Ezekiel 13
Scripture
Ezekiel 13:8
“Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because what you say is false and your visions are a lie, I will stand against you, says the Sovereign Lord.”
Observation-What does it say?
Ezekiel gets word from the Lord to prophesy against the false prophets of Israel. These false prophets are speaking lies and giving false promises to God's people. What's even worse is they are claiming it is God who spoke to them and gave them these promises, when God has not even spoke to them at all. They are misleading God's people and they have erupted God's anger in the process.
Understanding-What does it mean?
Beware of counterfeiters of God's Word!
It's unfortunate that we live in a world that people will take advantage of other people's faith, and use it for their own personal gain. If we as Christ Followers aren't careful, and not deeply rooted in God's Word, we too can fall victim to some of these false prophets that they speak in this chapter of Ezekiel. We must be on alert for these "wolves in sheep's clothing"!
“Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.” Matthew 7:15-20 NLT
Life Application
Do I know God and His Word well enough to not be duped by those who try to counterfeit it?
The only way to be able to spot a counterfeit dollar bill, is to truly know what the real one looks, smells, and feels like...even down to every little detail!
Being in a constant relationship with Jesus (through prayer, reading His Word, and journaling), helps protect us from these counterfeits. Because the more we know God for who He is, we also know the things that He is not. The more we read and understand God's Word, the more we know to check to see if the words that some may say come from God, truly match up and align with God's Word. So let's not be the ones who get duped and misled by these false prophets. Let's start our defense against these "wolves in sheep's clothing" by knowing our Lord and Savior better. Let's be in constant relationship with Him each and every day so we can identify the truth from the phony!