still a problem today, because the world is full of people who claim to know and to teach the truth about life in this world and the next, but it’s all from their own imagination. God has not sent them and they’re not proclaiming the word of the Lord.
And since we’re sinners by birth, then we’re sinfully inclined to listen to false teachers and to be taken in by them. The Apostle Paul refers in Galatians to the offence of the cross. The cross is offensive to us because it says to us that we’re sinners who deserve to be punished and we’re unable to save ourselves. And we much prefer a message that says that we’re not so bad after all. And if we need salvation, then we can save ourselves by our own good deeds and hard work. We prefer a message that says we can climb up to God and eternal life by our own good deeds, whereas the truth is that we’re dead in our transgressions and sins and there’s no good thing in us. But because we’re sinners by birth, we’re sinfully inclined to accept what the false teachers say.
And so, thanks be to God for sending his Spirit into our lives to enable us to believe the truth and to see our own sinfulness and our need of a Saviour. And thanks be to God for revealing Christ to us as the only Saviour of the world. And we should pray for those who don’t yet believe, asking God to be merciful to them and to enable them to know the truth so that they’re not taken in by false teachers.
Application 2
And Ezekiel wrote about idolatry. And we read about idolatry in the New Testament. In Acts 17 we read about Paul’s visit to Athens and how he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. And so, when he had the opportunity to address the people, he told them about the one true and living God who does not live in temples built by human hands; and he’s not served by human hands and he doesn’t need anything from us. On the contrary, we receive everything we have from him and it’s in him that we live and move and have our being. And while in the past he overlooked our ignorance, now he commands all people everywhere to repent and to turn to him, because he’s the only true God and he has set a day when he will judge the world by the Lord Jesus Christ, whom he raised from the dead. And in 1 Thessalonians Paul writes to the believers in that city about how they turned from idols to serve the living and true God.
Idolatry was a problem in Ezekiel’s day. And idolatry was a problem in New Testament times and it’s still a problem today, because all over the world there are people who worship false gods instead of the true God. And even people who declare themselves to be atheists believe in something, because everyone relies on something or someone to make sense of the world; and to help them cope with the troubles and trials of life; and to give their life meaning and purpose. They rely on their family or their possessions or their work or on something else for meaning and purpose and support. Whatever it is, that thing has become for them an idol.
And so, thanks be to God for sending his Spirit into our lives to enable us to believe the truth about God and about his Son Jesus Christ. Thanks be to God for enabling us to believe and to worship him. And we should pray for those who don’t yet believe, asking God to be merciful to them and to enable them to believe in him: the one true and living God and in Jesus Christ his Son.
Application 3
And Ezekiel wrote about judgment. But he also wrote about salvation. Go back to chapter 13 and verse 21 where the Lord said about the false female prophets that he will tear off their veils and he will save his people from their hands. And in verse 23, he says the same thing: ‘I will save my people from your hands.’ And so, he was going to destroy the false prophets in order to save his people from them and from their wicked influence.
And then, in verse 6 of chapter 14, when he was addressing the idolaters, he commanded them to repent and to turn away from their idols. So, even though they had become unfaithful and had turned away from him, the Lord was willing to take them back. If they gave up their idols and returned to him, he would receive them back. He would forgive and not destroy.
And in verse 10 of chapter 14 the Lord said that the false prophet and the idolater will bear their guilt. So, the Lord will punish them. However, then he goes on to say in verse 11 that then the people of Israel will no longer stray from the Lord; nor will they defile themselves any more with all their sins. They will be his people and he will be their God. The Lord was speaking about what would happen after Jerusalem was destroyed. And we know from chapter 11 what the Lord will do at that time, because in chapter 11 he said that he’ll make a new covenant with the exiles to replace the old covenant which they broke. And he’ll give the people a new heart and a new spirit to love him so that they’ll give up their sins and they’ll be careful to walk in his ways and to be faithful to him. The Lord was promising salvation for his people: he will pardon their sins and he will renew them in his image.
And from the New Testament we learn that God put the new covenant into effect when Christ died on the cross, because by his death, he has paid for our sins with his life and he has made peace for us with God for ever. And having been raised from the dead and having been exalted to heaven, he pours out his Spirit on his people to enable us to believe in him for forgiveness. And he gives us his Spirit to renew us in God’s image and to make us more and more willing and able to do his will here on earth.
And so, thanks be to God for being the God of salvation and for his willingness to save us by his Son Jesus Christ who died for us and was raised. And we should pray that God will continue to save sinners throughout the world by enabling them to believe in his Son who is the only Saviour of the world.
Sermons and Stuff 