Jeremiah Part Three Deep Dive

FALSE PROPHETS IN JEREMIAH AND TODAY | KATIE HALDANE

The people that confuse and shock me as I read the book of Jeremiah are the ‘false prophets’; prophets of Israel that are not prophesying what God is saying. Let’s look at two questions: what role does the ‘false prophet’ serve in the book of Jeremiah and are there any warnings that we can take from their lives today?

The prophet in the Old Testament was the voice of God, the messenger and servant of Yahweh that spoke to His people on His behalf. The authority of the prophet in the Old Testament was of a governmental level, speaking to the kings and directing God’s nation. The kings depended on prophets for guidance and direction, whether to go into war or not. The prophet formed part of the king’s administration and acted as ‘court prophets’.

Jeremiah, however, was a different kind of prophet. Not aligned to any king, he kept himself separate and therefore had the freedom to speak what God was saying without bias or restraint. You can see this throughout the book in how many times Jeremiah comes into conflict with the kings of Judah (like in Chapter 22:24). But it wasn’t just kings that Jeremiah clashed with, he also clashes with priests and other prophets.

It’s here that we find the false prophet. These are the kings, court prophets, that were no longer (if ever) relaying God’s message to the king and therefore the nation of Judah, instead saying what they think people want to hear.

Here are some of the verses where Jeremiah addresses the issue of the false prophet:

J 6:3
From the least to the greatest,
all are greedy for gain;
prophets and priests alike,
all practice deceit.
J 28:15-16 Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, “Listen, Hananiah! The Lord has not sent you, yet you have persuaded this nation to trust in lies. Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. This very year you are going to die, because you have preached rebellion against the Lord.’”

Jeremiah 23:9-40 calls them ‘lying prophets’ and you can see throughout the text the heartbreak of Jeremiah over these prophets that ‘follow an evil course and use their power unjustly’.

WHAT CONSTITUTES A FALSE PROPHET?

Jeremiah sets out the traits that constitute a false prophet. It’s not just about their message, it is about their character and behaviour. For Jeremiah, the issue is that their actions don’t match their words. Their behaviour is godless, they commit adultery, live a lie and prophesy by Baal, not by Yahweh. Here are the verses that show the allegations against them:

J 23:11
“Both prophet and priest are godless;
even in my temple I find their wickedness,”
declares the Lord.

And again in Jeremiah 23:13-14…

J 23:13-14
Among the prophets of Samaria
    I saw this repulsive thing:
They prophesied by Baal
    and led my people Israel astray.
And among the prophets of Jerusalem
    I have seen something horrible:
    They commit adultery and live a lie.
They strengthen the hands of evildoers,
    so that not one of them turns from their wickedness.
They are all like Sodom to me;
    the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah.

And another one in Jeremiah 2:26-27…

J 2:26-27
As a thief is disgraced when he is caught,
    so the people of Israel are disgraced—
they, their kings and their officials,
    their priests and their prophets.
They say to wood, ‘You are my father,’
    and to stone, ‘You gave me birth.’
They have turned their backs to me
    and not their faces;
yet when they are in trouble, they say,
    ‘Come and save us!’

I love Hetty Lalleman’s comment in the Tyndale Old Testament Commentary;

Abuse of other people, abuse of power and the practice of adultery are all contrary to God’s covenant laws and so disqualify a person from being a prophet.

FILLED WITH VISIONS FROM THEIR OWN MINDS

It’s not just actions that Jeremiah addresses, he also tells us these false prophets fill people with false hope with visions from their own mind, not from the mouth of the LORD. Check out Jeremiah 23:16 below. It’s not the message of peace that is wrong, it is the source of the message.

J 23:16
Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you;
they fill you with false hopes.
They speak visions from their own minds,
not from the mouth of the Lord.

JEREMIAH THE TRUE PROPHET

In contrast to this behaviour, we find the message and life of Jeremiah. In him. we find a few things that show the traits of a true prophet:

a) God puts the words into Jeremiah’s mouth, not the other way around (1:7)

b) Jeremiah is a servant of God (7:25, 25:4). God calls His prophets His servants 17 times.

c) Jeremiah speaks exactly what God is saying despite the consequences and there are many 37:16 (put in prison) and Jeremiah 20:2 (he is beaten and put in stocks).

d) Jeremiah’s lifestyle is in accordance with God’s commands

e) He speaks what God wants not from his own mind, clearly seen in his complaint in Jeremiah 20:9 (below).

J 20:9 But if I say, “I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name,” his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.

SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO US TODAY?

Today, we need to be aware that there are also ‘false prophets’, who prophesy what people want them to say. 1 Thessalonians 5 is a great chapter to read to give you guidance on dealing with today’s false prophecies.

1 T 5:1-3 Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace and safety”, destruction will come on them suddenly, as labour pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

Can you see how Paul uses the same language that the false prophets did in Jeremiah? ‘While people are saying, Peace and safety” destruction will come on them suddenly’, just like in Jeremiah.

He answers our question and gives us a course of action in 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22.

1 T 5:19-22 Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.

Don’t reject all prophecies out of fear, but test them. If the prophecy aligns with what God has already put on your heart and confirmed with you, then hold on to it. If it doesn’t and causes any fears, concerns or anxiety, reject it. God’s words come with hope, life and encouragement. You may be a little scared at the size of it, but you will have the peace and faith to know it is from God. If it causes overwhelming fear or takes you away from God in any way, take Paul and Jeremiah’s advice, recognise where it has come from and file it away in that circular filing cabinet in your kitchen (the bin!).