Reading for February 24th

Read Ezekiel 13.1-23
Ezekiel must condemn prophets who announce peace (compare Jer 27-28).
In verses 1-7 Ezekiel charges the prophets with false prophecy, claiming that the prophesy
out of their own imagination rather than speak the word of God.
He compares them to jackals who live in the ruins of others rather than do something useful.
In verses 8-16 God is against those prophets who announce "Peace" when there is no peace.
Much like Hananiah in Jer 27-28, prophets of peace would have relied upon the Davidic
tradition of God's promise of security for the monarchy and Jerusalem.
Ezekiel compares these prophecies to a wall that is white-washed and then destroyed by
rain, hail, and wind.
Walls made of sun-dried brick are frequently destroyed by heavy rain and wind.
In verses 17-23 Ezekiel then condemns the women who prophesy falsely and practice divination.
Mirian (Ex 15.20-21), Deborah (Judg 4-5), and Huldah (2 Kings 22) demonstrate that female prophets appeared in both Israel and Judah.
He points to the divinatory side of their activities in which they employ wristbands and veils (see Moses' veil in Ex 34.29-35), and he indicates that they are paid for their services in barley and bread.
Prophecy was a profession in the ancient world (1 Sam 9.7, but contrast Am &.10-17).
The false prophetesses and diviners apparently play a role in deciding capital cases in which a person's life is at stake.
God will tear the bands from their hands and let the lives of such people go free like birds.
Birds were frequently employed in divination in the ancient world (see Isa 8.19).
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