This passage was also part of my reading in these last few weeks. It speaks powerfully to me personally, with respect to the ministry of preaching and teaching. But it also continues to be applicable to Israel, which was, of course, the original context. Ezekiel prophesied to the captives in Babylon, at the same time Jeremiah was prophesying in Jerusalem. At the time, there were many prophets in Jerusalem who were preaching a message of peace, that God would never allow His temple to be destroyed but would come to Israel’s aid against Babylon. That message was being preached in Babylon as well, among the captives. It was a “pro-military” message while Jeremiah was accused of discouraging the military (Jer. 38:4).
What was the problem
with this “peace” message? It’s not just
that it was a lie, something God had not told these prophets to say. As Ezekiel put it, the message was missing
something. The picture was of a wall of
protection. The people needed a wall, a message
from God, in which they could put their hope, in which they could be
protected. The “peace” message was akin
to building a wall, and using “untempered” mortar to hold it all together. The mortar wasn’t proven. And that would be disastrous when the enemy came
against the people.
So, what was missing
from the message? The easy answer is
just to say, they were lying. They were
not saying what God said. Very true. And you can say that the lie is that there
will be peace when there won’t be peace.
Also, very true. But I am certain
we can be more specific. What is missing
is “Jesus!” After all, “the testimony of
Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Rev. 19:10).
More specifically, Jesus
is the Son of God who, according to Psalm 2, will receive the nations as an
inheritance and will rule from Mt. Zion.
This promise of the Father, called in other places “the mystery of God”
(Col. 2:2; Rev. 10:7), contains all the other major aspects of God’s plan for
creation. It includes the choice of
Israel as His people, the promise of the land, the salvation of the nation
(spiritual and national), and the New Covenant (Church, indwelling Spirit,
rapture).
The false prophets
were convinced God would not destroy the temple because He had to keep His
promise to place His name on Jerusalem forever.
But if God did it there way, the nation would never be saved. There would be no Savior apart from Israel’s
blind rejection of Jesus. Thus, these
prophets could claim to speak a “Biblical” message but it was an incomplete
Biblical message.
Further, the false
prophets assumed that God would save Judah/Israel by blessing their army. Like the future antichrist, they worshiped a
false god, a “god of fortresses” (Dan. 11:37-38). But the Bible says Jesus will destroy the
rebellious nations with the breath of His mouth and the brightness of
His coming (2 Th. 2:8).
The message of the Messiah, missing in Ezekiel’s
day, is missing today. Until Israel submits
to the Prince of Peace, there will be no peace.
It’s not surprise that, as they seek to destroy Hamas, the voices
against Israel grow louder and louder.
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