The Gospel According to Ezekiel, Chapter 13

The Essentialness of Knowing God

Last week, we saw that chapters 12 and 13 share a united purpose, centered on God's condemnation of false prophets. In chapter 13, the declaration "you will know that I am the Lord" appears repeatedly—one of the highest concentrations in Ezekiel. This reveals a profound truth: a meaningful quality of life is directly tied to acknowledging God. The life we live as Christians depends on the degree to which we recognize God as Lord over our lives.

This requires submission to the sovereign I AM, aligning our desires with His will. When you want what God wants, you get what you want every time. Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart, conforming them to His perfect will. God never says no to a heart aligned with Him.

Listening to the Right Sources

To experience this quality of life, we must listen to the right sources. This was a problem in Ezekiel's day and remains so today, with endless voices streaming into our lives through screens and devices. Discernment is essential among God's people. Chapter 13 equips us to identify true sources from false ones.

Ezekiel 13:1-2
Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, "Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy from their own inspiration, 'Listen to the word of the Lord!'"

No prophecy of Scripture arises from human interpretation or will. Men carried along by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. Ezekiel himself could not speak unless God opened his mouth. True revelation originates from God, not personal feelings or self-will.

2 Peter 1:20-21
But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

Our culture echoes this error: "Search your feelings, and you will know it to be true." This mysticism pervades ideas like "God will love me as I am" without transformation into Christ. Sola Scriptura means Scripture is the sole infallible rule of faith and practice—the Bible interprets itself, ensuring God remains the ultimate authority.

Ezekiel 13:3
Thus says the Lord God, "Woe to the foolish prophets who are following their own spirit and have seen nothing!"

These false prophets are like foxes among ruins, digging holes instead of repairing breaches or building walls to stand firm in battle. Listening to ungodly sources leaves your life in ruins, vulnerable and chaotic.

The Dangers of False Visions and Whitewashed Walls

Ezekiel 13:6-7
They see falsehood and lying divination, who say, 'The Lord declares,' when the Lord has not sent, yet they hope for the fulfillment of their word. Did you not see a false vision and speak a lying divination when you said, 'The Lord declares,' but it is not I who have spoken?

Justifying sin by claiming "God said" when He has not is perilous—whether in personal counsel, false prophecies, or date-setting like Harold Camping's predictions. God opposes such prophets.

Ezekiel 13:8-9
Therefore, thus says the Lord God, "Because you have spoken falsehood and seen a lie, behold, I am against you," declares the Lord God. "So My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will have no place in the council of My people, nor will they be written down in the register of the house of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel, that you may know that I am the Lord God."

These prophets cry "peace" when there is no peace, whitewashing weak walls that collapse under God's judgment—hailstones, wind, and wrath expose the facade.

Ezekiel 13:10-14
It is definitely because they have misled My people by saying, 'Peace!' when there is no peace. And when anyone builds a wall, behold, they plaster it over with whitewash; so tell those who plaster it over with whitewash, that it will fall. A flooding rain will come, and you, O hailstones, will fall; and a violent wind will break out. Behold, when the wall has fallen, will you not be asked, 'Where is the plaster with which you plastered it?' Therefore, thus says the Lord God, "I will make a violent wind break out in My wrath. There will also be in My anger a flooding rain and hailstones to consume in wrath. So I will tear down the wall which you plastered over with whitewash and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation is laid bare; and when it falls, you will be consumed in its midst. And you will know that I am the Lord."

This mirrors Jesus' warning about whitewashed tombs—beautiful outside, dead within. False sources promise safety but deliver ruin.

Judgment on the Sorceresses

Ezekiel 13:17-23
Now, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people who are prophesying from their own inspiration. Prophesy against them and say, Thus says the Lord God, "Woe to the women who sew magic bands on all wrists and make veils for the heads of persons of every stature to hunt lives! Will you hunt the lives of My people, but preserve the lives of others for yourselves? For handfuls of barley and fragments of bread, you have profaned Me to My people to put to death some who should not die and to keep others alive who should not live, by your lying to My people who listen to lies." Therefore, thus says the Lord God, "Behold, I am against your magic bands by which you hunt lives there as birds and I will tear them from your arms; and I will let them go, even those lives whom you hunt as birds. I will also tear off your veils and deliver My people from your hand, and they will no longer be in your hand to be hunted; and you will know that I am the Lord. Because you disheartened the righteous with falsehood when I did not cause him grief, and you have encouraged the wicked not to turn from his wicked way and to preserve his life, therefore, you women will no longer see false visions nor practice divination, and I will deliver My people out of your hand. Thus you will know that I am the Lord."

These women ensnared lives with sorcery for profit, disheartening the righteous and encouraging the wicked. They promised peace amid turmoil, urging continuation in sin—like "a little sin is fine." False prophets defraud, discourage the godly, and approve wickedness to justify themselves.

Discerning False Counsel

We are prone to counsel, drawn to seemingly reliable sources: entertainment, music, friendships, psychology, self-help. They appear whitewashed, but examine the interior. Like Eve, we don't abandon God's Word—we mix it with other voices. Satan sowed doubt: "Did God really say?" promising elevated life, but delivering shame, fear, and hiding from God. Paradise's freedom turned to bondage.

Colossians 2:18
Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize... taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind.

God delivers from false sources. Trust Him to tear away deceptions.

Feeding on God's Word

Compare every counsel to what God has already said. His Word is your daily bread—read, chew, digest, apply it consistently. This diligence produces the highest quality of life. God promises deliverance: "I will deliver My people out of your hand... you will know that I am the Lord."