The Whitewash of Peace

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Scripture:

Ezek. 13:10 Because, in truth, because they have misled my people, saying, “Peace,” when there is no peace; and because, when the people build a wall, these prophets smear whitewash on it.
Ezek. 13:11 Say to those who smear whitewash on it that it shall fall. There will be a deluge of rain, great hailstones will fall, and a stormy wind will break out.
Ezek. 13:12 When the wall falls, will it not be said to you, “Where is the whitewash you smeared on it?”

Observation:

The Israelites were facing destruction and yet there were prophets giving them false hope. Instead of calling the people to repentance and helping them face their sins, they whitewashed over all the things the people had done. The people were given a false sense of peace, telling them that no harm would come to them. They were told that their sins were not all that bad and therefore there would not be any consequences.

The result of this kind of talk was like someone who built up a wall in a hurry, not taking the time to build it properly. Instead, throwing it all together and then painting it white just to try and make it look good. Just because it looks good on the outside doesn’t mean that it has anything of substance. When the rains come the whitewash will run off and the poorly built wall will be revealed and as soon as the winds blow, it will topple.

The lies of the prophets were a whitewash of peace that led the people to believe that they were okay and did not need to repent.

Application:

A number of folks may not even know what whitewash is anymore. It’s a very cheap form of paint used often by mixing chalk with a few other substances. For the most part it looks good for a little while but if you rub up against it, it comes off on your clothes and a good downpour may take most of it off of an outside wall. It can make something look good for a short period of time.

We just need to listen to or read the news to know that our world is filled with strife. There is no peace and for many people around the world that is a daily reality. To say that there is peace is to whitewash the wall. To say that Christians who are just serving God on a shallow level are okay spiritually is also a whitewash. Too many of us are trying to just look good spiritually but the whitewash won’t last and when the difficulties of life come, we will fail.

May we not be the ones who are whitewashing the truth. Instead may God use us to be builders of a true foundation and a wall of security built upon a daily walk with God that leads us further and further into his truths.

Prayer:

Lord, may I never whitewash your truth.  Amen.

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