John Calvin Commentary Ezekiel 13:1-3

"And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own heart, Hear ye the word of Jehovah: Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!" — Ezekiel 13:1-3 (ASV)

He speaks of the exiled prophets, as will be evident from the context. For among the captives there were those who assumed the name of God, boasting they were endowed with the prophetic spirit. But meanwhile, they intruded into the office and then vainly boasted in their deceptions. The end they proposed to themselves was to promise the people a speedy return, and so to win the favor of the multitude.

For the captives were already almost broken-hearted by weariness, and seventy years was a long period. Therefore, when they heard of returning after three years, they easily allowed themselves to be deceived by such flatteries. But although God is so fiercely angry with those impostors, it does not, therefore, follow that when He charges them with their crime, He absolves the people or even lessens their fault.

Nor could the people object that they were deceived by those falsehoods, since they willingly and knowingly threw themselves into the snare. They were not lacking true prophets, and God had distinguished His servants from false prophets by well-known marks, so that no one could mistake them except willfully (Deuteronomy 13:3). But in the midst of light, they blinded themselves, and so God allowed them to be deceived.

But that was the just reward of their pride, since they would not be subject to God and His servants. Then, when they sought enticements, as is evident from many passages, God also gave free rein to Satan, so that there would be a lying spirit in the mouth of all the prophets.

Micah reproves them because they desired prophets who would promise them large grape-gatherings and a plentiful harvest (Micah 2:11); meanwhile, when God chastised them severely, they roared and were tumultuous. We see, therefore, that while God denounces false prophets so sharply, the people’s fault was not diminished. Instead, each was led to reason with himself: “If God does not spare our prophets, what better hope do we have?”

Therefore, when the Prophet turns his address to the false prophets, there is no doubt of his intention to rebuke the whole people for listening to such deceptions while they despised the true doctrine—and not only so, but even rejected it with fury. Say therefore to the prophets of Israel while prophesying, say to those prophesying out of their own hearts. Here he concedes the name “prophets of Israel” to those who thrust themselves forward and rashly boasted that they were commanded to speak their own imaginations, or what the devil had suggested.

For at that time, indeed, no others were thought to be lawfully considered prophets unless divinely chosen. But because the wicked seized upon this title, they are often called prophets, though God’s Spirit is a complete stranger to them. The gift of prophecy, however, can only flow from that one fountain. This great struggle then occurred when the prophets, or those who assumed the title, engaged with hostility among themselves. For we are commanded to accept God’s truth alone. But when falsehood is offered to us instead of truth, what can we do but waver and eventually engage in conflict?

There is no doubt, then, that weak minds were thus greatly shaken when they saw contests and dissensions of this kind between prophets. Today, God wishes to test the faithfulness of His people by such a trial and to detect the hypocrisy of the multitude. For, as Paul says, there must be heresies, that those who are approved may be made manifest (1 Corinthians 11:19).

Therefore, God does not rashly permit so much freedom to Satan’s ministers that they should insolently rise up against sound doctrine. Nor yet without a cause does He permit the Church to be torn apart by diverse opinions, and fictions sometimes to grow so strong that truth itself is buried under them. He wishes indeed in this way to test the faithfulness of the godly and, at the same time, to detect the fickleness of hypocrites who are tossed about by every wind.

Meanwhile, if the conflict that we now perceive between those who boast of being pastors of the Church disturbs us, let this example come to mind. Thus, novelty will not endanger our faithfulness. What we suffer, the ancients also experienced: namely, the disturbance of the Church by internal disputes and a similar tearing apart of the bond of unity.

Next, God briefly defines who the false prophets are: namely, those who prophesy out of their own hearts. He will afterwards add, they have seen nothing, they only boast in the name of God, and yet they are not sent by Him. The same thing is expressed in various ways, but I shall treat other forms of speech in their own places.

Here, as I have said, we may readily decide at once who are the true and who the false prophets. The Spirit of God pronounces everyone who prophesies from his own heart to be an impostor. Hence, nothing else remains but for the prophets faithfully to speak whatever the Spirit has dictated to them.

Whoever, therefore, has no sure testimony to his vision and cannot truly testify that he speaks from God’s mouth and by the revelation of His Spirit, although he may boast in the title of prophet, is nevertheless only an impostor. For God here rejects all who speak from their own heart. From this, we also gather the extreme vanity of the human mind, for God establishes a perpetual distinction between the human mind and the revelation of His Spirit. If this is so, it follows that what men speak from themselves is a perverse fiction, because the Spirit of God claims for Himself alone, as we have said, the office of showing what is true and right.

Woe to the foolish or disgraceful prophets! The word נבל, nebel, signifies “a vile person,” “a castaway,” just as נבלה, nebeleh, means “foulness,” “crime,” or “wickedness,” although nebel is more often taken for folly, and I willingly embrace this sense as it is generally received.

He calls false prophets foolish because they undoubtedly fiercely insulted the true servants of God, acting like upstarts puffed up with immense self-conceit. For the devil, who reigns in them, is the father of pride. Hence, they carry themselves haughtily, arrogate all things to themselves, and wish to be thought of as angels come down from heaven.

And when Paul speaks of human fictions, he grants them the appearance of wisdom (Colossians 2:23). Hence, there is no doubt that these pretenders of whom Ezekiel speaks were held in great esteem. Swollen with pompous language, they proclaimed surprising wisdom. But meanwhile, the Holy Spirit plainly pronounces them fools, for whatever pleases the world under the mask of wisdom, we know to be mere folly before God.

Now he adds, who walk after their own spirit, without seeing anything; that is, when no vision has been given them. Ezekiel explains himself more clearly, or rather the Spirit who spoke through him. As, therefore, he has previously condemned all who prophesy out of their own mind or heart (for the noun “heart” is here used for “intellect,” as in other places), so he now says that those who walk after their own spirit wickedly abuse the prophetic office.

Here he alludes to the prophetic gift when he speaks of “spirit.” For, because they might object that false prophets did not speak from their own heart but had secret revelations, he concedes to them the use of the word “spirit” by a rhetorical figure. Thus, he refutes their boasting, as if Ezekiel had said that those fictitious revelations are mere fancies. They indeed have something in them more than common, but still, they are fanatics.

This, then, is the sense of the word “spirit.” Meanwhile, there is no doubt that he repeats what he previously stated, and the contrast removes all doubt. Without seeing anything, he says. Thus, vision is opposed to the human heart and spirit. But what is vision if not a supernatural gift? When, therefore, God raises His servants above the limits of human ability and enables them to discern what no mortal power can bestow, that is a vision. If a vision is removed, nothing will remain but the spirit or heart of man. Hence, those who cannot truly show that their speech is evidently inspired will be compelled to confess that they speak from their own minds.