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,
No comments:
Post a Comment