Ezekiel 13:2-6
“‘Preach to them the real thing. Tell them, ‘Listen to GOD’s Message!’ GOD, the Master, pronounces doom on the empty-headed prophets who do their own thing and know nothing of what’s going on! Your prophets, Israel, are like jackals scavenging through the ruins. They haven’t lifted a finger to repair the defenses of the city and have risked nothing to help Israel stand on GOD’s Day of Judgment. All they do is fantasize comforting illusions and preach lying sermons. They say ‘GOD says . . .’ when GOD hasn’t so much as breathed in their direction. And yet they stand around thinking that something they said is going to happen.”
“‘Son of man, prophesy against the false prophets of Israel who are inventing their own prophecies. Say to them, ‘Listen to the word of the LORD. This is what the Sovereign LORD says: What sorrow awaits the false prophets who are following their own imaginations and have seen nothing at all!’ ‘O people of Israel, these prophets of yours are like jackals digging in the ruins. They have done nothing to repair the breaks in the walls around the nation. They have not helped it to stand firm in battle on the day of the LORD. Instead, they have told lies and made false predictions. They say, ‘This message is from the LORD,’ even though the LORD never sent them. And yet they expect him to fulfill their prophecies!”
Who are the false prophets in our time? We could look to cults but there are others:
• Advertising that says, “Buy this and you will be fulfilled and glamorous,”
• Political leaders who sow dissatisfaction to promote themselves,
• Academics who revise history to suit their own agendas,
• Journalists who allow their reporting to slide into commentary promoting their own bias without notifying their reader.
These and other false prophets believe they fill a vital role in our culture but do nothing to actually help people weather life. They are scavenging jackals, preaching illusions, foretelling their preferred version of reality. They are the house upon the sand. (Matthew 7:26) God gives us an intellect so we can curate what goes into our heads. He gives us his written word as a plumb line. We have a conscience the Spirit uses to convict of right and wrong. Only God is the sage of the ages, not contemporary self-styled oracles. His truth strengthens our many cultural bonds and glues us together. Listen to him.
Lord, the voices competing for my attention are many. Give me wisdom to sift and sort in choosing which to attend to. Thank you for the peace of using you as my plumb line. May I share it with others who struggle under a load of worry and fear. You are mighty and have all things in your hands.