What is the meaning of Ezekiel 13:2? Son of man Ezekiel 13:2 opens with God addressing Ezekiel: “Son of man.” • The title underscores Ezekiel’s humanity and God’s authority. Though Ezekiel is a mere man, he carries God’s infallible word (Ezekiel 2:1–3; 3:17). • It reminds readers that God graciously chooses ordinary servants to bear His perfect message, just as He later did with the apostles (Acts 4:13). • The phrase also signals responsibility. Ezekiel must faithfully relay what God says, much like Paul’s charge to Timothy to “preach the word” (2 Timothy 4:2). prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are now prophesying God commands Ezekiel to confront other “prophets,” exposing their error. • These so-called prophets delivered soothing messages that contradicted God’s looming judgment (Jeremiah 23:16-17; Micah 3:5). • The phrase “now prophesying” shows the urgency; their deceptive words were active and influential, requiring immediate correction (Isaiah 30:10). • God’s true spokesman must sometimes oppose popular voices, even inside the covenant community, paralleling Elijah’s stand against the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:19-21). Tell those who prophesy out of their own imagination: Hear the word of the LORD! The heart of the verse exposes the counterfeit source of their messages—human imagination, not divine revelation. • False prophecy springs from self-generated ideas, dreams, and desires (Jeremiah 23:25-27), producing spiritual blindness (Isaiah 29:13-14). • God’s command, “Hear the word of the LORD,” is both invitation and warning. Submission to His authentic word is the only safeguard (Deuteronomy 18:20-22; 2 Peter 1:19-21). • The contrast between “imagination” and “the word of the LORD” highlights the timeless test for truth: does a message align with Scripture? Compare the Bereans who examined “the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11). summary Ezekiel 13:2 calls out false voices in Israel, charging Ezekiel to confront them with God’s unchanging truth. The verse shows: • God uses ordinary people to deliver His authoritative word. • Genuine prophecy stands over against popular but deceptive messages. • The ultimate test of any teaching is whether it comes from human imagination or the revealed word of the Lord. Genuine believers still heed that call today: “Hear the word of the LORD!” |
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