God reminds Ezekiel that he is living among a rebellious people who refuse to see or hear His warnings. To deliver His message, God instructs Ezekiel to enact a prophetic sign of exile. Before the people’s eyes, he is to pack his belongings, dig through a wall, and carry his things away at dusk, symbolising the coming captivity of Jerusalem. This acted sign serves as a warning to the prince of Jerusalem and to all who remain in the city. Just as Ezekiel moves into exile, so the people—together with their prince—will be taken away. The prince will attempt to escape under cover of darkness with his possessions, but God will trap him, bring him to Babylon, and he will die there without ever seeing the land.
I will spread my net for him, and he will be caught in my snare; I will bring him to Babylonia, the land of the Chaldeans, but he will not see it, and there he will die.
Ezekiel 12:13 (NIV)
Ironically, Abram left the same land of the Chaldeans to follow the voice of God into the land promised to his descendants. Yet, fifteen centuries later, his descendants were stripped of their inheritance and taken as captives back to the same land that Abram came from, now under Babylonian rule. The Israelites had rejected their Maker for the religion of the world, and in doing so, they lost their connection with Him and could no longer recognise when they began slipping into this downward spiral.
The LORD Scatters
“They will know that I am the LORD, when I disperse them among the nations and scatter them through the countries. But I will spare a few of them from the sword, famine and plague, so that in the nations where they go they may acknowledge all their detestable practices. Then they will know that I am the LORD. ”
Ezekiel 12:15-16 (NIV)
Does the LORD gather or scatter His people? In many ways, it is like a phone that is plugged into the wall. When it is charging, it remains in one place, drawing strength and power. But the real purpose of the phone is fulfilled when it goes out and functions where it is needed. In the same way, God sometimes gathers His people so they may be strengthened, restored, and equipped. Yet His intention is not that we remain stationary in our comfort. He equips us to spread His love, but we often become content to share it only within the safety of our fellowship. He sends us out so that His purpose may be fulfilled through us.
We often hold a flawed perception of the will of God in our lives. When everything appears stable, orderly, and comfortable, we assume we are aligned with His will. It is usually only when chaos strikes that we begin to examine our relationship with Him. Surrounded by our own people, we feel secure—whether in our church, our fellowship, or our home groups. But the moment someone is separated from the group, whether due to a job transfer or perhaps a disagreement, we are quick to label it as the work of the enemy.
In reality, it is we who only sense the need for God when we are scattered. When we are united with fellow believers we forget about Him and continue comfortably in the fellowship of mankind rather than seek to be in His presence. Throughout history, God has scattered people when they congregated in opposition to His will. We see Him scatter the people at the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11, when mankind wasted their time building a pathway to heaven. We see God scatter His people again, even after the resurrection of Jesus when the Church in Jerusalem became a hub of people not willing to venture out to do God’s will.
And during the time of Exile God scatters the Israelites, who became complacent in the promised land. God instructs Ezekiel to eat and drink trembling with fear, portraying the terror and despair that will come upon those left in Jerusalem. Because of their violence, the land will be stripped bare, towns laid waste, and the people will know that the LORD is God.
The Walls Come Down
“Son of man, the Israelites are saying, ‘The vision he sees is for many years from now, and he prophesies about the distant future.’
Ezekiel 12:27 (NIV)
The Israelites dismissed Ezekiel’s warnings, assuming his visions concerned a far-off future and not their present condition. Because they treated the message as irrelevant to their current lives, they felt no urgency to change their ways. It is to such callous people that God sent Ezekiel to speak against the prophets who create visions from their own imagination. These foolish prophets follow their own spirit rather than God’s, offering visions they have never truly seen.
Instead of strengthening the nation or repairing its spiritual breaches, they act like scavengers among ruins. Though God has not sent them, they boldly claim, “The LORD declares,” expecting Him to honor their inventions. Because of their false words and deceptive visions, God declares Himself against them. They will lose their place among His people, be removed from Israel’s records, and will not return to the land. Through this judgment, they will know that He is the Sovereign LORD.
“‘Because they lead my people astray, saying, “Peace,” when there is no peace, and because, when a flimsy wall is built, they cover it with whitewash, therefore tell those who cover it with whitewash that it is going to fall.”
Ezekiel 13:10-11 (NIV)
What are the walls that the false prophets cover with whitewash? The “walls” the false prophets cover with whitewash are the false structures of security they build for their audience. These so-called prophets give people a comforting illusion that all is well, even though the people are not changing their ways according to the LORD’s will. Instead of confronting sin, they let the people rot from within, covering their sins with an outward hollow facade.
The whitewash represents the false peace they offer. It is a thin coating of religious activity—observing practices, fulfilling so-called “sacred covenants,” and maintaining outward norms—that makes everything look stable on the surface while the foundations remain cracked. The people trust these storytellers disguised as prophets of God, not realising that the wall they lean on is unsound and will eventually collapse.
Similar to when the rain comes causing these flimsy walls to collapse, when troubles arise, we are left with no solid ground to stand on. Having lost our relationship with God, we feel as though we are drowning in our problems with no one to rescue us. Our condition becomes worse than Jonah’s, who—even from the depths of the sea—was still able to look towards the holy temple of God and cry out for help.
God declares that He will unleash His judgement like a violent storm—winds, hailstones, and destructive rain. He will tear down the wall the false prophets have covered with whitewash, exposing its weak foundations. When the wall collapses, both it and those who trusted it will be destroyed. God’s wrath will come upon the wall and upon the prophets who painted it with false assurances, proclaiming peace when there was no peace. Through this, the people will know that He is the LORD.
Content With The Status Quo
God tells Ezekiel to prophesy against the women who create prophecy from their own imagination. These women use charms and veils as tools to ensnare people, exploiting them for small payments. By spreading lies, they harm the innocent and protect those who should not live. God declares that He will strip away their charms, tear off their veils, and free the people they have trapped. They had discouraged the righteous with lies and encouraged the wicked to continue in their sin.
Because you disheartened the righteous with your lies, when I had brought them no grief, and because you encouraged the wicked not to turn from their evil ways and so save their lives, therefore you will no longer see false visions or practice divination. I will save my people from your hands. And then you will know that I am the LORD. ’”
Ezekiel 13:22-23 (NIV)
Are we seeking out voices that simply satisfy our desires, or the truth that God intends for us to hear? We must ask whether we are genuinely seeking the truth God intends for us, or merely choosing voices that make us feel comfortable. Often, we do not keep an open mind to the new things God wants to teach us. Instead, we remain content with the familiar lessons we heard from childhood, repeating what fits our current habits and preferences.
By nature, we feel satisfied when a message aligns with what we are already doing. But this kind of comfort does not lead to growth. It is like a company setting annual goals that have already been achieved the previous year—there would be no progress at all. In the same way, if our spiritual goals remain limited to what we experienced in Sunday school or baptism class, then there is no room for growth in the years that follow.
The Jordan Valley 
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