There are two cultural tendencies that almost inevitably lead people away from God’s will and purpose for their lives.
First, when we are fixated on getting our own way at all costs, even to the point of trying to manipulate God, we open ourselves up to deception.
Second, when we face intense pressure and feel we cannot obtain what we desire, we may resort to any means necessary to fulfill those desires. This sets the stage for what we are about to read in Ezekiel 13.
The first part of Ezekiel 13 focuses on lying and deceptive prophets. Now, the attention shifts to women who seem to be practicing magic.
As for you, mortal, set your face against the daughters of your people, who prophesy out of their own imagination; prophesy against them and say,
Thus says the Lord God: Woe to the women who sew bands on all wrists and make veils for the heads of persons of every height, in the hunt for human lives! Will you hunt down lives among my people and maintain your own lives?
You have profaned me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, putting to death persons who should not die and keeping alive persons who should not live, by your lies to my people, who listen to lies.
Therefore thus says the Lord God: I am against your bands with which you hunt lives; I will tear them from your arms and let the lives go free, the lives that you hunt down like birds (Ezekiel 13.17-20).
Similar to the false prophets mentioned earlier in the chapter, these women prophesy from their own imagination. Additionally, they sew bands and make veils as part of their magical practices.
The outcome is that they harm others to sustain their own way of life. It’s possible that they engage in this offensive behavior for something as trivial as a bit of food.
You may have seen media portrayals—whether in fictional films or documentaries—where women engage in magical practices to fulfill their desires.
Sadly, similar practices occur in some churches today, where people, often those struggling financially, give their hard-earned money to so-called prophets who claim to predict the future.
Both of these practices reject submission to God’s will and instead attempt to manipulate God to get what people want from Him.
The examples I’ve shared may seem dramatic, but we should ask ourselves if the underlying tendency applies to our own lives. Are we more focused on getting our own way, rather than patiently waiting for God to reveal His direction and following it obediently?
Rescue and Judgment
Practitioners of magic often prey on the gullible and the desperate. However, God loves His people and does not want His children to be harmed by those in positions of authority. He desires that no one be disheartened or led to a point where they refuse to repent.
I will tear off your veils and save my people from your hands; they shall no longer be prey in your hands, and you shall know that I am the Lord.
Because you have disheartened the righteous falsely, although I have not disheartened them, and you have encouraged the wicked not to turn from their wicked way and save their lives,
Therefore you shall no longer see false visions or practice divination; I will save my people from your hand. Then you will know that I am the Lord (Ezekiel 13.21-23).
God’s judgment is meant to correct, removing what is false and guiding people toward what is true.
Practitioners of magic may seem entertaining in the media or around Halloween, but God views them very seriously. When they refuse to repent, often because their livelihood is tied to their practices, God’s remedy may be to remove them.
As we read the prophecy in Ezekiel, it’s wise to not only avoid anything resembling magic but also address the deeper issue that drives people to it — the desire to get their own way rather than submitting to God’s will.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
Real Voices 