June 7, 2022

Passage Read: Ezekiel 12-15
Meditation Verse: 13:22

Thought

The false prophets make sad the righteous, though God has not brought pain on them, because by their lies they strengthen the hands of those who do wrong so that they won't repent and live. The righteous hear the false promises of the false prophets and are grieved, because they know the rest of the people aren't doing right and God is not pleased with them and will punish them because they need to repent. But because of the lying assurances of the false prophets, the people who need to repent think they are just fine. And always the false prophets outnumber the true, so how can a people who love to listen to lies ever recognize that disaster is on their doorstep? It is a tragedy, and the righteous, who are far outnumbered by the foolish, are helpless to save the people, and are in fact ostracized because of their faithfulness to the Truth.

Application

I see the lies, the false assurances, the promises of peace and blessing, but the people who eat up these promises don't believe their own sin, their pride, their arrogance, or the fact that they know little or nothing of the Lord! If they did, they would be weeping in repentance and shame! Instead, they feel out of sorts and gravitate towards anyone who will tell them that everything's going to be great. They don't recognize that their discomfort is conviction of sin by the Holy Spirit to bring them to repentance and change of ways. They don't want change, only promises of peace, so their hearts grow hard against Truth and against the Lord's Spirit, and all hope is lost for them, even while false messengers proclaim nothing but peace and blessing. Who wouldn't be grieved over such things?