QT 6/29/2023 Ezek 13:8-12, Whitewashing sin ("pride month")

Ezekiel 13:8–12 (ESV) —

8 Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Because you have uttered falsehood and seen lying visions, therefore behold, I am against you, declares the Lord God. 9 My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and who give lying divinations. They shall not be in the council of my people, nor be enrolled in the register of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord God. 10 Precisely because they have misled my people, saying, ‘Peace,’ when there is no peace, and because, when the people build a wall, these prophets smear it with whitewash, 11 say to those who smear it with whitewash that it shall fall! There will be a deluge of rain, and you, O great hailstones, will fall, and a stormy wind break out. 12 And when the wall falls, will it not be said to you, ‘Where is the coating with which you smeared it?’

 

NOTE: It seems there are two ways of viewing this. Most commentators see it spiritually. These false prophets were whitewashing their spiritual condition. Rather than pointing out the sin that was to be the cause of their destruction, there were covering it over with "supportive" prophecies. This is much like the false prophets of today, who tell people homosexuality is okay, and even make arguments in the scripture to that effect. Similarly is the gender dysphoria movement which seeks to affirm the lost in their sin. We have a pride month to take away the shame of sin. It is all whitewash and it cannot cover up what God's word truly says -- it is sin. And it is our sin and rebellion which will destroy us.

 

The second view I had was the people of Jerusalem repairing or strengthening a section of the wall, and then a false prophet comes by and paints it in a whitewash as a symbolic act that it will never fall. Consequently the people trust in the wall, not repenting of the sin or turning to God for their salvation.

 

PONDER:

1. Are there sins that I whitewash, that I pretend are not that big of a deal?

 

PRAYER: Father, it seems so impossible, it has taken so few years, but we have emerged as a nation where most sin is okay and good in the eyes of society. We have whitewashed our destruction. Open our eyes to truth. May some still repent and turn back to you -- our only hope of salvation from ourselves and the evil one.