Ezekiel 14:1

Ezekiel 14:1 says, Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me.  Ezekiel said certain of the elders of Israel came to and sat before him.  They were evidently there to see what he had to say, more out of curiosity than belief that what he was saying was true, I believe. Many people come to church or even listen to what Christians have to say today, not out of faith or because they believe what is being said but just out of curiosity about what is being said and often so they can argue against it.   

Verse two adds, And the word of the Lord came unto me saying, As usual, Ezekiel said that the word of God came to him.  If we are in a situation where we are proclaiming God’s word today, we need to first make sure that it is God's word.  If Ezekiel had just told them what he thought, it could have been wrong, but if it was the word that God gave him to share, it never would be, and the same is true for us today as followers of Christ.  

Verse three adds, Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them?  God said that these men had set up their idols and had become a stumbling block to the people of Israel.  Matthew Henry says these were likely elders of Israel who were note a part of Ezekiel's regular listeners, who had come from throughout Babylon to Jerusalem.  Ezekiel had received them with honor, but God said his honor for them was misplaced, since they didn’t know Him.  If religious leaders come to us today, we should never honor their position but should make sure that they actually believe God’s word first, and then if we honor them, it should be because of their service to God and not just because of their position in the church. God asked if He should hear them because they did not believe in Him and worshipped false gods, and the implied answer was no.  God is not going to hear people if they come to Him for any reason other than because they believe Him and accept His word as the truth, or to give them guidance after they accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.  As long as we worship idols or make anything more important to us than our relationship with God, He is not obligated to hear us if come to Him without faith in His salvation plan. 

Verse four states, Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the Lord will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols;  God told Ezekiel that he was to tell these men that God knew that they had come while worshipping a multitude of idols and having become a stumbling block to the people of Israel that they were supposed to lead spiritually.  We need to pray that those who profess to be the leaders in the church today never become a stumbling block to Christians because they do not believe God’s word and proclaim something that is not consistent with His word.   

Verse five adds, That I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols. God asked Ezekiel if He should take the people of Israel as His people when they were worshipping idols instead of Him, and again the implied answer is no.  If we come to God looking for validation of what we believe and put our faith in anything other than Him, He is never obligated to hear us.  Until people come to God through faith in Jesus Christ, He will call them to salvation, but as long as they put other gods ahead of Him and refuse to accept His gift of salvation, He is not obligated to hear them, especially if what they believe in leads people away from Him becomes a stumbling block to them.   

Ezekiel 13:17

Ezekiel 13:17 says, Likewise, thou son of man, set thy face against the daughters of thy people, which prophesy out of their own heart; and prophesy thou against them,  Ezekiel was told to not only set his heart against the men who prophesied falsely, but against the women as well.  We may say that women should never prophesy, or proclaim God’s word, but God said that He would pour out His Spirit on both men and women who put their faith in Him and they would prophesy.  We may always think of only men being able to prophesy for or against God, but God said that both men and women would proclaim His  word, but God is no respecter of people, so both men and women will be held accountable for their sins, especially if they are professing to proclaim God’s word when they aren’t.   

Verse eighteen adds, And say, Thus saith 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 ye hunt the souls of my people, and will ye save the souls alive that come unto you?  These  prophetesses held the people in awe with their lies.  They would make it seem that they were giving comfort to the people of Israel, but it would all be based on lies.  There are still women today who profess to speak for God who build all their promises on falsehoods, but those women who profess to be followers of Christ never will if they have actually accepted Him as their Savior and Lord.   

Verse nineteen continues, And will ye pollute me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to slay the souls that should not die, and to save the souls alive that should not live, by your lying to my people that hear your lies?  God asked if the people would trade His truth for a handful of barley and pieces of bread. They were under siege and bread was scarce at this time, but the situation was not going to change no matter who proclaimed that it would.  Matthew Henry says that the people came to them to be told the truth of God, but they told them lies instead.  When people are in need today, they may be willing to put their faith in anyone who proclaims that everything is going to get better without putting their faith in God.   

Verse twenty states, Wherefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against your pillows, wherewith ye there hunt the souls to make them fly, and I will tear them from your arms, and will let the souls go, even the souls that ye hunt to make them fly.  God said He was going to free the people from the false teachings of these false prophetesses.  We should never put our faith in an individual but  must always put our faith in God.  If someone proclaims that we can find peace outside the will of God, they are leading astray those who believe them.  God said He would destroy these pillows that they proclaimed would bring peace to the people, and He will one day destroy all the false gods that people put their faith in.   

Verse twenty-one adds, Your kerchiefs also will I tear, and deliver my people out of your hand, and they shall be no more in your hand to be hunted; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.  Along with the pillows God said He was going to destroy their kerchiefs that they proclaimed to bring peace to the people.  Every false god that people put their faith in will one day be destroyed by God and those who put their faith in them will discover that there is only One God Who can redeem them, but for too many this knowledge will come too late.   

Verse twenty-two continues, Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life:  God said that the prophesies of these women made the hearts of the righteous sad when He had not made them sad.  He also said that they strengthened the hand of the wicked so that they would not turn to Him for salvation. As followers of Christ, we should never allow false prophesies to make us sad about our relationship with God.  If we are not a follower of Christ, we can never put our faith in the things of this world and expect them to bring us success.  Everything gained outside the will of God will one day be destroyed and those who put their faith in them instead of God will be sent away to everlasting punishment, no matter how many people say this isn’t true.  

Verse twenty-three concludes, Therefore ye shall see no more vanity, nor divine divinations: for I will deliver my people out of your hand: and ye shall know that I am the Lord.  God said that these women would see no more vanity, or prophesies based on nothing and that He would deliver the people out of their hands.  When we put our faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, He will deliver us from the lies of the world as long as we are faithful to Him, 

Ezekiel 13:13

Ezekiel 13:13 says, Therefore thus saith the Lord God; I will even rend it with a stormy wind in my fury; and there shall be an overflowing shower in mine anger, and great hailstones in my fury to consume it.  God told Ezekiel that He was going to destroy the wall with the wind of His fury and an overflowing shower of His anger and that His fury would be like giant hailstones.  We need to remember that God had redeemed the people of Israel and entered into a covenant relationship with them, which they now rejected, so they had brought God’s anger and fury on themselves by their actions.  If we don’t accept God’s gracious gift of salvation and enter into a covenant relationship with Him, we will one day face His judgment.   

Verse fourteen adds, So will I break down the wall that ye have daubed with untempered morter, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be discovered, and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof: and ye shall know that I am the Lord. God said that the untempered mortar would be discovered and the wall would fall.  The things built by man without God's guidance will always be proven to be untempered, or untrue we could say, and they will always fall when God’s judgment comes if not before.  God said that when this happened that they would be consumed in the middle of the city and would know that He is God.  One day, all those who have refused to put their faith in Jesus Christ will fall, and then they will know that God is God, but it will be too late to do them any good. 

Verse fifteen continues, Thus will I accomplish my wrath upon the wall, and upon them that have daubed it with untempered morter, and will say unto you, The wall is no more, neither they that daubed it;  God said that when this happened that His wrath on the people for their disbelief would be accomplished.  This wrath would be not just at the wall that people looked at for protection instead of looking to Him, but on the people who built it as well.  God’s wrath will always be on sin and those who have lived committed to sinful actions, those living without looking to Him for salvation and protection, because He has already provided for their salvation and they refused to accept it.  

Verse sixteen concludes, To wit, the prophets of Israel which prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and which see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, saith the Lord God.  God then said that this applied to the false priests of Israel who were prophesying peace when there was no peace.  We are never going to find spiritual peace outside the will of God, and those who proclaim this will never be endorsed by God, especially if they proclaim themselves to be His people and proclaim any other way to salvation and peace that is not founded in God’s word.