The Soul Hunters and Their Handkerchiefs Text: Ezekiel 13:17-23
Introduction: The Soft Tyranny of False Comfort
We are living in an age that is deathly afraid of sharp edges. Our therapeutic culture has sanded down every hard doctrine, every uncomfortable command, and every severe warning until what we are left with is a gospel made of pillows. It is a soft, sentimental, and ultimately useless faith that cannot save, cannot sanctify, and cannot stand against the spirit of the age. This is not a new problem. The temptation to trade the bracing, difficult truth of God for the cheap comfort of a lie is as old as the garden.
In the first part of Ezekiel 13, the prophet took aim at the male false prophets, the men who were daubing whitewash on a crumbling wall, crying "Peace, peace," when judgment was at the door. They were telling the people what they wanted to hear, and for this, God promised to bring a hailstorm that would wash away their lies and their wall together. But the problem was not limited to the men. The corruption had seeped into every corner of the covenant community, and so God directs Ezekiel to turn his face toward the women who were doing the same thing, but with their own unique and insidious methods.
What we find here is a description of spiritual malpractice of the highest order. These women were not building flimsy walls; they were weaving spiritual nets. They were engaged in a kind of occultic, folk-magic syncretism, mixing the promises of Yahweh with the practices of the pagans. They were in the business of soul-hunting, trafficking in lies for personal gain. And their primary victims were the righteous, whom they disheartened, and the wicked, whom they strengthened. They were making the sad sadder and the bad badder.
This passage is a stark reminder that false teaching is not a victimless crime. It has eternal consequences. It is also a reminder that God is not indifferent to how His people are cared for. He is fiercely protective of His flock, and He reserves a special kind of wrath for those who would mislead them for a few scraps of bread. We must pay close attention, because the spirit of these prophetesses is alive and well today. It thrives in any place where experience is elevated over Scripture, where emotional comfort is the highest good, and where the hard demands of repentance are replaced with the affirming whispers of cheap grace.
The Text
Now as for you, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people who are prophesying from their own heart. Prophesy against them and say, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Woe to the women who sew magic bands on all wrists and make veils for the heads of persons of every stature to hunt down souls! Will you hunt down My people’s souls, but preserve your own souls? For handfuls of barley and fragments of bread, you have profaned Me to My people to put to death souls who should not die and to keep other souls alive who should not live, by your lying to My people who listen to lies.” ’ Therefore, thus says Lord Yahweh, “Behold, I am against your magic bands by which you hunt souls there as birds, and I will tear them from your arms; and I will let their souls go, the very souls whom you hunt as birds. I will also tear off your veils and deliver My people from your hands, and they will no longer be in your hands to be hunted; and you will know that I am Yahweh. Because you disheartened the righteous with falsehood when I did not cause him grief, but have strengthened the hands of the wicked not to turn from his evil way and preserve his life, therefore, you women will no longer see worthless visions or practice divination, and I will deliver My people out of your hand. Thus you will know that I am Yahweh.”
(Ezekiel 13:17-23 LSB)
Prophesying from Their Own Hearts (v. 17)
God begins by directing Ezekiel’s attention to the source of the problem.
"Now as for you, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people who are prophesying from their own heart. Prophesy against them" (Ezekiel 13:17)
Just as with the male prophets in verse 2, the issue is the origin of their message. They are "prophesying from their own heart." This is the central issue in all false teaching. God has revealed Himself objectively in His Word. True prophecy, true teaching, is always an exposition of what God has already said. It is an act of submission to an external authority. But these women have made their own hearts, their own imaginations, their own intuitions, the source of their revelation. They have mistaken their own feelings for the voice of God.
This is the native religion of the fallen human heart. We want to be our own gods, defining good and evil for ourselves. We want a spirituality that bubbles up from within, one that affirms our desires and baptizes our preferences. This is why so much of what passes for "women's ministry" today is so dangerous. It often majors in the subjective, the emotional, and the therapeutic, all while neglecting the hard, objective truths of Scripture. When your spiritual diet consists of what makes you feel good, you are prophesying from your own heart.
Notice also that God commands Ezekiel to "set your face against" them. This is a posture of determined opposition. There is no room for compromise with those who would distort the Word of God and mislead His people. We are not called to find common ground with false teachers; we are called to expose them (Eph. 5:11). This is not unloving; it is the most loving thing to do. It is loving to the sheep who are being devoured, and it is loving to the false teachers themselves, as it is the only path to their potential repentance.
The Tools of the Trade (v. 18-19)
Next, God describes the specific methods these women were using to ensnare people.
"Woe to the women who sew magic bands on all wrists and make veils for the heads of persons of every stature to hunt down souls! Will you hunt down My people’s souls, but preserve your own souls? For handfuls of barley and fragments of bread, you have profaned Me to My people to put to death souls who should not die and to keep other souls alive who should not live, by your lying to My people who listen to lies." (Ezekiel 13:18-19 LSB)
This is a fascinating and somewhat obscure description. These "magic bands" and "veils" were likely paraphernalia used in divination and folk magic, similar to amulets or charms. They were physical objects meant to give a sense of spiritual power or protection, a way of manipulating spiritual realities. The veils, made for people of "every stature," suggest a customized service, catering to the specific anxieties and desires of each client. The goal of all this is sinister: "to hunt down souls." The word for soul here is nephesh, which means a life, a person. They are trapping people, gaining control over them through fear, superstition, and false promises.
The central question God poses is devastating: "Will you hunt down My people’s souls, but preserve your own souls?" They are destroying others to benefit themselves. They offer spiritual life and security to their clients, but in reality, they are peddling death while trying to secure their own physical livelihood. This is the great irony of all false ministry. In seeking to save their own lives, their own reputations, their own financial security, they forfeit their eternal souls.
And what is their motivation? "For handfuls of barley and fragments of bread." This is not about high theology; it is about petty greed. They are profaning the name of Yahweh, misrepresenting His character and His will, for pocket change. They are treating the holy things of God as a commodity to be sold. This is spiritual prostitution. They are telling people whatever they need to hear to get paid. And this leads to a terrible inversion of justice. They "put to death souls who should not die," meaning they discourage and condemn the righteous with their lies. And they "keep other souls alive who should not live," meaning they comfort the wicked in their sin, promising them life when they should be calling them to repentance. They are lying to a people who, tragically, "listen to lies." A corrupt people will always find corrupt leaders to scratch their itching ears.
God’s Declaration of War (v. 20-21)
Because these women have set themselves against God's people, God now sets Himself against them.
"Therefore, thus says Lord Yahweh, 'Behold, I am against your magic bands by which you hunt souls there as birds, and I will tear them from your arms; and I will let their souls go, the very souls whom you hunt as birds. I will also tear off your veils and deliver My people from your hands, and they will no longer be in your hands to be hunted; and you will know that I am Yahweh.'" (Ezekiel 13:20-21 LSB)
God’s response is one of holy violence. He is "against" their magic bands. He will personally intervene to destroy their occultic tools. The imagery is of a hunter setting birds free from a snare. God will "tear" the bands from their arms and "tear off" their veils. This is not a gentle negotiation. This is a rescue operation. God is a liberator. He will not allow His people to remain captive to these spiritual charlatans.
The purpose of this divine intervention is twofold. First, it is to "deliver My people from your hands." God is jealous for His people. He claims them as His own. He will not abandon them to wolves, even wolves that look like sheep. Second, the result for the false prophetesses is that "you will know that I am Yahweh." This is a constant refrain in Ezekiel. God’s judgments are not arbitrary acts of anger; they are acts of self-revelation. Through His judgment, He demonstrates His sovereignty, His justice, and His power, so that no one can mistake who is truly in charge. He will vindicate His own name, which they have profaned.
The Central Indictment (v. 22-23)
God concludes by summarizing the core of their sin and pronouncing their sentence.
"Because you disheartened the righteous with falsehood when I did not cause him grief, but have strengthened the hands of the wicked not to turn from his evil way and preserve his life, therefore, you women will no longer see worthless visions or practice divination, and I will deliver My people out of your hand. Thus you will know that I am Yahweh." (Ezekiel 13:22-23 LSB)
Here is the charge sheet, laid out in plain terms. Their sin had two edges. First, they disheartened the righteous with lies. God had not caused the righteous to grieve; His word was a comfort to them. But these women, with their legalistic and superstitious nonsense, laid heavy burdens on the faithful. They made God seem capricious and cruel. This is what happens when ministry is detached from the gospel of grace. It always devolves into either legalism or license. Here, it was a form of legalism that crushed the spirits of those who were trying to walk faithfully.
The other edge of the sword was that they "strengthened the hands of the wicked." They did this by promising them life and peace while they continued in their sin. They told the adulterer that God understands. They told the swindler that God wants him to be prosperous. They told the idolater that God is fine with a little syncretism. They removed the fear of judgment, and in doing so, they prevented the wicked from turning "from his evil way" to find true life. This is the deadliest form of spiritual malpractice. To comfort the wicked in their sin is to grease the path to Hell for them.
Because of this, their sentence is that their entire enterprise will be shut down. "You women will no longer see worthless visions or practice divination." God will put them out of business. He will dry up their source of false revelation. And once more, He repeats the glorious promise: "I will deliver My people out of your hand." The sermon ends as it began, with the ultimate purpose of God’s judgment: "Thus you will know that I am Yahweh."
Conclusion: Tearing Off the Veils Today
The paraphernalia has changed, but the principles remain exactly the same. The modern church is overrun with the spiritual descendants of these prophetesses. They may not be sewing magic bands, but they are peddling worthless visions. They are the purveyors of a therapeutic gospel that disheartens the righteous by telling them their fight against sin is a sign of weak faith, and strengthens the wicked by telling them that God accepts them just as they are, with no need for repentance.
They are the teachers who build entire ministries on extra-biblical "words from the Lord" that are nothing more than prophecies from their own hearts. They are the authors who sell millions of books filled with sentimental stories and psychological platitudes, all for handfuls of barley and royalty checks. They are the ones who tell you that God’s primary goal is your happiness, your self-fulfillment, and your comfort, rather than His glory and your holiness.
They hunt souls by making them dependent on their "anointing," their "ministry," their emotional experiences, rather than on the plain Word of God. They put the righteous to grief by making them feel guilty for holding to biblical standards of truth and morality. And they keep the wicked alive in their sin by refusing to preach the law, repentance, and the reality of God’s wrath.
What is God’s response? It is the same today as it was in the time of Ezekiel. He is against these things. He promises to tear away the veils of deception and to deliver His people. And how does He do this? He does it through the faithful preaching of His Word. The Word of God is the great veil-tearer. It is the sharp sword that cuts through the magic bands of emotional manipulation and subjective experience.
Our duty is to set our faces against this kind of falsehood. We must be a people who love the truth more than we love our comfort. We must test every spirit, and measure every teaching against the plumb line of Scripture. And we must trust that God is a faithful shepherd who will deliver His people. He will expose the worthless visions and the lying divinations. He will rescue His sheep from the hands of the soul-hunters. And on that final day, everyone will know that He, and He alone, is Yahweh.