Ezekiel Study, Chapter 13 Conclusion (Ezekiel 13:17-23)
Rev. William L. Barron, March 11, 2020Part of the Wednesday Bible Study series, preached at a Wednesday Bible Study service
A prophet's office is to declare the Word of God. While women could not be priests, they could prophetesses, serving as judges. The denunciation from God here is that these prophetesses were providing false counsel from their own imaginations. This false counsel had the effect of preventing people from becoming aware of their need to obey and repent. Obedience and love are linked, and they produce repentance. False counsel causes people to see no need to repent. These false prophetesses dabbled in magic and minimizing the attributes of God. The veils they wore were like nets that entrap unsuspecting inquirers. Rather than leading people to the Lord, they led people into heresy. For a reliable insight into the role of women in the church today, consider a recent article by Guy Prentiss Waters of Reformed Theological Seminary/Jackson:
https://tabletalkmagazine.com/article/2020/03/women-in-the-pulpit/
| Earlier: | Same day: | Later: |
|---|---|---|
| « Discerning God's Directives: Why Move? | None | Fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant » |
Ezekiel 13:17–23 (Listen)
17 “And you, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people, who prophesy out of their own hearts. Prophesy against them 18 and say, Thus says the Lord GOD: Woe to the women who sew magic bands upon all wrists, and make veils for the heads of persons of every stature, in the hunt for souls! Will you hunt down souls belonging to my people and keep your own souls alive? 19 You have profaned me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, putting to death souls who should not die and keeping alive souls who should not live, by your lying to my people, who listen to lies.
20 “Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am against your magic bands with which you hunt the souls like birds, and I will tear them from your arms, and I will let the souls whom you hunt go free, the souls like birds. 21 Your veils also I will tear off and deliver my people out of your hand, and they shall be no more in your hand as prey, and you shall know that I am the LORD. 22 Because you have disheartened the righteous falsely, although I have not grieved him, and you have encouraged the wicked, that he should not turn from his evil way to save his life, 23 therefore you shall no more see false visions nor practice divination. I will deliver my people out of your hand. And you shall know that I am the LORD.”
(ESV)