Ezekiel 13:1-23
Saturday, 15 May 2021
The prophets mislead my people by saying that all is well. All is certainly not well! My people have put up a wall of loose stones, and then the prophets have come and covered it with whitewash. -Ezekiel 13:10[GNT]
God has in no way shown satisfaction for servants and leaders who misled His people by raising their hopes and confidence with false security. False prophecy always creates an arena for false security. Prophet who prophesies falsely is making merchandise of men, leaving their soul to perish by presenting to them their own inspiration and not the Lord’s!
It is always good to trust in the Lord with all our heart and mind because it is only those that trust in the Lord that will be like Mount Zion which cannot be removed but endures forever. The Lord made it very clear in His word that He will save those who love him and will protect those who acknowledge him as LORD. When they call to Him, He will answer them; when they are in trouble, He will be with them. He will rescue them and honor them. He will reward them with long life and will also save them.
The Lord’s security always rests assured because it carries the Lord’s mandate and recognition, whereas fake assurance that brings false security takes us nowhere other than regret and disappointments. In Jeremiah 23:16-18:
The LORD Almighty said to the people of Jerusalem, "Do not listen to what the prophets say; they are filling you with false hopes. They tell you what they have imagined and not what I have said. To the people who refuse to listen to what I have said, they keep saying that all will go well with them. And they tell everyone who is stubborn that disaster will never touch them." I said, "None of these prophets has ever known the LORD's secret thoughts. None of them has ever heard or understood his message, or ever listened or paid attention to what he said.
Despite all the Lord has done and is still doing to sensitize and inform His people, yet there are always those who are stubborn and unwilling to listen to the true prophets and leaders of God, but rather choose to listen and rely solely on what they hear from fake Prophets and Leaders who give them false hopes. An example of this is seen in 1 Kings 22:1-8. Ahab had four hundred Prophets who prophesied to him and assured him of the Lord’s support. But Jehoshaphat who asked him to consult the Lord was not convinced of the assurances and security that came from the four hundred masquerades who paraded themselves as prophets of the Lord. We see how bitter Ahab was against Micaiah son of Imlah, a no-nonsense prophet of the Lord who spoke only what the Lord wanted him to say.
This gives us a clear picture of the fact that in most situations the true prophets of the Lord are less considered, or of not much significance. They may be of high value in the sight of the Lord but most part of society will not consider them with high esteem, just because of the word of the Lord that came out of their mouths. Those who led humanity astray by giving them false hope and security are the ones the world embrace and honored so highly, while those who are committed to propagating the authentic voice of the Lord’s authority are always ignored by state institutions and society, except those obedient ones, whose heart and desires depend entirely on the Lord’s security and are willing to uphold the truth in His word. Trusting and relying on false security will always lead to an unexpected end.
The plans and thoughts of the Lord for our lives are good, they are not meant to harm us, but to give us hope and an expected end. The Lord is always ready to fulfill the desires of those who diligently seek Him, He hears their cries saves them.
Prayer: Lord Almighty! Empower me with a clear vision and ears to listen and hear clearly when You are speaking to me, that I will depend totally in You.