Spiritual Foundation
“The word of the LORD came to me: ‘Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel, who are prophesying, and say to those who prophesy from their own hearts: 'Hear the word of the LORD!' Thus says the Lord GOD, Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing! Your prophets have been like jackals among ruins, O Israel. You have not gone up into the breaches, or built up a wall for the house of Israel, that it might stand in battle in the day of the LORD. They have seen false visions and lying divinations. They say, 'Declares the LORD,' when the LORD has not sent them, and yet they expect him to fulfill their word. Have you not seen a false vision and uttered a lying divination, whenever you have said, 'Declares the LORD,' although I have not spoken?" (Ezekiel 13: 1-7)
The main problem here is “foolish prophets who follow their own spirit.” The spiritual leaders of the time have not established a solid foundation for the sheep of God. They have been truly blasphemous by declaring that they speak for God when “they have seen nothing.”
“Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Because you have uttered falsehood and seen lying visions, therefore behold, I am against you, declares the Lord GOD. My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and who give lying divinations. They shall not be in the council of my people, nor be enrolled in the register of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord GOD. Precisely because they have misled my people, saying, 'Peace,' when there is no peace, and because, when the people build a wall, these prophets smear it with whitewash, say to those who smear it with whitewash that it shall fall! There will be a deluge of rain, and you, O great hailstones, will fall, and a stormy wind break out. And when the wall falls, will it not be said to you, 'Where is the coating with which you smeared it?' “(Ezekiel 13: 8 – 12)
Due to the problem of the spiritual leaders of the land, God has come “against” them. Why has God come against them? The precise reason would be, “Precisely because they have misled my people.” The Hebrew word used to whitewash is תּפל or tâphêl meaning foolish, insipid, or tasteless, unseasoned or indeed whitewash.
“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, [tasteless] how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.” (Matthew 5: 13)
According to Wikipedia “When the paint [whitewash] initially dries it is uncured, and has almost no strength.” The fourth definition of whitewash on wordlist.com is: “to make white; to give a fair external appearance to; to clear from imputations or disgrace; hence, to clear (a bankrupt) from obligation to pay debts.” “To give a fair external appearance to” pretty much sums up the concept here. On the outside these prophets and priests seem to be right on; the external appearance of their teaching is a good one. However, the spiritual wall being built among the people has no strength; the essence of their teaching is false. Externally everything is lovely but there is no substance within. When the trials of life hit the spiritual wall God asks “Where is the coating with which you smeared it?” I’m sure you know where I’m going here. Does your spiritual wall have substance? Can you be like James in the first chapter of his letter?
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing… [James 1: 2-4] Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” [James 1: 12]
There is a purpose for having your faith built on a solid foundation; for having a strong spiritual wall. It is detrimental to have a “whitewashed” wall of the god of prosperity. Many popular preachers may convince people to have a cozy warm feeling while saying the Lord’s prayer (and being “saved” without true knowledge and repentance). What they may neglect to teach is that as Christians… as humans… we WILL be spiritually attacked. The devil is never at peace with us unless we’re in hell. Therefore God wants us to have a solid foundation that can withstand the pounding of life and the pounding of life will prove where we are weak and where we are strong.
Sound wisdom from the 1700’s suggests: “They told sinners, no harm would happen to them. And those are the most dangerous seducers, who suggest to sinners that which tends to lessen their dread of sin, or their fear of God. These are compared to men who build a slight tottering wall, which others daub with untempered mortar; sorry stuff, that will not bind, nor hold the bricks together: doctrines not grounded on the word of God.” John Wesley
“According to the grace of God give to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood hay straw - each one’s work will become manifest, for the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved but only as through fire.” (1 Corinthians 3: 10 – 15)
This is another passage that uses the building/wall/foundation metaphor. Imagine if you will that you are building a house. You have a house seat prepared. You get the footers poured. Then, the house starts being built. After the walls and roof are up there are plumbing and wiring to be done, sheet rock and flooring, windows and doors and on and on. The contractors all leave as their jobs are finished and you move in and declare the residence your home. Years later a strong wind storm comes through and the house topples over. Regardless of fact that the contractors could have civil repercussions they weren’t in the house when it fell over. YOU where in the house as it collapsed. They could be sued and would of course be punished, but you were in the line of personal danger because of the trust you put in their workmanship.
Jesus said: “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord’ and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.” (Luke 6: 46-49)
Charles Spurgeon the “prince of preachers” said: “It is in the word that we must find wisdom and power, “because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” The faintest whisper of Jehovah’s voice should fill us with a solemn awe, and command the deepest obedience of our souls. Brethren, how careful should we be that we do not set up in God’s temple anything in opposition to his word, that we do not permit the teachings of a creature to usurp the honor due to the Lord alone! “Thus saith antiquity,” “thus saith authority,” “thus saith learning,” “thus saith experience,”—these be but idol-gods, which defile the temple of God; be it yours and mine, as bold iconoclasts, to dash them in pieces without mercy, seeing that they usurp the place of the word of God.”
Again I ask; where do you get your knowledge of God? From whom do you get your knowledge of God? Is your spiritual foundation sturdy and built on the solid rock. Are your beliefs tethered to Bible? If someone told you biblical heresies would you even know? Beloved I worry for the sake of all for there are many who would pervert and manipulate the word of God. I worry that the devil has appeared to some like Paul mentions in 2 Corinthians 11: 13-15; “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.”
Or in 2 Peter 3:15-18 “And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”
In spite of being considered spiritually intolerant, check your leaders and check yourself. Weigh your beliefs against the weight of the Bible, God’s sovereign word. When or if your thoughts go against the Bible then safely you can assume you are wrong. God has preserved for us… specifically us and our generation a record of His word. Access to this word is a simple as clicking a button. How can anyone living in the modern world stand before God on the Day of Judgment and say that they had no knowledge? Please… I beg you… see for yourself what the almighty creator of the universe has done for us. See for yourself the love of God and His endless mercy.
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