Few years ago, I wrote a blog Ezekiel’s Call and mentioned these following words, ‘A prophet only had one job, which was to speak whatever the Lord (God) commanded him to speak. Even if it meant being rejected by others, the prophet had to obey. Prophets were unpopular because they did not tell people what they wanted to hear.’

There were a few challenges that prophets faced in the Old Testament. It wasn’t just the hardened hearts of the people or witnessing the consequences of their rebellion. They also dealt with false prophets. These were people who prophesied in God’s name when they were not given authority to do so (Ezekiel 13:2-6; Jeremiah 14:13-15; 23:9-22). They caused division within God’s people, perverted the way of righteousness, and brought confusion.

It may seem as though false prophets are a thing of the past; “ancient history” and nothing to worry about. However, they are still around, and their agenda has not changed. They may not say “Thus saith the Lord” but their words still fall to the ground. For some reason, people still follow them. Why? The answer may lie in one of Ezekiel’s messages.

1. Hidden idols.

A prophet was God’s mouthpiece, and they only spoke whatever they’ve heard from Him. For them to be used by God, it meant that they had to be consecrated; set apart. They walked in the fear of the Lord (instead of the fear of man, endured trials that were unique to them for the sake of refinement. This was to ensure that their messages were pure and not corrupted by the culture around them.

In the Old Testament, whenever people wanted to hear a word from the Lord, they would seek a prophet, who would enquire on their behalf. This was the usual custom to receive divine instructions. For example, before kings go to war (1 Kings 22:7-8; 2 Kings 3:11-12); when judgment fell on a nation (Numbers 21:4-9; 1 Chronicles 21:9-13) or for healing (2 Kings 5:8-11).

Ezekiel 14:1-3
Now some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me. ² And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ³ “Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts, and put before them that which causes them to stumble into iniquity. Should I let Myself be inquired of at all by them?

The elders came to Ezekiel to inquire of the Lord; however, God could see that they had idols in their hearts. These were carved images that had eyes but could not see, ears but could not hear and mouths but could not speak (Psalm 135:15-17). Their hearts were divided because they loved foreign gods, despite knowing that such actions would cause them to stumble or fall into sin even more.

And yet, they still wanted to hear a word from God, while disregarding all His other messages. At that moment, God was grieved. This was why He asked, ‘Should I let Myself be inquired of at all by them?’. What was the point of speaking to His people, if they made it a habit to ignore every instruction and warning? What was the point of speaking, if they were not going to listen? And how could they, if they’ve made their idols their god and not the one true living God.

They had forgotten that God searches the heart and mind. There is nothing that hidden in His sight. Sometimes we can seek God without realizing that we have desires that we have not surrendered. Often, the idols in our hearts compete with God’s voice – we want our will to be His will. We may ask the Lord a question but deep down, we have already determined what the answer will be.

If we are not willing to submit ourselves (desires included) to Him, it will be hard to discern the difference between what is right and almost right. The elders were deceived and thought they could have both God and their multitude of idols. It is not possible to serve two masters; there will always be one that you love more than the other (Matthew 6:24a). In other words, there will be one that you are more obedient to than the other. For us to not fall into deception, we must first be honest with ourselves. Whose voice do we really want to hear?

2. Warnings dismissed.

Ezekiel 14:6 (NIV)
“Therefore, say to the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Repent! Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices!

The word repentance can be perceived as a negative word, but it means to ‘change one’s mind’. It is our way of communicating to God that we have forsaken our previous ways and have chosen to surrender to His way. The elders wanted a word from the Lord, but God wanted to deal with the idols in their heart. This might frustrate some, but our soul is more important than whatever we are seeking. What we are unwilling to address, God will confront.

True prophets point people to God (Jeremiah 23:22) while false prophets draw people to themselves and become like “god”. We must be careful not to put our sole trust or depend on a human being to “hear from God”, regardless of their accuracy. The bible encourages us to test every spirit (1 John 4:1). Even if such a person is “prophetic”, they are not our substitute for God. Whether we realize this or not, this is a subtle form of idolatry.

There is no voice on earth that should be exalted above the voice of God. He did not deliver us, only to abandon us. The Lord desires to speak to all of us, we are His children. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit work together in unity. Therefore, any word (prophecy, dream/vision) or “confirmation” that we receive should not contradict God’s word or character.

Ezekiel 14:8 (NIV)
I will set my face against them [Israelites, foreigners] and make them an example and a byword. I will remove them from my people. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

There were no exceptions to the rule (whether it was a citizen or sojourner) because God cared about protecting His people. It was for this reason that the Lord was going to remove those who were in rebellion, so that they would not influence others. It was not meant to humiliate them but to teach them. By making an example out of them, it was to warn others. Above all, it was to restore their relationship with God (Ezekiel 14:10-11).

On the surface, false prophets portray themselves to have the Israelites best interest and often prophesied “peace” and prosperity, but this led to their destruction (Jeremiah 8:9-12). They offered false hope and empty promises, causing despair and disappointment (Jeremiah 23:16; Ezekiel 13:10-11). Anyone who has ever dealt with them, eventually realizes the painful truth. They were never for you but are only interested in what they could gain (Ezekiel 13:19).

3. Reject truth.

Before God gives us over to the desires of our flesh, there is always a warning. The Lord will always make His ways known to us, but we get to decide whether we want to walk in it. When we continually reject the truth (or correction), we have chosen to accept the lie. If we make the conscious decision to disobey God (even after we have been warned), He will allow us to have our way.

This should not be confused with support but rather, He is respecting our free-will. Similarly, Paul taught this in Romans 1:28 ‘And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.’ This meant that the lust of the flesh was exercised without restraint because they chose to dishonor God. If the false prophet wanted to prophesy outside of God’s command, so be it.

Ezekiel 14:9-10
And if the prophet is enticed to utter a prophecy, I the Lord have enticed that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand against him and destroy him from among my people Israel. They will bear their guilt—the prophet will be as guilty as the one who consults him. 

Both the false prophet and those who inquire about them will both receive their reward (Jeremiah 27:15).  It may seem ‘harsh’ or ‘unfair’ because they were simply trying to “hear God”. However, the Israelites had a pattern of rejecting the word of the Lord. The Israelites wanted to receive messages that were more palatable. They deliberately sought men and women to prophesy, without realizing that they practiced divination (Jeremiah 14:14; Ezekiel 13:18).

Rather than get rid of their idols, they wanted to keep them and were drawn to anyone who turned a blind eye to their sin (Jeremiah 23:17). Maybe that’s why false prophets have a platform in this present age. What people seek after has taught them to know their audience and has taught them what to prophesy. Whether we realize this, we have all been guilty of acting in a similar way (and it’s not just with false prophets).

The same behavior can be evident in our personal walk with God subconsciously. For example, when we desire something so much that anyone who doesn’t come into agreement with us becomes the enemy. We surround ourselves with people who will tell us what we want to hear instead of what we need to hear. We search for “truth”, but we’re looking for a different truth that is devoid of conviction and avoids transformation. When truth is deliberately ignored – deception is inevitable.

It’s easy to shift the blame without accepting the fact that we also have a part to play. If God reveals the idols in our hearts and we choose not to repent, then we are walking in disobedience. When we continually reject the truth, our hearts will harden, and this makes it difficult to hear God’s voice. It becomes dangerous when we cannot discern the difference between the Holy Spirit versus a lying spirit.

More than ever, we need discernment in these times. It’s only when we are submitted to God’s word and not our flesh, that our spiritual discernment can be strengthened. In a culture where people want to hear a message from God without having to spend time with Him, may our hunger to consume God’s word be greater than our desire to receive a prophetic word.

God bless,
Susan.