“False Prophets, False Hopes”

Scripture: Ezekiel 13:1-12; 17-23

The Lord has been preparing Ezekiel for his mission to the captives. God has told him that he will give him every means of support that would ever be needed. The right words will be placed in his heart and his mouth, the timing of the message would be given, the sins of the people have been laid out, the faithlessness of the nation in general has been revealed, and now, it’s very possible that the worst of all transgressions are about to be brought into view.

It’s always bad enough when the people take steps that deny and betray the one and true God. During the exodus, the people were constantly complaining about their situation even though they were being led to a new and wonderful homeland; since the time of Solomon’s sons, the nation had become divided in administration as well as in faith, and had turned to the gods of the surrounding nations; and their faithlessness had not only led them into defeat in war, but it had brought about a period of occupation for most and captivity for the few who were the best and brightest of the nation. Ezekiel had been told that it had come about because of the people’s transgressions. But what could have happened that allowed the people to stray so far from the Lord’s truth?

Anytime that an organization wanders from their true purpose and path, it will always be safe to put the onus for that failure upon the leadership. If the leaders remain faithful to their call, they will keep their charges under control. If they don’t, there isn’t much hope for the rest.

Read Ezekiel 13:1-7

The leadership of any entity – whether it is a government, a civic organization, a family, or a religious body – must have a vision of where the group is headed. Without any vision, they will never have a firm direction to travel in, and the organization will stagnate and very possibly fade from memory. But on the other hand, if the leaders have a vision that is against every ounce of their foundational principles, they will not only find it difficult to carry out their assigned mission, but they will find it nearly impossible to grow and serve. If a volunteer fire department should suddenly change their emphasis from emergency services to advocacy, the community will begin to lose confidence in their ability to provide fire, rescue and EMS protection. If a government changes the nation’s vision from their founding precepts to one that is new and untried, the people will become confused and will begin to doubt the truth of their existence. If a faith community begins to deviate from their traditional belief structure, they will, most assuredly, loose their way, and those they wish to convert to their faith will resist out of uncertainty over what the community stands for.
The leaders of Israel and Judah would soon discover that they were in this very struggle over who they were and who they actually served and followed. They had not spoken God’s word, they had not spoken out against the lies that were being told, and they had, by default, even encouraged the lies that were being spread. The leaders of the nations would not be pleased to hear that the present circumstances of the people were on their shoulders, and the people would not be pleased to hear that they had been listening to lies. But that is the very message that the prophet Ezekiel was being given. The self-ordained prophets had been offering words that came from their own imagination, and not from Yahweh. But they had never attributed these thoughts to their own being and purpose – they said that it was God who believed these things! And the Lord was not happy.
In James 3:1, we read that “those who teach will be judged more strictly” than those who receive instruction. Teachers in the church can fall into any number of categories – they could be Sunday School teachers, Bible Study leaders, counselors, preachers, people who serve in elected or appointed positions, and in the case of Israel, prophets and the priesthood. The point of the James passage is this – it is bad enough if someone falls away from the faith, but it is many times worse if they take others down with them. Think about it – a Sunday School teacher who intentionally teachers the children false ideals - those that are not of God - can do irreparable harm to a young person’s faith. A Bible study leader can do the same to an adult class, and a trusted pastor who preaches an ungodly message can turn an entire congregation away from Christ.
Leaders can make or break a nation, an organization, a family, or a church, and one day, they will have to answer for their failure to lead faithfully.

Read Ezekiel 3:8-12

The Lord offers a pretty intense judgment against the lies that the leaders of Israel and Judah spoke to the people. God states emphatically that the words they spoke were false and the visions that they had received were lies, and because the leadership did not correct them, he – the Lord – would be against them. I don’t know about you, but I hope that God never turns against me! That would be a certain career ender!
In Jeremiah 23, we read that this earlier prophet had been given a similar message for the nation. In verses 28-29, the Lord says “’let the one who has my word speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?’ declares the Lord. ‘Is not my word like fire ... and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?’” The point is that straw isn’t grain, and that the word of the Lord will one day destroy the lies that are told in his name. He had sent warning after warning to the leaders of Israel, and every one had been ignored.
God compares the lies of the false prophets to flimsy walls that had been whitewashed. The lies would never stand up under the glare of God’s truth, and when the lies were finally revealed, all will see them for what they truly are – Godless hypocrisy!

He continues to speak to Ezekiel, and goes on to outline what this condemnation will mean for these prophets and leaders. They will be ejected from God’s community, they will lose their citizenship in the nation of Israel, and they will never be allowed to reenter the land that had been promised to the Lord’s chosen. They will, in essence, be ostracized from God’s grace, and will realize too late that the path that they had been promoting was far away from the Lord’s, and was leading the nation in a direction doomed to failure.

Read Ezekiel 3:17-23

And even the women who had lead others astray would receive their own words of condemnation! They had begun to follow the beliefs of their new home, by making charms and veils, and wearing them to encourage others to follow the gods of this new land. In Leviticus 20:6, we read “I will set my face against the person who turns to mediums and spiritualists to prostitute himself by following them, and I will cut him off from his people.” And the effect that their magic accessories had? Many righteous people had been discouraged and had become confused in faith, and many who had been caught up in the evil that these women were promoting were being falsely encouraged to believe that they were in the right.
And this false faith would also be revealed. Their bracelets and veils would do them no good, the false visions would no longer come to them, and they, too, would be cut off from the faithful.

And I think that this passage is just as much about the church as it was about Israel and Judah. False teachers and prophets have existed as long as faith has been displayed. There have been Gnostics and Mystics, Philosophies and monasticism - every side has condemned the other side, and false teaching has, at times, nearly torn the church apart. When people didn’t like the theology that was being taught, they left what was, and went elsewhere to celebrate their own brand of “truth”. And today isn’t much different.
The problem is, I believe, not so much that there are many differences in opinions as to what is true and what is not, but rather that people are reluctant to stay and take a stand for God’s truth! I have had many friends leave the United Methodist Church because of divisive issues that they were unwilling to stay and stand against. From the earliest days of Methodist societies, there have been contentious disagreement over theological issues. Today, some of that disagreement continues to concern us over questions regarding universal salvation, and the consistency and extent of creation, and homosexuality, and the significance of baptism, and the character of communion, and any number of other issues – all of which only serve to divide us. And every single issue has an answer in scripture, but folks don’t seem to want to advocate for those answers. All too often, it’s just easier and safer to remain silent, or to move on to a place that is more to our liking – until the next question arises.
And we decide to just wait and let the Lord sort it all out, instead of offering the truth and making waves that might swamp our boat. Remember that the Lord doesn’t tell Ezekiel exactly when these corrections would occur for Israel, just that they would. How long are we prepared to wait for that day to come, and are we prepared for the means of that correction?

God sent Ezekiel with his message long before the corrections would begin, and he never hesitated. People of faith can no longer wait for someone else to speak the truth, either. It’s time for the people of God to take a stand against those “false prophets and teachers”, and to name them for what they really are – not as alternative understandings, not as other possible interpretations, but rather as advocates for “white washed flimsy walls”! They don’t offer any hope whatsoever – it is only false optimism, and one day it will be exposed for what it is. And unfortunately, our silence will also be exposed.

Ezekiel had been told that many would not like the message that he carried, and that many wouldn’t even listen to him, but that he was to spread the word, just the same.
Be an Ezekiel – forget what others will think of God’s words - just listen for what the Lord would have you say, ask him for the direction that you are to take his words in, and who you are to share them with. Then let the silence end and your service to the truth begin.
It is time that the false prophets and the false hopes that they offer are exposed. Be an Ezekiel, and begin today.