Prophesying out of their own hearts

Scrolling through Instagram the other day, I landed on a post that was both startling and encouraging. It was written by a Christian woman I follow and contained forthright words of biblical wisdom targeted to women. In essence, she called out our recent memorials of glass-ceiling-crushers as idolatry.

It was startling at first, because it was not the female-Christian-influencer post I typically see. Please don’t get me wrong. I’m grateful for the freedoms and opportunities afforded to women in this country. And Instagram posts are not all bad, of course, but they often promote self-focus and are meant for feel-good inspiration rather than bold truth, let alone rebuke. 

And I don’t know about you, but I’m longing for something to anchor my soul, not fleeting flowery inspiration right now.

The difficult task of rebuke

It all reminded me of something I read in the book of Ezekiel recently. I probably wouldn’t normally just pick up the book of Ezekiel, but it’s where I am in my Bible reading plan for the year – and despite all of its strangeness, it’s quickly moving to the top of my favorite Old Testament books. I’m on chapter 36 today, which means there are only 12 chapters left, and I’m already grieving the day I finish. 

Ezekiel is a prophet tasked with the very difficult and absolutely thankless job of pointing out all of Israel’s grave failures and sins. Sometimes he’s even required to act out these rebukes with his own body or other illustrative objects – or both. (Remember when he had to eat a scroll? Shave his head and divide his hair in thirds? Lie on his left side for 390 days?)

One of the things God asked Ezekiel to do was confront Israel about their false prophets, “because they have misled my people, saying, ‘Peace,’ when there is no peace.” (Ezekiel 13:10)

False prophetesses

After a general rebuke to all false prophets in the beginning of chapter 13, God turns Ezekiel’s attention to a more specific group of false prophets: women. Specifically, He commands Ezekiel to prophesy against the women who “sew magic bands upon all the wrists, and make veils for the heads of persons of every stature, in the hunt for souls!” (Ezekiel 13:18) 

These women were selling two things: special wristbands (probably small pillows) meant to offer luxury and comfort when reclining and veils meant to adorn and seduce. While it may seem a benign practice in light of Israel’s glaring rebellion, God views it as a grievous affront:

“You have profaned me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, putting to death souls who should not die, and keeping alive souls who should not live by your lying to my people, who listen to lies.” (Ezekiel 13:19)

These prophetesses were peddling lies with the sale of their products, and there were other women ready and willing to listen to the lies, spend money on the lies and put their hope in the lies. Some of them probably believed they were being helpful. Others were likely intentional in their deception of other women due to the financial benefits. Sound familiar?

Deceptive hearts

Where do the lies originate? Verse 1 reveals their source. Speaking to Ezekiel regarding these women, God says: “And you, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people, ​who prophesy out of their own hearts.” 

The prophet who speaks the very words of God is being asked to confront the prophetesses who do not speak the words of God. Rather, they speak their own words from a deceptive and sick place – the human heart. (See Jeremiah 17:9)

As women, our hearts – the biblical seat of our will and affections – can be an especially difficult place to navigate. On one hand, our God-given tendency to nurture and extend compassion can lead us to look very much like Christ in our thoughts and actions.

On the other hand, those very same tendencies can lead us to believe wrong things and act in unhelpful ways. Eve’s heart was deceived. She sincerely believed the wrong thing and the wrong person. The serpent spoke what seemed like perfectly logical words to her. By presenting her with something that seemed sensible and of great benefit, she was beguiled into rebellion against her Creator, and she invited her husband into the same rebellion.

The Instagram post I landed on was challenging, forthright and unapologetic. It confronted the sin of idolatry in a female-specific way. It was not flowery or fleeting, but powerful and piercing. Rather than catering to my comfort, it called me out. The woman who wrote it wasn’t peddling a product that promised power; she was persuading me regarding Jesus. She was not offering feminine inspiration in a ceiling-crasher, but holding forth hope in the serpent-crusher.

It’s how I knew the author was not “prophesying out of her own heart” but rather offering a truly prophetic voice in a social media sea of female prophets. (It was void of a selfie, too.) It’s why I was both startled and encouraged. It was truth I could anchor my soul in.

Melanie Krumrey is a pastor’s wife, serves as the women’s ministry leader at MERCYhouse church in Amherst, MA, and blogs at www.dwellabideadorn.com.