Ezekiel series continues...
Past Ezekiel posts:
Past Ezekiel posts:
9. Ezekiel 12:16. I always thought God left a remnant to show how good he is - like, even though we deserve to be completely wiped out, he leaves a remnant as another chance. Maybe this is partially it. We speak the phrase "God always leaves a remnant" as comfort, not a threat. But when he spares a remnant here, it isn't so that they can be thankful to God that they were spared. It isn't so they can have a second chance to rebuild the nation and follow God. It's so "that they make declare all their abominations among the nations where they go."
If we can see past the "this seems just so awful" human reaction and remember that God is sovereign to do whatever he likes, we can see the big picture: Israel was supposed to be an example to the nations of what it means to follow God. And since Israel didn't follow God, God still promised to make them an example to the nations: an example of what NOT to do! Do you see how God is using Israel to fulfill his purpose whether they are obedient or not? It would have been so much more pleasant for them if they were obedient, but he gets his point across either way: God blesses the obedient. God punishes and abandons the disobedient. And it is kind of God to leave a remnant to warn the nations about this, when he could have just wiped out the nations without warning them.
10. Ezekiel 13:1-7. "Prophesy against the prophets...who prophesy from their own hearts." I first thought of Westboro Baptist Church, who comes up with ideas that are half-biblical and half-satanic, and promotes its own agenda using the Bible as justification. I think this verse is actually a very serious warning that applies to us. If I ever use a Bible verse to promote my own agenda, I am prophesying from my own heart. If I ever seek Scripture to pacify myself or others, I am prophesying from my own heart. God says that if we do this, if we say "Thus declares the Lord" when the Lord has not sent us and yet we expect him to fulfill our word (not his), we'll be punished. Which leads me to the next one:
11. Being a false teacher or a false prophet is claiming God's name when God didn't say you could - in other words, using God's name in vain. I always thought of this mildly. I think of a teacher as someone in a classroom. She teaches the students "In 1493 Columbus sailed the ocean green," when really it's "in 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue." The students go the rest of their lives thinking that Columbus "discovered" America in 1493 instead of 1492. And the teacher is responsible for teaching them wrong; for not checking her facts first.
But this is way more serious. It's actually manipulating the vulnerable. It's saying, "God told me to tell you" when God didn't. Or "God wants you to do this" when you're not sure whether it's God or yourself that wants it. It says in 13:9 that if you do this, you will be separated from the rest of the people - pretty powerful, since in Ezekiel's day they were already in exile (I think?) so they would be exiled from the exiles!
Another thing this means is in verse 10: "they have misled my people, saying 'peace' when there is no peace." I see this a lot today. No one wants to hear difficult truth. Everyone wants to hear "we're all okay, there's nothing to be afraid of, we'll work together and make this world a better place." The reality is that broken people, despite their efforts, will always work toward a more broken world until Jesus comes. Everything will not be okay for everyone. Self-delusion won't save you, even if it calms you down for a little while.
You might tell a child "everything will be okay" if something unavoidably bad is going to happen, to comfort him. But you don't let him walk onto a busy street and tell him "everything will be okay if you do this." He has a right to know what will happen if he doesn't follow rules, i.e. "If you walk into the street, you might get hit by a car and die." It isn't doing any favors to comfort him. See Ezekiel 13:22 where the prophets are condemned for having "encouraged the wicked, that he should not turn from his evil way to save his life."
Ezekiel calls false prophets Jackals, when they should have been sentinels (see Ez. 15:5). This is like a corrupt cop in a movie. They lead people to trust them, and then they abuse that trust to promote their own agenda.
We're all drowning; we all have a choice to take hold of the floating cross Jesus throws us. But false prophets convince us that we don't need the cross; that we're all fine, we're not really drowning, it will be okay.
And worse, in Ez. 13: 18-19, false prophets try to lure people who are already saved back into the drowning water!
(Sorry this is abrupt; I'm being intentional about my time today, and now it's time for me to make lunch!)
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