Ezekiel 13:22

Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad.

The baleful influence of infidelity

I. Infidelity exerts a baleful influence upon the righteous. Note the charge, “Because,” etc.

1. It casts a shadow upon his pathway. It is the shadow of midnight. Leaves him to grope his way in darkness. Ignoring God’s Word, it points to “the light of nature,” and says, “This is sufficient, walk here!” But these are questions that the voice of the winds, the hills, the stars do not answer, “Can sins be forgiven? If so, how?” In the hour of trial nature’s light grows dim. The mariner may follow the stars till the storm at midnight; then the lighthouse.

2. It is a blight to his sweetest joys. “Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad.” God makes the righteous glad, not sad. True religion is as the oil of joy to the heart. The righteous have “songs in the night.” But as frost is to the flower, so is unbelief to the better impulses of the heart. What ray of hope, what ground for rejoicing does infidelity afford? Ah! it is the ruthless hand that snatches away the staff upon which the struggling soul rests.

3. It seeks to undermine his hopes--strikes at the very foundation of them (Psalms 11:3). Ah! he may sit down in sadness and heave an unending sigh. He may hang his “harp upon the willows.”

II. Infidelity exerts a baleful influence upon the wicked.

1. It encourages him to follow his own inclinations as his guide. The false prophets are described as those “that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing.” So they taught all to do. And so is the spirit of infidelity in all ages of the world. The depraved heart is its criterion.

2. It encourages him to continue in sin--“That he should not return from his wicked way.” It advocates no such return. Nothing to turn from--nothing to turn to. Nay, it rather “strengthens his hands.”

3. It encourages him to dismiss from his mind all thought of the future. It cries to the sin-stricken soul, “Peace, peace. Think not of the hereafter; there may be none, no heaven to gain, no hell to shun. Be at peace!” It is opposed to God, good men, and bad men. It must be destroyed--Wall of bulrushes must fall--“There shall be an overflowing shower.” “And ye shall know that I am the Lord.” (M. L. Bibb.)

Making the righteous sad

That is a severe indictment. It was brought by God, and was addressed to the false prophets, and especially to the lying prophetess, who exercised their evil ministry in the days of Ezekiel. In holy wrath, the Lord hurls this flaming impeachment upon these cruel and deceitful ministrants, “Ye have grieved the heart of the righteous: whom I have not made sad.” (Revised Version.) We are here introduced to sad people. They were righteous--God declares them such. But they were full of grief. Grief and righteousness are often associated. But the sadness of these grieved ones was not imposed by God. He recognises the sorrow, but disavows it. “I have not made” them “sad” is His express word of repudiation. Sometimes sadness is from God. He doth not willingly grieve the children of men. Especially reluctant is He to grieve those who are covenanted unto Him. But anon He does it. Sadness is one of God’s methods of education for His righteous ones. “Thou didst it,” the saddened righteous can confidently and resignedly say in certain of life’s calamitous hours. Let all the sad inquire whence cometh their sadness. From what fountain does the dark and turbid stream arise? It may spring from yourself. Has some strong besetting sin wrecked your gladness? Sadness often originates in temperament. Do not blame God if you are melancholic; blame your yielding to your temperament. Grace can enable a man to rise above his temperament. If self makes a man presumptuous, it full as often makes him despondent. The worry of these worrying days frequently issues in sadness. O righteous one! Thy sadness is not the frown of thy God. Thou art cumbered with much serving. The pace of life is exhausting thee. God has not made you sad. Nerve and body and brain are overwrought. Sadness is wrought, all too often, by our fellow men. Why are you sad? “An enemy hath done this.” An ingrate friend is responsible. A prodigal child. A remorseless creditor. A thankless debtor. Oh, the inhumanity of humanity! Charge not God foolishly because of sadness. Asperse not the kind Lord. Satan often seeks to ruin us by sadness. Quite as often as by pleasure he seeks to spoil us by grief. Sadness is one of the fiercest of his “fiery darts.” Beware of Giant Despair, O pilgrim. I am sure we far too often charge God with our sadness. It is well we should weigh this ancient disclaimer of His: “Whom I have not made sad.” Trace your sadness to its true source. It may be that God has done it. But it may be He is in no wise responsible. Some impose sadness upon the righteous in God’s name. That is exactly what these false prophetesses did. The Almighty charges them with the high crime. He says, “Ye have made the heart of the righteous sad.” They had spoken in Jehovah’s name. They professed to be His forthtellers, but they lied. They spake “out of their own hearts.” What awful things have been done in God’s name! Men have stolen the livery of heaven to serve the devil in. In the name of God mankind has accomplished its worst infamies. Men have lied and persecuted and slain, claiming the while that they thereby fulfilled the counsel of God. Let us see if this wrong-doing is not perpetrated even in our time. Do not some confound religion and sadness? Assuredly they do. But, thank God, they are not synonymous. Religion and seriousness are essentially allied, but not so religion and sadness. “Say ye to the righteous, It shall be well with him.” The work of righteousness is not sadness, but peace and assurance. Do not measure the depth of a man’s piety by the length of his face. Sadness is far oftener the consequence of a disordered liver than of a righteous heart. Beware, above all things, of prophet or prophetess representing righteousness as essential sadness! Here is a great test of a ministry. Is it generally saddening to the righteous? Then it is undivine. They are no true prophets who make the heart of the righteous sad. Sadden the evil-doer by all means. Make him to pierce himself through with many sorrows. But do not sadden the righteous. Dr. A.B. Davidson renders my text, “Ye have discouraged the righteous.” So they showed how essentially ungodlike was their ministry. God never discourages the righteous. He is “the God of all encouragement.” He ministers every form of legitimate encouragement. God is the supreme encourager. Fellow servant of God, is yours a saddening ministry to the saint? Then there is surely a grave wrongness in it. Let all whose ideal and endeavour it is to be righteous be of good cheer. Refuse to be loaded with sadness in God’s name. “Be glad in the Lord, ye righteous, and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.” How had these godless prophetesses accomplished their beglooming ministry? The Lord supplies the answer, and in no measured terms: “With lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad.” They had uttered false predictions of calamities which were to descend upon the godly. False teaching usually has a saddening effect upon the righteous. Truth sometimes makes God’s people sad, but it is not intended to do so. But “lies” palmed off as religious truth make the heart of the righteous sad. They often encourage and delight the evil-doer. They give him warrant to take his licence. Today, as in days past, we can readily see false teaching working upon the righteous its unkindly work. This is true of teaching which is intrinsically false. Inveracious theologies sadden the righteous. What evil presentations we sometimes hear and read! He is represented now as a despot, and now as morally indifferent. A false theology makes the heart of the righteous sad. Has not erroneous teaching concerning the Bible the same effect? If its inspiration were the dubious thing it is sometimes declared to be, it would indeed be a miserable estate in which the righteous are found. When the Word of God is described as a farago of myths and legends and forgeries, is not the heart of the righteous sad? False teaching regarding the atonement works kindred sorrow. Paul said, “We joy in God, by whom we have received the atonement.” Destroy that cardinal truth, and you make the heart of the righteous sad. Resolve the death of Christ into a martyrdom, an ethical example, the supreme historic instance of altruism, and you dry up the freshest spring of gladness which humanity knows. Preach the doleful tidings that our moral chains must weight us long as we live beneath. And by such erroneous teaching the heart of the righteous is fatally saddened. Proclaim that there is no privilege of assurance for God’s children. And again you plunge the righteous in nocturnal gloom. But this sadness is evoked not alone by indoctrination which is inherently false, but by that which is such relatively. When true teaching is perverted in its application, it has the value of false teaching. This was the fallacy of which Job’s comforters were guilty. They were capable theologians. Their theology was true in its essence, but false in its application. Thereby they made Job’s heart sad with sore sadness. We must study the relativity of truth. Truth misapplied is as untruth. Assurance is a glorious truth, and a radiant possibility for all, but preach it as essential to salvation, and you must make the heart of the righteous sad. There is a Divine retribution for such as give sadness to the righteous. In the two verses which precede the text, the particular punishment of these false prophetesses is described. And the verse of my text adds that it is “because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad.” In the verse which follows the threat of God is repeated. All who effect this saddening of the saints shall suffer for their deed. This principle has worldwide application. Let ministers and teachers of religion beware lest God judge them for this disservice to His people. Oh, the delicacy of our office who speak God’s messages! Masters and mistresses need to watch their ways in this regard. Take heed lest inadvertently you make the heart of a righteous servant sad. Friends and acquaintances should be alert to prevent this evil. A thoughtless word may arouse the anger of God by creating sadness in His righteous ones. Restrain unkind speech. Parents may grieve right-doing children. Oh, pray that the judgment of God may never light on us because we have made the heart of the righteous sad! We do a godly deed when we cheer the righteous. Is not that plainly implied in this word of Jehovah which we are studying? We are never more clearly “God’s fellow workers” than when we hearten God’s people. Be sure you are a true minister of Christ if you encourage the righteous. They greatly need good cheer in these strenuous days. They have grievous burdens to bear. Covet to be an encourager! Strive to uplift the heart of God’s people. Do you ask how you can accomplish this grateful ministry? Speak cheering words. We can hearten the righteous by kindly acts. Eloquent deeds have a sonority which no eloquent speech can attain. A timely gift may fill a sad heart with melody sweeter than an angel’s song. Our very deportment may accomplish the service of God upon sad souls. There is a Gospel in some men’s smile. Faces may be benedictions. Righteousness is the ultimate cure of sadness. Does not this text proclaim that gospel? Character is the final secret of gladness. They who hate evil and do righteousness are anointed with gladness above their fellows. The righteous have a right of gladness. This is especially true in the Christian dispensation. Christian righteousness is realised by faith in the crucified and risen Lord. Such as believe rejoice in the Lord, and this joy none can take from them. (D. T. Young.).