What does "the days go by" reveal about Israel's attitude toward prophecy? Setting the Scene in Ezekiel 12:22 “Son of man, what is this proverb you have in the land of Israel: ‘The days go by, and every vision fails’?” (Ezekiel 12:22) Israel's Cynical Proverb: "The days go by..." • Spoken while Ezekiel is already exiled in Babylon (593 BC), yet Jerusalem still stands. • The people rehearse this saying whenever Ezekiel announces fresh judgment: time keeps passing, and nothing Ezekiel predicted has hit home—so, they conclude, it never will. What the Phrase Reveals About Their Attitude • Doubt masquerading as wisdom – They consider themselves realists; God labels them scoffers (Ezekiel 12:26–27). • Hard-hearted unbelief – Prophecy equals fairy-tale to them because it hasn’t marched on their schedule. • Willful dismissal of accountability – If “every vision fails,” then no need to repent. • Spiritual lethargy – Delay breeds complacency (cf. Proverbs 13:12 “Hope deferred makes the heart sick”). • Contempt for God’s messenger – By ridiculing Ezekiel’s timelines, they implicitly reject the God who sent him. God's Response: Prophecy Will Not Delay “Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: I will put an end to this proverb… Every vision will be fulfilled.’” (Ezekiel 12:23,25) • The Lord shortens the interval: “None of My words will be delayed any longer” (v. 28). • Within six years Jerusalem falls (586 BC)—literal fulfillment silences the proverb. Parallels in Scripture • 2 Peter 3:3–4,9 – “Scoffers will come… saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming?’… The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise.” • Isaiah 5:19 – “Let Him hurry… so we may see it.” Same mockery, same blindness. • Habakkuk 2:3 – “Though it lingers, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.” Takeaways for Believers Today • Prophetic delay tests faith; it never nullifies God’s word. • Scoffing spreads; guard conversation and company (1 Corinthians 15:33). • God’s timing is purposeful—merciful to the repentant, just toward the unrepentant. • Trust the literal fulfillment of every promise in Christ’s return (Revelation 22:7, 12). |
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