1 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2 "Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts, 'Hear ye the word of the Lord;'"
There were many men going around saying God was done punishing Israel and was fixing to bless them. They were even predicting the immediate fall of Babylon, something that wouldn’t happen for some time yet.
3 "'Thus says the Lord God; Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!'"
Beware, those who say what they want to happen, claiming it is from God when it’s not!
4 "'O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts.'"
Most more modern translations use the word Jackal instead of fox. The translators of the King James would not have been very familiar with jackals, though foxes were quite common in England and probably the closest relative to the Jackal on their island.
Though a fox is a pretty little hunter, rather noble, and renowned for his slyness, a jackal is a scavenger. They will take advantage of any opportunity to eat and will show no mercy. They are nasty, scary, repulsive critters. I think it far more likely that God had jackals in mind when He gave Ezekiel this message.
The false prophets are opportunists, looking for their own profit and glory no matter who they hurt in the process. They caused the destruction of Israel because many who might have repented didn’t due to their ministry.
5 "'Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the Lord.'"
The prophets didn’t help the people prepare for battle. In fact, their lies encouraged the people to NOT prepare.
“The day of the Lord” is a term used throughout the Bible meaning the day/time God has appointed for some event.
6 "'They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The Lord says: and the Lord has not sent them: and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word.
7 "'Have ye not seen a vain vision, and have ye not spoken a lying divination, whereas ye say, The Lord says it; albeit I have not spoken?'"
It is a heavy responsibility to make sure that when we speak it is really of God. There are souls on the line.
8 "Therefore thus says the Lord God; 'Because ye have spoken vanity, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you,' says the Lord God."
9 "'And Mine hand shall be upon the prophets that see vanity, and that divine lies: they shall not be in the assembly of My people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the Lord God.'"
There were no false prophets that returned to Israel or that were left by Nebuchadnezzar to keep the land. God made sure they were all killed.
10 "'Because, even because they have seduced My people, saying, "Peace;" and there was no peace; and one built up a wall, and, lo, others daubed it with untempered mortar:'"
The mortar commonly used in this area at this time was made with lyme and was very strong. Untempered mortar would be missing this lyme, and thus would be little more than paint.
The New Living Translation words this; "This will happen because these evil prophets deceive My people by saying, All is peaceful when there is no peace at all! It’s as if the people have built a flimsy wall, and these prophets are trying to reinforce it by covering it with whitewash!" (Paint)
It only took one person suggesting that prosperity was on the way for the people to begin building a wall against repentance. The other prophets made that hope stronger by making it pretty, instead of building on the True Foundation of God’s truth.
11 "Say unto them which daub it with untempered mortar, that it shall fall: there shall be an overflowing shower; and ye, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall rend it."
A large storm will destroy any wall made with untempered mortar (or paint instead!) Israel was not building with the right materials. She was building with false prophecies and arrogancey. She did not stand when the storm of the Chaldean army hit. She fell flat.
12 "Lo, when the wall is fallen, shall it not be said unto you, 'Where is the daubing wherewith ye have daubed it ?'"
All of us outside of 500-600BC Israel look at them and wonder why they didn’t just repent and obey God instead of being so stubborn and continuing their sins. Of course, we have to be careful in doing so that we don’t miss the same sins in our lives.
13 "Therefore thus says the Lord God; 'I will even rend it with a stormy wind in My fury; and there shall be an overflowing shower in Mine anger, and great hailstones in My fury to consume it.'"
The Babylonian army was this great storm God was sending on them.
14 "'So will I break down the wall that ye have daubed with untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be discovered, and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof: and ye shall know that I am the Lord.
15 "'Thus will I accomplish My wrath upon the wall, and upon them that have daubed it with untempered mortar, and will say unto you, The wall is no more, neither they that daubed it;'"
When we base our culture on ungodly principles, we can expect nothing less than total destruction.
16 "'To wit, the prophets of Israel which prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and which see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace,' says the Lord God."
God explains that the whitewash or undaubed mortar is the prophets’ lies. There would simply be no more peace.
17 Likewise, thou son of man, set thy face against the daughters of thy people, which prophesy out of their own heart; and prophesy thou against them,
This does not condemn these women for prophesying because they were women. In fact, the Bible lists many female prophets (Miriam, Huldah, Deborah, Phillip’s daughters, Pricilla, etc.). God’s problem with these women was that they said they were speaking for Him but were really making things up in their own heads; the same problem He had with the men prophets.
18 And say, "Thus says the Lord God; 'Woe to the women that sew pillows to all armholes, and make kerchiefs upon the head of every stature to hunt souls! Will ye hunt the souls of My people, and will ye save the souls alive that come unto you?'"
There is a disagreement among scholars about the translation here. Some believe these pillows were reclining pillows and couches made for the purpose of committing adultery. However, the context doesn’t mention adultery at all, and God is not shy to point it out when it’s happening.
Other scholars believe this should have been interpreted “charms for the finger joints,” instead of “pillows to all armholes.” That actually does make more sense. These were magic charms to aid them in telling the future and fortunes of their customers. Or it could be applied to them casting charms that bind the hand of God.
19 "'And will ye pollute Me among My people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to slay the souls that should not die, and to save the souls alive that should not live, by your lying to My people that hear your lies?'"
“Woe to them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”- Isaiah 5:20
It is the human being’s nature to get it backwards and glorify the bad and despise the good.
20 "Wherefore thus says the Lord God; 'Behold, I am against your pillows, wherewith ye there hunt the souls to make them fly, and I will tear them from your arms, and will let the souls go, even the souls that ye hunt to make them fly.'"
This should be worded something like, “I am against your spells that you use to capture souls made to fly. I will rip those souls away from you and let them go free.”
21 "'Your kerchiefs also will I tear, and deliver My people out of your hand, and they shall be no more in your hand to be hunted; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.'"
God left no doubt that it was He who destroyed these evil people.
22 "'Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life:'"
Again, the false prophetesses called evil good and good evil. They discouraged the righteous and encouraged the evil.
There is so much of this going on today, too. It is considered evil in our culture to identify and call out sin, naming it for what it is. It is called noble to accept any sin-choice as an acceptable life style.
23 "'Therefore ye shall see no more vanity, nor divine divinations: for I will deliver My people out of your hand: and ye shall know that I am the Lord.'"