EZEKIEL 12-13 EZEKIEL IS A SIGN2010 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Ezekiel 12-13 Ezekiel Is A Sign

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2010.

As we look at chapters 12 and 13 here in the book of Ezekiel, we're dealing with this prophet who is writing and he's speaking to a nation that is in rebellion against God. And they have been hearing from God in the sense that God has sent prophets to them, but they've refused to listen, as we'll see in the very first few verses here.

here of chapter 12. God's been trying to speak to them, He's been giving them opportunity, but they've insisted on doing their own thing and rebelling against God. And so Ezekiel, as well as many others, are right now in captivity in the nation of Babylon.

The city of Jerusalem is still standing and there's still a population of the Jewish people there, but it's about to be taken down. Nebuchadnezzar is on his way. He's going to lay siege and within a couple of years, it's going to be completely destroyed because of the rebellion against God.

Well, that whole thing that's going on right there with the captivity in Babylon and the attack that's going to be happening in Jerusalem, during that whole time, there's false prophets who are pronouncing rescue and salvation for the nation and saying, you know, the

Babylon won't be successful, that this isn't going to take place. You don't have to worry. We're not going to be destroyed. And those who are in captivity, you guys are going to be released and you're going to be able to come home. They were giving all of these false promises. And so part of Ezekiel's ministry that God has given to him is to counter those false reports and those false prophets that are proclaiming these things.

And so as we pick it up in chapter 12 verse 1, it says this, Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, which has eyes to see but does not see, and ears to hear but does not hear, for they are a rebellious house.

Verse 4.

By day you shall bring out your belongings in their sight, as though going into captivity. And at evening you shall go in their sight like those who go into captivity. Dig through the wall in their sight, and carry your belongings out through it. In their sight you shall bear them on your shoulders, and carry them out at twilight. You shall cover your face so that you cannot see the ground, for I have made you a sign to the house of Israel."

Here as we pick it up in chapter 12, we see that God has called Ezekiel to be assigned to the nation. And as he begins this prophecy, as he begins giving Ezekiel some new instruction, he also reminds him about the state and the condition of the people that he is ministering to. He tells Ezekiel in verse 2 that...

They are a rebellious house. They're in rebellion against God. And they have eyes to see, but they do not see. And they have ears to hear, but they do not hear. The problem with the house of Israel is that they refused to listen to God. They were in rebellion against God. It's the rebellious that do not see and do not hear. And so God is giving Ezekiel some...

some specific things to kind of portray or to act out in front of them because they're not listening, because they're not hearing from the Lord. He says, here's what I want you to do. Act out this scene, play out this scenario so that they can have the visual and perhaps that'll be what they need in order to listen, to hear, to repent and to turn and get right with me.

The whole point of these prophecies, as God is speaking through Ezekiel, is that God is reaching out to His people and calling them to come and to get right with Him. God desires them to have right relationship. He wants them to be restored to Him. And that's what He's seeking, that's what He's looking for, and that's why He's using Ezekiel. But the problem is, they are not listening.

And it's an interesting problem because it's not just with the nation of Israel that we find this problem, but it's something that occurs within our own hearts, within the church, throughout ages. In Revelation chapters 2 and 3, we're going to get there in a couple of weeks on Sunday mornings, and over and over it tells us, let him who has an ear hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.

God is calling us to listen up, to pay attention. Are you listening? Are you listening this evening? Have you come here wanting to hear from God?

You know, there's a difference when we come to church and we're just kind of participating or sitting through the service. You know, we're just kind of getting through it. It's our normal routine. We come on Sundays, perhaps we come on Wednesdays. And we go through and we kind of can just get through the time really untouched, really without much impact. But the real question for us is, are you listening?

Are you listening? Are you here to listen to what God wants to say? Are you here to hear from God? Because the reality is, is God is not silent. He's not withholding His word. God is desiring to reveal Himself. He's desiring to speak to us. The real question is, are you listening? And sometimes...

As we try to describe where we're at with the Lord or what the Lord's saying, we describe it, you know, we just really don't hear Him. He's just really not been speaking to us. We just really don't see Him at work in our lives. But if that's the case, I would caution you because God is explaining here in verse 12, I'm sorry, verse 2 of chapter 12, that it's the rebellious who do not see and do not hear.

when we are in rebellion against God, we miss out. It puts us in opposition to Him. When we are firm in saying, no, we're going to walk this way and follow these things and we're not going to listen to God in this area, well, it blinds our eyes and it plugs up our ears and it keeps us from hearing from God. You know, if we want to hear from God, we need to be surrendered to Him. We need to invite Him.

to speak to us. And we need to be willing to be obedient. Remember, Jesus said to ask and seek and knock. And if you ask and seek and knock, you'll find. If you knock, the door will be opened. God wants to speak to us. He wants to minister to our hearts. He wanted to reach the children of Israel. But they were rebellious and they wouldn't listen.

And so God gives Ezekiel this kind of this script, right? He's like, okay, Ezekiel, here's what I want you to do. I want you to prepare your belongings for captivity because the prophets are saying you're not going to go into captivity. The people are believing, hey, you know, Jerusalem is going to be saved.

captivity is almost over, we're going to be set free. And what God has been saying is, no, the destruction is going to come on the nation of Judah and the city of Jerusalem. And so Ezekiel, prepare your belongings for captivity and go into captivity by day in their sight.

And so Ezekiel is to gather his belongings together, you know, just whatever you would take if you were, you know, being taken captive from Jerusalem to Babylon. Just grab a few things, maybe whatever you can, last minute, and go out. We don't have all of the details. Perhaps, you know, he bound himself or, you know, somehow he conveyed the message that he is going into captivity. And so he's acting out, he's...

before them what captivity looks like in taking his things and going out. He says in verse 3, it may be that they will consider though they are a rebellious house. And so again, God's reaching out. He's so patient with them. Just like He's so patient with us. Reaching out

Giving us opportunities to turn back and to hear His voice and receive what He has for us. He says, okay, Ezekiel, you're going to bring these belongings out by day, just like you're going into captivity. And then what I want you to do is I want you to go and dig through the wall. Kind of a funny thing, huh? He's going to go and dig. You can see, you know...

What would your neighbors think if they're kind of walking by one day and they see you kind of like digging through your garage wall?

Like, hey, there's a door right there, you know, he can just go through that, like, you're out with a sledgehammer, you know, breaking down the wall to get out, and you're bringing your suitcase with you, because, you know, you're going into captivity, you're on the move. That's what Ezekiel's doing here, he's digging through the wall, everybody's like, hey, what's going on, why are you digging through the wall, and God's going to give Ezekiel a message to declare to them when people ask that question.

And so he tells them in verse 6, in their sight, you're to bear these things, your belongings on your shoulders, you're to carry it out through the wall and to walk in such a way to cover your face so that you cannot see the ground. And again, he says there at the end of verse 7, for I have made you a sign to the house of Israel. God is using Ezekiel and the actions that he's taking as a sign, as a message to the nation that they would hear and turn and repent.

Verse 7 of chapter 12 says,

Say to them, thus says the Lord God, this burden concerns the prince in Jerusalem and all the house of Israel who are among them.

Verse 13.

Verse 15,

Then they shall know that I am the Lord, when I scatter them among the nations and disperse them throughout the countries. But I will spare a few of their men from the sword, from famine and from pestilence, that they may declare all their abominations among the Gentiles wherever they go. Then they shall know that I am the Lord."

Here as we go on in the chapter, we find Ezekiel says, "...so I did as I was commanded." I really like that phrase. I think it should be underlined in our Bibles, highlighted, maybe imprinted on our clothing or on our doors and walls. "...I did as I was commanded."

Can we say that with confidence? Can we say that like Ezekiel said? You know, God gave him instruction. He did as he commanded, as he was commanded. You see him as in contrast to the nation, where the nation was like, la, la, we don't want to hear you, Lord. We don't want to pay attention. We're not listening. We only listen to what we want to hear. And that's the people who are telling us good things. We don't want to hear this repentance stuff. We don't want to turn back and follow you and be obedient.

We want to do our own thing and still seek the blessing. But Ezekiel here, he does what he is commanded. And that's an important thing for us to consider, for us to be obedient to the Lord.

And so as he does this, well, God explains, hey, people are asking you why you're doing this. So now, Ezekiel, now's the time to proclaim this message. And God interprets the sign for them. Ezekiel is to tell them, I'm a sign for you. And what this sign means is, as I have been acting, well, this is the same thing that's going to happen in Jerusalem to King Zedekiah.

King Zedekiah was in rebellion against Babylon. He was in rebellion against the Lord. And Babylon was going to lay siege to the city. And again, the people were saying, the false prophets were saying, you know, the siege is not going to be successful. Israel is going to be victorious. But they were lies. They were just making up stuff, as we'll see in chapter 13.

And so Ezekiel here is portraying what is going to happen to Zedekiah. He's going to dig through the wall and try to sneak out. And we know that's actually what happened. We studied that in chapter 52 of Jeremiah.

where the final battle is taking place and Zedekiah, he escapes through the wall and he makes a run for it, but he doesn't get away. And so God says that he's going to be caught in his net. He says, I'm going to spread a net over him and he'll be caught. And God says, I'm going to bring him to Babylon there in verse 13. He makes an interesting promise. He says, I'm going to bring him to Babylon, yet he shall not see it.

though he shall die there. So God says he's going to be brought here to Babylon but he's not going to see it. And that is fulfilled in Jeremiah chapter 52 verse 11 by King Nebuchadnezzar actually gouging out the eyes of Zedekiah before he is taken to Babylon. And so he is taken there, he does die there but he never gets to see it because he's blind at that point.

So God is saying there is going to be destruction upon Jerusalem. The king is going to be captured. All of the troops and everyone else is going to be slaughtered or scattered. And they're going to be spread around. But notice in verse 15, that phrase we see over and over again here in Ezekiel, Then they shall know that I am the Lord. The problem with the nation was that they did not know that He is the Lord.

Although they might call Him Lord, they might use that as a title for Him, He was not their Lord. They were not submitted to Him. They were a rebellious household.

And so again, as we look at this phrase that we'll see throughout the book of Ezekiel, it causes me to ask us, when will we know that He is the Lord? What's it going to take? For them, it was going to take complete destruction, lots of death, being scattered to the ends of the earth, and after all of that, then they would know that He is the Lord.

They would continue in their rebellion. They would continue to insist that He's not the Lord and not be obedient to Him until that point. And then they would realize, oh, I guess He is the Lord. What's it going to take for you and me to finally and fully surrender? To be obedient. To submit ourselves to God.

To recognize Him as Lord. Again, we might call Him Lord. We use that as a title for Him. But when will it be real in our lives? When will it be true? When will it be accurate of our relationship with God that He is our Lord? He's our Master.

He says, when I scatter them, then they're going to know. He says, I'm going to spare a few of them and they're going to go and they're going to testify about what I've done. And again, at the end of verse 16, he says, then they shall know that I am the Lord. When will you know? What's it going to take?

You can continue to rebel against God. You can continue just to kind of sit through and not be impacted by Bible studies and services and the Word of God. You can just, you know, walk through or skate through life and try to do your own thing but still kind of keep God in the mix. But eventually it leads to destruction.

God's rightful place in our life is the place of ultimate authority or preeminence, where He is the first and foremost, where He is what consumes us, where He is the basis for the decisions that we make and the choices that we make and the things that we do, that our life is based upon our relationship with God. That's the place, that's the position God

that He deserves, that's the position that He requires, that's what it means to make Him our Lord. When will you know that He is the Lord? We can submit now, or we can resist and resist and resist until we're finally broken before we recognize that He is the Lord. Verse 17.

Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man, eat your bread with quaking and drink your water with trembling and anxiety, and say to the people of the land, thus says the Lord God to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the land of Israel, they shall eat their bread with anxiety and drink their water with dread, so that her land may be emptied of all who are in it, because of the violence of all those who dwell in it.

Then the cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste and the land shall become desolate. Notice again, and you shall know that I am the Lord.

The word of the Lord comes to Ezekiel again. And he gives him another thing to do, another activity to portray before them. And so I kind of visualize in my head, you know, Ezekiel going out amongst the people and setting up a table and here he's going to eat before them. And he's supposed to eat with quaking. He's supposed to be trembling and shaking.

So much so that people are around and looking and saying, man, what's wrong with you, Ezekiel? What's going on? How come you're shaking like that? How come you're drinking your water with trembling and anxiety?

I think Ezekiel was one of those guys who could win one of the academy awards or whatever. He had to act out these parts that God told him. I don't know how I would eat with quaking and be able to portray that, but apparently he was gifted at this call that God had given to him. And so he was able to do that.

He's given this call and he's to portray this to the people. And he's to be fearful and anxious. And people are going to look and recognize and see this anxiety and this fear. And what he is portraying is what's going on back in Jerusalem. That people are eating and they're fearful because this could be their last meal. Because again, Babylon is right there and Babylon is about to conquer the city. And so he says, "...the cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste."

The promise of all the false prophets was that Jerusalem was going to stand, that Judah was going to be victorious. But God says, no, all of the cities are going to be laid waste. The walls are going to be knocked down. It's going to be demolished. The temple is going to be destroyed. It's going to be laid waste. And at that point...

God says, then you will know that I am the Lord. Again, this is what it was going to take. This is what it was going to require for them to recognize Him as Lord. What will it take for you? And what will it take for me? To finally and fully surrender to God and allow Him to be the Lord of our lives. Verse 21. Verse 21.

And the word of the Lord came to me saying, Son of man, what is this proverb that you people have about the land of Israel which says, the days are prolonged and every vision fails. Tell them therefore, thus says the Lord God, I will lay this proverb to rest and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel. But say to them, the days are at hand and the fulfillment of every vision fails.

Verse 2.

Here, God now gives another instruction to Ezekiel. And he says, Ezekiel, the people are saying this proverb. The proverb that they're saying is, the days are prolonged and every vision fails. Basically, what they're saying is, yeah, yeah, yeah, we've heard these things for a long time. It's never come to pass. This is not going to happen.

That's what the people were saying. As Ezekiel is proclaiming, Jerusalem is going to be destroyed. This is God's judgment. The people were saying, yeah, yeah, yeah, we've heard all that before and it's never happened. It's not going to take place.

But God says, I'm going to remove that proverb from their mouths. I'm going to take it away. That's not going to be a proverb any longer. I'm going to fulfill my word. There's great power here in verse 25. If you will just absorb it and take it in. He says, For I am the Lord. I speak and the word which I speak will come to pass. God's word will be fulfilled.

There's no avoiding it. There's no escaping it. You can't get out of the fulfillment of God's Word.

That's why it's foolish for us to resist. God's speaking to us, His Word says this, and we think, oh yeah, that was probably good then, but let me try it this way today. It's 2010, and this is new times, and there's a lot of different things, and so maybe that's not the case anymore, but I think this way is the best. And so we try to do our own thing, and we try to use our own wisdom, but you know, the Word of God will be fulfilled.

And if you live in immorality, well, there's going to be destruction as a result of that. The wages of sin is death. If you persist in sinning against God and rebelling against God, well, there's consequences that come to that. And we try to escape them and we try to outrun them, but the Word of God will be fulfilled. He says, I am the Lord. I speak and the Word which I speak will come to pass. He said, it's not going to be postponed any longer, rebellious house.

You know, God is so patient. He is so patient that the people have come to the point where they say, oh yeah, yeah, yeah, it's not going to be fulfilled. It's not going to happen.

But now, God says, okay, enough patience. I've been patient for a long time. I've given you many opportunities. I've sent you many prophets. And so now, these things are going to be fulfilled. These things are going to come to pass. He was patient in order to give room for repentance. But they've refused to repent.

And so now they're going to experience the judgment that God has been promising all along. In 2 Peter 3, verse 9, it tells us that God is patient. He's not slack in keeping His promises. He's not just lazy and, oh yeah, I'll get around to it one day. No, He's deliberately waiting to fulfill His promises because He does not want anyone to perish. If He fulfills all of His promises right now, there's going to be many that will not have the opportunity to repent.

that will not have the opportunity to get right with God. And so he delays in order to give people a chance to get right with him, to give room for repentance. And so he's waited, he's waited, but their hearts are hard. And so now he says, these things are going to be fulfilled. Verse 26.

Again, the word of the Lord came to me saying, Son of man, look, the house of Israel is saying, the vision that he sees is for many days from now, and he prophesies of times far off. Therefore say to them, thus says the Lord God, none of my words will be postponed anymore, but the word which I speak will be done, says the Lord.

So there was a group of people, there was a proverb that they were saying, that we just talked about in verses 21 through 25, that was saying that, yeah, yeah, yeah, you've been saying that, that's not going to happen. But there's another group, there's another proverb that's going around, saying, oh, yeah, yeah, we believe those things, that is going to happen, but it's not for right now, that's for a long time from now.

And it's interesting, we can see these same types of mentalities and these same types of sayings even today concerning the prophecies of the end times. You know, there's some who say, like Peter promised would happen in 2 Peter chapter 3, yeah, you know, Jesus isn't really coming back and people have been saying that for the past 2,000 years. The church has been looking, you know, we're in the last days and we've heard that all our lives and my grandparents heard that and it's just not going to happen. But

But then there's others who say, oh yeah, no, it is going to happen, but it's not right now. It's a long time from now. It's going to be delayed. It's going to be postponed. That prophecy is not applicable to right now. And so God tells Ezekiel, here's what you say to them. None of my words will be postponed anymore, but the word which I speak will be done. God says, I've been patient. I've postponed. I've given room to repent.

But now these things are going to be fulfilled. You know, God wants us to live today according to His promises. Right now, He wants us to live in response to and in light of what He has promised is going to come. We're going through Revelation now on Sunday mornings. And we're going to see a lot of things that are going to happen. They're going to come to pass. They will be fulfilled.

And there's a temptation to look at those things and say, oh, I don't really believe that's actually going to happen. There's also a temptation to say, oh yeah, those things are going to happen, but not right now. But the way that God wants us to respond is with urgency. To hear His Word, to see what's coming, and to live right now.

according to His Word. Sometimes we put it off and say, oh, you know, after this happens, after that happens, then I'll get right with the Lord, you know, then I'll make things right, then I'll serve Him, then I'll, you know, really be serious about my walk with God. We put it off. We postpone our obedience because we think that His promises are postponed. But what God wants us to do is to live by faith, to believe Him at His Word right now and live accordingly.

We need to put into practice right now the lifestyle that God has called us to live. We need to be obedient right now because those things that He has promised are going to come to pass. And so we need to be prepared. We need to be ready. Jesus gave lots of parables right at the end of His ministry before He was going to the cross with the emphasis on watching and being ready and living right now

knowing what is to come. Not putting it off, not postponing it in our minds, not saying, ah, it's not going to happen, but living right now as if it's true today. If Jesus is coming back tonight, then I'm going to live my life this way. And that's how I'm to live. As if Jesus is returning at any moment. As if the book of Revelation is going to be fulfilled at any moment. Because the reality is, it can be and it will be fulfilled at any moment.

Chapter 13. He goes on now to deal with the prophets. These false prophets who are proclaiming these lies and this deception to the people.

Verse 1 of chapter 13 says, And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel, who prophesy and say to those who prophesy out of their own heart, Hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God, Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing, or have no vision.

So now God is directing Ezekiel to speak specifically to the false prophets. His other messages that we've just been looking at in chapter 12 are kind of in general to all of the people. But here this is directed to those

who are proclaiming these lies in the name of God. And he says, prophesy against them. He calls them foolish prophets. Why are they foolish prophets? Well, because they prophesy out of their own heart. It's out of their own resources that they are making proclamation. They are speaking out from their own heart. He also describes them in verse 3 of following their own spirit.

You know, there's a great danger. There's a great danger of following our own spirit, following our own heart. Because we know from Jeremiah that the heart is deceitful above all things. That means, first and foremost, my heart is deceitful.

It wants to lie to me, to rip me off, and to keep me away from God. That's the agenda of my heart, and it will do whatever it needs to do to deceive me, to put blinders on me, to keep me from God. Now, that's not what we like to hear about our hearts. That's not what is appealing to us. That's not a nice, comfortable message. But that's the truth. And so these false prophets...

We need to understand they weren't trying to be malicious. They weren't on purpose leading the people away from God. They were just following their own heart and speaking from their own heart, speaking from their own resources. In Proverbs 28, verse 26, it tells us, He who trusts his own heart is a fool, but whoever walks wisely will be delivered. We need to be careful.

There's a lot of emphasis placed on feelings and emotions and what's going on in our heart. But we need to be careful not to trust our own heart. Just because we feel a certain way does not mean that it's the way that we're supposed to be, the way that we're supposed to live. Whether we feel like being obedient, we are to be obedient. Whether we feel like something is wrong or not, we're to apply God's standard as what is right or wrong.

These foolish prophets are foolish because they prophesy out of their own heart. They're trusting their own heart. They're saying, oh, I don't think, that just doesn't seem right to me. This is what seems right to me. And so they're proclaiming what seems right to them. They're proclaiming it in the name of God, but they really have no vision from God. God has not spoken to their hearts. Let me ask you something. Do you think there are foolish prophets today? What do you think?

Is there foolish prophets? Are there those who just speak from their hearts? Are there those who just follow their own spirit? Absolutely there are. And it's why you and I, we need to be people who know the Word of God.

We need to know the Word of God so that when we speak, we are not speaking forth from our own heart, but we're speaking forth the Word of God. But we also need to know the Word of God so that when we listen, when we hear, that we're checking out what we're listening to and what's being said with what the Bible teaches. That is something that is important for us to do. In Acts chapter 17 verse 11, we read about the Bereans.

And it tells us they were more noble than the people who were in Thessalonica because they heard with readiness what Paul was sharing and then they searched the scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. They were listening to Paul. Paul was blowing their minds. They're like, wow, that's pretty radical. They were attentive. They were listening. But then they went and they found out for themselves. They went and they looked in the scriptures and said, check it out. That really is the Word of God.

That's what God has said. We need to know the Word of God because there are foolish prophets. And we need to know the Word of God so that we are not one of those foolish prophets. Verse 4.

He says,

Have you not seen a futile vision? Have you not spoken false divination? You say, the Lord says, but I have not spoken. Verse 8. Therefore, thus says the Lord God, because you have spoken nonsense and envisioned lies, therefore I am indeed against you, says the Lord God. My hand will be against the prophets who envision futility and who divine lies. They shall not

Again, He throws us that phrase. Then you're going to know that I am the Lord. What will it take for us to know that He is the Lord? As God is rebuking the prophets, He says...

There's been no preparation. The walls haven't been built. The people are not prepared for the battle that's at hand. They will not be able to stand. And that's why they are being deceived and led astray. He says, these guys have envisioned futility and false divination. It's false divination. It's not the truth. God says, I have not spoken to them. But notice, he says in verse 7, you say the Lord says, but I have not spoken.

And so God has not spoken to them, but they're standing up and saying, thus saith the Lord, when in reality God has not spoken to them. They're speaking of their own hearts. Again, they're following their own spirit. But we see in verse 6 a little bit of insight into what's going on within them. He says, thus says the Lord, is what they say, but the Lord has not sent them, yet they hope that the word may be confirmed. Confirmed.

Or they hope that the word may come true. And so they're speaking it out, and God has not spoken it to them, but this is what they hope is going to happen. So they're proclaiming, oh, Jerusalem is going to stand against Babylon. God hasn't told them to say that, but that's what they hope for. They're hoping it'll come to pass. They're hoping it will come true.

And so God speaks very strongly against them. He says, I am against you and you're not going to be written, you're not going to be part of my people. You're not a child of God, essentially, is what he's telling them. God has some very stern words and strict words against these prophets. It's something we need to pay attention to because meaning well and having good intentions are not enough. We need to speak forth the word of God and not our own ideas and

Not our own thoughts, not our own counsel. We need to not follow our own spirit, but we need to stay true to what the Bible teaches. We must be careful to speak God's Word and not just what we hope or wish will take place. You know, sometimes people come to us for counsel. And they come to us knowing that we're believers, knowing that we're spending time and we're walking with the Lord.

It's very important as we are sharing with one another and ministering to one another that we're not just saying words and saying, well, this is what I hope is going to happen or this is what I wish for you. When we speak, we need to be speaking forth the words of God. And especially if you're saying, hey, God told me to share this with you. You better make sure that's something that God has told you to share with someone.

You better make sure that that is indeed God's message. Don't just say, hey, this is what God told me to tell you, if God has not spoken to you. Because God has some very stern words against those who do that. We can't just say whatever we want to say and attach God's name to it and expect Him to bless it and just hope it will come to pass. We need to make sure that we are hearing from God. And if we don't have an answer, if we don't have some...

or comfort for those who come seeking counsel, we need to point them to the one who has the direction and who is the God of all comfort so that He can minister to them directly. If God hasn't spoken to us, if He hasn't given us His word for them, we must not say, thus saith the Lord, and lead them astray, just hoping that it will come to pass. Verse 10.

He says, because indeed, because they have seduced my people. You see what's happening here? They're just hoping that this is what they wish. They have great intentions. But God says, you're seducing my people. Very heavy. He says, seduced my people saying, peace when there is no peace. And one builds a wall and they plaster it with untempered mortar.

Verse 2.

Verse 15,

Thus I will accomplish my wrath on the wall and on those who have plastered it with untempered mortar. And I will say to you, the wall is no more, nor those who plastered it. That is the prophets of Israel who prophesy concerning Jerusalem and one who sees visions of peace for her when there is no peace, says the Lord.

I read that kind of long portion all at once because it's one scene that God is describing and then He translates it or interprets it for us there in verse 16. He's talking about this wall and He says it's a wall that's built with untempered mortar.

And what he's talking about here is it's a wall that is built with something that is weak. It's not cement. It's not blocks. It's not concrete. It's something that is weak. It's kind of like, if you want a picture in your mind, if you're

you had a wall that was in some serious need of repair. You know, your house is going to fall down. And so what you do is you go to the hardware store and you get some spackle. And you get your little, you know, spatula, putty knife thing and you just kind of put spackle on the wall that is about to crumble and fall apart. Well, that putty, that spackle, it's not going to hold it together. It might make it look pretty for a little bit.

But it's still going to crumble and fall. It's still going to fail. And that's what's happening. That's what God is describing here. Their wall is in need of repair. Now, by wall, God's not talking about a physical structure, but He's talking about their spiritual life. He says, look, you guys, you're in need of repair. There needs to be some repentance. You need to get right with God.

But instead of helping the people to get right with God, what these false prophets have done is they've taken just some spackle and they just said, well, let's just cover over, you know, your sins and your rebellion and just say everything's going to be okay. And oh, you know, God bless you. It's going to be fine. And so the real issue has never been dealt with. And so God says that wall is going to fall.

And so he says in verse 16, that is the prophets of Israel who prophesy concerning Jerusalem who see visions of peace for her when there is no peace. Sometimes it's good for people not to have peace. It's good for people not to have peace when they're in rebellion against God. There needs to be some turmoil. The heart needs to be unsettled. That's on purpose.

The Spirit convicts us and brings us back to God. We need to be careful not to just, you know, with a wide brush and say, oh, it'll be okay. Hey, don't prophesy and promise peace when there is no peace. Maybe it's not supposed to be all okay because, well, perhaps God's trying to get their attention because they're in rebellion against Him and He needs them to turn and to come and to get right with Him and to call on His name.

That's what the people of Judah needed. They needed to call to God. But these false prophets were there saying, Oh no, it's peace. Don't worry about it. You're fine. You don't have to change. You can continue to live that way. Continue to worship those false gods. Don't worry about it. All those things. Don't listen to Ezekiel. Don't listen to Jeremiah. Those guys don't know what they're talking about. It's crazy what's happening there. But it's happening today as well. They promise peace when there is no peace.

We must be careful not to do the same. Verse 17, Likewise, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people who prophesy out of their own heart, prophesy against them, and say, Thus says the Lord God, Woe to the women who sew magic charms on their sleeves and make veils for the heads of the people of every height to hunt souls.

Will you hunt the souls of my people and keep yourselves alive? 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? Here now God directs his attention to the ladies in the bunch who are leading the people astray.

He says, these daughters of your people who prophesy, notice where they prophesy from, out of their own heart. Just like the rest of the false prophets, these ladies are speaking for things out of their own heart, out of their own resources. They're not speaking on behalf of God. They're not bringing forth the truth, but they're speaking lies. And God says, my people are listening to lies. Now, just because my people are listening to lies, that doesn't mean that you can lie to them.

Just because my people want to hear lies, doesn't mean that you should lie to them. We need to speak the truth, not from our own heart, but from the heart of God. We need to be faithful and true to what He says. Now these ladies, they were really like sorceresses. They were sewing magic charms into the sleeves of the people's clothing.

This will keep you safe. This will protect you. When Babylon comes, you don't have to worry. And so they would come to these ladies who would lead them astray and give them blind hope. It's something we see even still going on today with superstition and fortune telling and horoscopes and all of those things. It's all wicked and evil and vile. It's lies. And tragically, many people listen to those lies. But that doesn't mean that they should be told.

Many people want to hear those lies, but that does not mean that they should be declared. What needs to be declared is the truth, the word of God. God describes them as hunting the souls of his people. These ladies are hunting the souls of his people. You see, they're probably meaning well, probably good intentions, maybe, perhaps, but they're hunting their souls. They're keeping people from right relationship with God. God won't stand for that.

And so here he calls Ezekiel to prophesy against them. Verse 20. Verse 20.

Verse 2.

And you shall know that I am the Lord. Again, God says, you're going to know that I am the Lord. You're leading these people astray. You're speaking this falsehood. But you are going to know, whether you like it or not, you are going to know that I am the Lord. You will bow your knee to God one day. Whether it be today or when you stand before Him for judgment, that's up to you. That's up to me.

But we will stand before God one day. We will kneel before God. We will submit. We will recognize that He is Lord. And we can do it now and receive His plan. We can receive His forgiveness and all that He has in store for us. Or we can wait and refuse and do it when we stand before Him and receive the judgment that is appropriate and due for rejecting Him as our Lord, for rejecting Him as our God.

So he says, look, I'm going to come against you guys. I'm going to rip off the charms. I'm going to remove the veil. I'm going to remove the blinders. I'm going to open their eyes. I'm going to set them free. They're going to realize, hey, there was no power in those magic charms. There was no power in all those spells that you cast. There was no power in all of the prophecies that you made. He's going to set the people free from their lies by bringing the destruction that they were saying would not happen. Notice verse 22.

He says, Because with lies 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. This is God's complaint against them. The heart of the righteous, those who are right with God, they've come against them and they've made them sad. The person who is wicked and in rebellion against God, they've strengthened them so that they do not repent, so that they do not turn from their ways. Listen, if you...

Have a relationship with God. If you're walking with the Lord, if you're spending time with Him in the Word, if you're seeking to please Him, if you're hearing from Him and responding to His Word to you, following His direction, if you're walking with God, there's no need to be sad. Rejoice! As we look forward to these promises that will be fulfilled, we can rejoice if we're walking with God. Sometimes we like a lashing.

But there's no lashing. There's no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. And so please don't take these things that I'm sharing and some of these things that I share pretty strongly because there's some who are wicked. There's some who are like the false prophets. There's some who are living in rebellion like the people and they need to hear and God wants them to turn. He's giving them an opportunity. Listen, if you're wicked...

Don't be rejoicing. Be sad. Be sorrowful. Repent. Turn and get right with God. This is God speaking to you and giving you an opportunity to make Him the Lord of your life. You don't have to wait until utter destruction and final judgment to recognize that He is Lord. But you can right now surrender to Him and receive from Him forgiveness and blessing and the promise of eternity with Him. And so if you're wicked, turn.

But if you're righteous, listen, if you're right with God, if God's not speaking to your heart about something and calling you to repentance, rejoice. I'm not here to make you sad. I'm here to remind you that God is with you, that He's for you, and there's no condemnation. Don't let the enemy beat you up. Don't let him rock your world and condemn you. Because Christ has paid the price for sin. And what He desires for you is to walk even closer to Him.

So the worship team is going to come up now and lead us in a song. And as they do, let's just take this time. They're going to lead us in a couple songs. Let's just take this time between us and the Lord. If you are wicked and need to repent, then take this time to repent and turn and get right with God. And if you need help with that, well then ask someone next to you to help you with that. They can pray with you. They can share with you perhaps. If you need help, if you need prayer, ask someone around you as we're worshiping the Lord together.

But if you're also in the position where God's not convicting you of something, He's just working in your life, rejoice. And let's just take this time to just seek Him more, to spend time at His feet, to enjoy His presence and all that He has in store for us. Amen? Amen. Let's worship the Lord together.

We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.