Today, I am reading and commenting on Ezekiel 13-15.

Today’s passage starts with a prophecy against false prophets, against those who give spiritual guidance out of their own imagination rather than listening to what God has to say.  Rather than repair the breaches in the wall of people’s faith with solid materials, they have patched them over with sheet rock.  Then they have whitewashed their repairs in order to make it look solid, but when the enemy assaults the walls he will break through with almost no effort.  I read this and I think of those who today preach that sexual practices which God condemned are beautiful and of those who preach that being righteous is a path to wealth.  There are others, too numerous to list, who preach what people want to hear rather than call out their sins.  I think of those who are struggling with various mental and spiritual problems whom spiritual leaders are telling that it’s not really a problem.  People who are struggling with sinful behaviors who are being told, “That’s not a sin.  God loves you just as you are.”  The second part is true, and that is why He wants you to stop sinning.

Which brings me to the second prophecy in today’s passage: those who seek God’s guidance while worshiping an idol they have set up in their heart.  We need to examine our hearts for the things we place ahead of God in our lives.  Do we worship our country?  Our government? Our wealth (or, perhaps, wealth which we do not have)?  Is there an ideology we put ahead of serving God?  Do we already know that what we are doing is wrong?  There is an additional important point in Ezekiel’s message to the leaders who consulted him about the Lord’s will while secretly worshiping idols.  It was a message for religious leaders whom hypocrites reach out to for spiritual guidance.  When those who are putting on the appearance of serving God while going against His will approach someone for spiritual guidance, the answer from God is, “Repent and renounce ALL of your detestable practices.”  Really, if you are reading this blog you probably need to put yourself on both sides of this prophecy.  First, repent and renounce all of your practices which God finds detestable (by the way, He finds them detestable because they bring harm to yourself and to others).  Second, when someone who is practicing sinful behaviors comes to you for spiritual guidance, tell them to repent and renounce all of their practices which God finds detestable (don’t forget to remind them that God finds them detestable because they cause harm to the person who does them and harm to others).

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.