Here’s some advice for you today, but I hope that it’s not new to you: Don’t listen to people who don’t know what they are talking about. (Also, don’t listen to people who do know what they are talking about, but are lying to you.)
In a letter sent to Israelite exiles in Babylon (from Jeremiah the prophet, but inspired by God), this message is captured with regard to certain false prophets:
Yes, this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 29:8-9 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/jer.29.8-9.NIV
I’m not sure which category – ignorance or deception – these false prophets fell into, but it doesn’t really matter for the people. When God tells them the truth, not only is anyone who says otherwise wrong, but continuing to listen to them is dangerous.
Remember, just because someone says God gave them a message for you, that doesn’t mean that they are telling the truth. The good news is that, even in today’s world where all sorts of false claims and made-up ideas seem to get traction, we have a few easy tests to evaluate all messages that we hear from those who claim to be God’s messengers:
- Like the Jewish people in Berea (see Acts 17:11-12), we can check teaching and prophecies against what God has already told us. This is one of many reasons that reading and studying the Bible is so important.
- We can evaluate the fruit of those who claim to give us messages from God (see Matthew 7:15-20), to spot the wolves among the sheep. While no human teacher or preacher today is perfect, their lives should generally reflect the truths of the Bible that they are proclaiming.
- We can also check to see if every prophecy delivered in God’s name by a person is fulfilled. To do so, we must understand the entire prophecy, and whether or not it is conditional on certain decisions; however, God keeps His promises. That doesn’t mean false prophets won’t sometimes predict (or guess) something correctly (see Deuteronomy 13:1-5), but if a prophet keeps predicting things that don’t happen as they said, we should be wary.
(Again in verses 15-19, it seems that the people are listening to false prophets who are telling them things that are wrong.)
God, however, has a truthful message for those who remain in Jerusalem. Just because they weren’t exiled, doesn’t mean that they won’t suffer in the future. As was mentioned earlier, this takes place only about a decade before the current king in Jerusalem is overthrown and Jerusalem is destroyed. If things looked bad when the previous king surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar, that’s “nothing” compared to what is coming.
And, this should not be a surprise to those remaining in Jerusalem. God has made it clear what they need to do, but they didn’t listen.
A commentator [Willis] likened this message to Jeremiah 27:19-22. We have to read between the lines a little bit, but the false prophets may have said that the Israelites in exile (like the goods taken from the temple in the first attack on Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar) would be returning to Jerusalem soon. Instead, the treasures (and people) still in Jerusalem were destined to be claimed or destroyed by Babylon…until God returned both His people and His temple’s goods to Jerusalem decades later.
Willis writes:
“Jehoiachin and the other exiles will not rejoin their kinsmen back in Jerusalem. Instead, Zedekiah and those still in Jerusalem will soon be joining the exiles in Babylon” [Willis, p.234]
However, this isn’t just a general educational lesson for the exiles in Babylon. This is an opportunity for them to do better than their fellow Israelites back in Jerusalem. If the exiles will follow God’s instructions, they can seek a prosperous life in Babylon, biding time for a few generations until God returns them to Jerusalem. On the other hand, those in Jerusalem who continue to rebel against God’s word (delivered through God’s prophets), well, they are in for a bad, bad time.
God seems to be preserving a remnant of His people, in a path that takes them away from Jerusalem during that city’s impending destruction. This may seem strange to these exiles, who are disappointed that they have been removed from their homeland. In fact, some of them might never fully appreciate the extent of God’s plan during their lifetimes. However, God has shown that He can be trusted, for both discipline and blessings that He has promised through His prophets.
Test the words of all prophets (and teachers and preachers) who claim to have the message from God, to be sure that they are telling us the truth. Don’t be like the people of 2 Timothy 4:3-4. When you have the truth, though, don’t just memorize it: do something about it!
From Sunday School lesson prepared for July 9, 2023
References:
- The Lookout, July 9, 2023, © 2023 Christian Standard Media.
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – Jeremiah-Lamentations, by Timothy M. Willis. © 2002 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 