For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

False prophets 

Ezek 13:1-12

1 The word of the Lord came to me: ² “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are now prophesying. Say to those who prophesy out of their own imagination: ‘Hear the word of the Lord! ³ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! ⁴ Your prophets, Israel, are like jackals among ruins. ⁵ You have not gone up to the breaches in the wall to repair it for the people of Israel so that it will stand firm in the battle on the day of the Lord. ⁶ Their visions are false and their divinations a lie. Even though the Lord has not sent them, they say, “The Lord declares,” and expect him to fulfill their words. ⁷ Have you not seen false visions and uttered lying divinations when you say, “The Lord declares,” though I have not spoken?

⁸ “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because of your false words and lying visions, I am against you, declares the Sovereign Lord. ⁹ My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will not belong to the council of my people or be listed in the records of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.

¹⁰ “‘Because they lead my people astray, saying, “Peace,” when there is no peace, and because, when a flimsy wall is built, they cover it with whitewash, ¹¹ therefore tell those who cover it with whitewash that it is going to fall. Rain will come in torrents, and I will send hailstones hurtling down, and violent winds will burst forth. ¹² When the wall collapses, will people not ask you, “Where is the whitewash you covered it with?”

A. Find Out

1. Against whom was Ezekiel now to speak? v.2
2. What had they been saying? v.10
3. What did the Lord say about what they had been prophesying? v.3,6,7
4. What should they have been doing? v.5
5. So what did the Lord say about them? v.8,9
6. What will happen to their prophecies? v.11,12

B. Think:

1. What had the prophets been prophesying?
2. What should they have been doing?
3. So what would happen?

C. Comment:

A messenger from God has a duty to get it right! So-called prophets in Israel had been prophesying that peace would come. That was NOT what was on God’s mind for Israel, therefore that was false prophecy.

Look, says the Lord, Israel is in a mess, it’s like their walls or boundaries have been broken down that distinguish them from other nations, and all you do is wander around among the ruins like jackals on the prowl. As those who are supposed to hear from God, you should be in there building up the walls, making it clear that Israel should be a distinguishable people, speaking the truth and calling the people back to God. That’s what you SHOULD have been doing!

So what will the Lord do?  He will disgrace the prophets so they will be excluded from the counsel of the leaders of Israel. How will He do that? Very simple! It’s as if the prophets have been white washing the situation and making it look good, so God will simply come along and bring His judgement so all of these wrong words will get washed away and be seen to be worthless and untrue. Indeed when the “wall” that separates Israel from all other nations is removed the people won’t even remember or be concerned to ask, “Where was what you said?”, they will be too concerned with what is happening to them.

D. Application:

1. Prophets are to hear the mind of God, not their own wishful thoughts.
2. False prophecies will be revealed for what they are.

False Women 

Ezek  13:13-23

¹³ “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: In my wrath I will unleash a violent wind, and in my anger hailstones and torrents of rain will fall with destructive fury. ¹⁴ I will tear down the wall you have covered with whitewash and will level it to the ground so that its foundation will be laid bare. When it falls, you will be destroyed in it; and you will know that I am the Lord. ¹⁵ So I will pour out my wrath against the wall and against those who covered it with whitewash. I will say to you, “The wall is gone and so are those who whitewashed it, ¹⁶ those prophets of Israel who prophesied to Jerusalem and saw visions of peace for her when there was no peace, declares the Sovereign Lord.”’

¹⁷ “Now, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people who prophesy out of their own imagination. Prophesy against them ¹⁸ and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the women who sew magic charms on all their wrists and make veils of various lengths for their heads in order to ensnare people. Will you ensnare the lives of my people but preserve your own? ¹⁹ You have profaned me among my people for a few handfuls of barley and scraps of bread. By lying to my people, who listen to lies, you have killed those who should not have died and have spared those who should not live.

²⁰ “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against your magic charms with which you ensnare people like birds and I will tear them from your arms; I will set free the people that you ensnare like birds. ²¹ I will tear off your veils and save my people from your hands, and they will no longer fall prey to your power. Then you will know that I am the Lord. ²² Because you disheartened the righteous with your lies, when I had brought them no grief, and because you encouraged the wicked not to turn from their evil ways and so save their lives, ²³ therefore you will no longer see false visions or practice divination. I will save my people from your hands. And then you will know that I am the Lord.’”

A. Find Out

1. What, again, does the Lord say he will do? v.13-16
2. Who next is Ezekiel to speak against? v.17
3. What had they been doing? v.18,19a
4. What had been wrong in what they had done? v.19b
5. What is the Lord going to do? v.20,21,23
6. Why? v.22

B. Think:

1. What do verses 13-16 reiterate?
2. What impression is given of the way the women prophesied?
3. What was wrong in what they had been saying?

C. Comment:

The first part of this passage simply reiterates what we saw previously. The “wall” that separated Israel from all other nations, the truth of who they were, a covenant people, would be swept away by the Lord, together with all the false words of peace that had been spoken over them.

Then he turns his attention to the women who had been prophesying in Jerusalem.  It seems more as if they were seers rather than prophetesses and, even more, it seems as if they were using occult powers (using magic charms) and hiring themselves out to people (v.19) for words of comfort. As such they incur the wrath of God.

Note what the Lord says they have been doing: they have spoken lies so that those who should have been judged by the word of God were, in fact, made to feel comfortable.  Not only that, the words they spoke brought concern and anguish to the righteous and had disheartened them.

Because of all this, the Lord says He is going to deal severely with them.  Those who set themselves up as purveyors of the truth are held seriously responsible by the Lord.  That’s why James (Jas 3:1) warned against being a teacher.  Those who lead in any way that involves the word of God, have a particularly high responsibility to ensure that what they bring is the truth from the heart of God.

D. Application:

1. Teachers of the word have a high responsibility.
2. Prophets have a particularly high responsibility.