Ezekiel 13 - Introduction

Chapter 13. Yahweh's Denunciation of Prophets Who Prophesy Their Own Ideas.

Ezekiel has depicted the failure of the leaders of the people, the princes, the priests and the elders. Now he turns his attention on ‘the prophets', probably the cult prophets. They too have failed Israel. These men had been appointed by, and attached to, the temple, or to other recognised sanctuaries, who paid their wages (compare Zechariah 11:12), and they were supposed to have some gift of divine inspiration. Many had gone into exile with the others. But Ezekiel is to point out that they really speak their own ideas, and not Yahweh's, for they say only what men want to hear. They are not opening themselves to the inspiration of Yahweh in accordance with His teachings and with His word. The denunciation is then also applied to the prophetesses who use doubtful means to establish their ideas (Ezekiel 13:17).

This was the constant complaint of earlier true prophets (1 Kings 22:22; Isaiah 28:7, where strong drink was to blame; Micah 3:5), and especially of Jeremiah who spoke in a similar way to Ezekiel (Jeremiah 2:8; Jeremiah 5:31; Jeremiah 6:13; Jeremiah 8:10; Jeremiah 14:14; Jeremiah 18:18; Jeremiah 23:9; Jeremiah 26:8; Jeremiah 27:9; Jeremiah 28:1). Note the reference to false prophets in Babylonia (Jeremiah 29:21). They were there as well. The troubles that had come on Judah in its final days caused men to lean heavily on the cult prophets, but Ezekiel tells us that all that they heard was lies and self delusion.