Daily Devotional For Tuesday, August 18, 2026
Good morning Southside! It’s Terrific Tuesday and our devotional for today comes from Ezekiel 12:21-28:
“Again a message came to me from the LORD: (22) “Son of man, you’ve heard that proverb they quote in Israel: ‘Time passes, and prophecies come to nothing.’ (23) Tell the people, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will put an end to this proverb, and you will soon stop quoting it.’ Now give them this new proverb to replace the old one: ‘The time has come for every prophecy to be fulfilled!’ (24)“There will be no more false visions and flattering predictions in Israel. (25) For I am the LORD! If I say it, it will happen. There will be no more delays, you rebels of Israel. I will fulfill my threat of destruction in your own lifetime. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken!” (26) Then this message came to me from the LORD: (27) “Son of man, the people of Israel are saying, ‘He’s talking about the distant future. His visions won’t come true for a long, long time.’ (28) Therefore, tell them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: No more delay! I will now do everything I have threatened. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken!’ (NLT).”
Ezekiel is one of the most misunderstood books in the Bible because of its record of very strange and weird visions God gave to this prophet. We can break Ezekiel 12 down like this:
- Ezekiel 12:1-7 God instructed Ezekiel to act out a drama.
- Ezekiel 12:8-16 is about how God told him how to explain its meaning to its hearers.
- Ezekiel 12:17-20 is about how Ezekiel was to offer to his compatriots another action which would symbolize the distress of the people of Jerusalem
- Ezekiel 12:21-28 is about his response to the objections that divine judgment would never happen, or that it would be delayed for a virtually indefinite period.
Our passage today comes from this 4th part. It is very clear of the animosity, anger and hatred the people of Jerusalem had against Ezekiel. They mock Ezekiel in verse 22 with a cultural proverb as a means to substantiate their claim that none of his prophecies have nor will come to pass. The prophet Jeremiah who was Ezekiel’s contemporary had similar things said about his prophecies in these verses: Jer. 5:12-14, Jer. 17:15 and Jer. 26:17-24.
The people in Ezekiel and Jeremiah’s day were appealing to the prophetic test truth found in Deuteronomy 18:20-22. This passage said that if a prophet’s word did not come to pass, they were a false prophet. The people viewed both Jerermiah and Ezekiel as false prophets because their prophecies were full of doom and gloom. So the Lord gave Ezekiel a counter proverb in verses 23-24.
In verse 24, the Hebrew word translated as “false” is [שְׁוָא, shaw]. This word can also mean “empty, unproductive and deceitful.” You can almost feel the Lord’s anger against His people for calling His prophet and Him a liar. So, let’s read verses 24-25 this way: “The Lord said to His people, `There will be no more empty, unproductive and deceitful visions and flattering predictions in Israel. I personally am saying your lives are doomed immediately. This threat is already upon you and death, destruction and devastation will be the results. You can take that to the bank.” Sadly, we are reminded of the truth of Galatians 6:7-8.
Reflection Assignment: Everyone has ignored the Lord and His word and have reaped what they sowed. What has that been for you and what did you learn from it? Have you repented and heeded the Lord’s warning? If so, how? If not, why?
Scripture To Meditate On: Psalm 119:37, “Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life through Your word” (NLT).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, forgive me when I can be stubborn to You and Your word. Create in me a heart of obedience. Thank You Lord when You have disciplined me because You love me so much and You want our relationship close and intimate. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly