“And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.”
My Notes
What Does Ezekiel 33:31 Mean?
God describes a devastating form of spiritual hypocrisy through Ezekiel: the people come, sit, listen — they look like faithful worshippers. But their heart goeth after their covetousness. The attendance is perfect. The hearts are elsewhere.
"They hear thy words, but they will not do them" — the hearing is not the problem. The doing is. They consume spiritual content without letting it change anything. The prophet has become entertainment.
"With their mouth they shew much love" — the words of devotion are present. The affection sounds real. But it is all mouth. The heart is pursuing something else entirely.
God's assessment is clear: the people treat the prophet like a singer of pleasant songs with a good instrument. They enjoy the performance. They applaud the delivery. They change nothing. The word of God has become a concert they attend rather than a command they obey.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Where are you hearing God's word without doing it — consuming spiritual content without change?
- 2.How does treating the word of God as 'a lovely song' describe modern church culture?
- 3.What does your heart 'go after' while your mouth shows love to God?
- 4.What would it look like to move from hearing to doing this week?
Devotional
They come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words. It looks like worship. It sounds like devotion. They show up. They listen. They say the right things.
But they will not do them. The hearing is fine. The doing is absent. The words go in and produce nothing. The sermon is consumed like entertainment — appreciated, discussed, and then set aside unchanged.
With their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. The love is verbal. The heart is elsewhere — chasing money, comfort, status, anything other than the God they are singing about.
Thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice. The prophet has become a performer. The word of God has become a podcast they enjoy. The delivery is praised. The content is ignored.
This is the oldest form of spiritual hypocrisy — and the most common. Showing up without being changed. Hearing without doing. Saying the right things with a heart aimed somewhere else.
Is that you? Not in your worst moments — in your average ones. The Sunday morning version of faith that does not survive Monday.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And when this cometh to pass,.... The prophecy before delivered out, concerning the desolations in the land of Israel,…
The exhortation to repentance. Ezekiel first addresses the remnant that still linger in their ancient home, and warns…
As the people cometh - As they are accustomed to come on public days, Sabbaths, etc.
With their mouth they show much…
The foregoing verses spoke conviction to the Jews who remained in the land of Israel, who were monuments of sparing…
On "come unto thee" cf. Eze 8:1; Eze 14:1; Eze 20:1.
as my people The construction is very hard. LXX. omits.
with their…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture