Study From the Book of Ezekiel,13

Study From the Book of Ezekiel,13

Today is the thirteenth part of this series where we study chapter 13. As usual we pick up a couple of biblical principles and lessons that are useful in biblical counselling.

In this chapter, Ezekiel prophesies judgment against false prophets, both male and female. In each case he first vividly characterizes their sin and then gives God’s verdict of condemnation.

The prophets were fools because they confused their own thoughts with God’s. The false prophets such as Balaam practised divination. This was the pagan art of finding divine guidance through such means as astrology and consulting spiritisms’ or witches to communicate with dead. By doing that they claimed that God had spoken to them when in fact He had not. The visions and prophecies are only through the Spirit of the Lord.

The false prophets would experience God’s wrath. And would not participate in the future restoration of the people to the Promise Land.

Structure:

Verses 1-23: Woe to foolish prophets.

Principles 23, verse 13:19“---And will you profane Me among My People for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, killing people who should not die, and keeping people alive who should not live, by your lying to My people who listen to lies?.”

Lesson 23: When we stray from God’s truth, we quickly wind up in a cesspool of ugly transgression, blasphemy, murder, bribery. One sin tends to grease the skids for many more sins.

Principle 24, verse 13:22: --”you have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad, and you have strengthened the hands of the wicked, so that he does not turn from his wicked way to save his life.”

Principle 24: We must be very careful how we represent God’s message, neither adding to it nor taking away from it. Any true word from the Lord will encourage His people and urge the wicked to turn from evil (13/11/2022).