Ezekiel 13

1-21 False Prophets Condemned

• Their sin:
• Ezekiel is told to prophesy to those who “prophesy out of their own imaginations”: “Hear the word of the LORD!”
• They are like jackals; their prophesies do nothing to protect the people.
• They make up visions out of their own heads then expect them to come true. They are self-deluded – the worst kind of delusion of all, because they believe their own lies.
• They say “Thus says the LORD” even when he does not speak.
• Their judgment:
• The LORD is against them.
• They will not return to Israel, because they have cried “Peace” when there is no peace.
• When the people build a wall, the prophets smear whitewash on it; therefore, the LORD will destroy the wall and the prophets with it. They build an unsound wall – using poor mortar, mud without straw – then slap some whitewash on it to make it look okay.
• Ezekiel is to prophesy against women who dream up visions, sew wrist bands and make veils in the search for human lives, who are responsible for the innocent being put to death. Commentaries translate “bands” as “pillows,” indicating rest and relaxation. The veils are “triumphal caps,” worn to indicate defeat of the Babylonians. (John Wesley)
• God will save the people from the hands of these women, tearing off their veils, for they have discouraged the righteous and encouraged the wicked.