This chapter is a rebuke against the leaders who proclaim visions for God which are not and the women who lead the people astray through magic beads & other idolatry. While God has been generally hard on the nation of Israel, calling out their unfaithfulness and idolatry, he’s specifically hard on the leaders here. He acknowledges in Ezekiel 13:19 that the people are willing to listen to lies, but that doesn’t matter in God’s mind. He still holds the leaders accountable for their false teaching and false hope that they give the people.
\nReading between the lines, they have evidently loved their position and standing more than God or His people. They refused to call out their sin, instead proclaiming peace where there is none (Ezekiel 13:10). It is not as though they are unaware of the sin. In fact, Ezekiel 13:10-16 talk about how the people built a wall and the prophets whitewashed it. In other words, the people built up their sins and the prophets attempted to make it look OK rather than calling it out.
\nAs leaders, it can be tempting to do that ourselves. We get close to the people we lead, they are our dearest friends. We feel protective of them, rightfully so, but that can lead to the desire to help them cover their sin rather than deal with it. We forget that it is the Lord we serve and look out for first and foremost, not the people. Of course, we can also go the other way and deal with sin harshly, forgetting that is the Lord we serve, not the rule book.
\nAs leaders, God holds us accountable for pointing the people to Him. Not to the Bible itself (though in it we find God) nor to us (though God is working through us), but to God. We must always remember that.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"