Jeremiah Denounces False Prophets

JEREMIAH 23:16, 21-32—In the opening verse of this lesson a false prophet is identified as one whose message makes the people’s outlook vain, and the context indicates that this is done by assuring them that all is well and that no evil shall come upon them. We are not to suppose, of course, that this is the only characteristic of false prophets. It was, however, an important one in Jeremiah’s day.

The Word of the Lord to Israel, through Jeremiah, was that unless the nation forsook its sin it would be destroyed. False prophets endeavored to counteract the effect of this message by assuring the people that there was no evil in the land and that they would continue to enjoy peace. This appealed to the vanity of the Israelites, hence it pleased them best to hearken to the false prophets rather than to Jeremiah.

The Lord emphasizes that he had not sent these false prophets. But even so, he indicates that if they had been in harmony with him and had used their influence in causing the Israelites to give heed to his Word as spoken by Jeremiah, they would have been blessed. But this they did not do, for it was more pleasant to prophesy the things the people wanted to hear. By doing this they could be popular, although it resulted in the loss of God’s favor.

Hypocrisy is an abomination unto the Lord, and this was another evil practiced by the false prophets of Israel. They based their prophecies on dreams, but gave the people to understand that their messages came from the Lord. “The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my Word, let him speak my Word faithfully.” This at least would have been an honorable position for the prophets who had not been sent by the Lord.

These false prophets realized, however, that if they told the people that their messages had no other inspiration than their own dreams little heed would have been given to them, so they resorted to trickery, and claimed that their messages came from the Lord. “Behold,” the Lord said, “I am against the prophets … that use their tongues, and say, He [that is, the Lord] saith.” (Verse 31) It was by this method that they were able successfully to turn the Israelites away from the Lord.

This is a good object lesson for all who profess to represent the Lord, and a very heart-searching lesson, too. Are we proclaiming the Word of the Lord or our own vain imaginations? Is the message we proclaim actually supported by the Word of God, or are we merely pretending that it is? When we use the expression, “Thus saith the Lord,” does the message we present actually come from the Bible, or is it merely a figment of our own dreams? These are questions which we would all do well to ponder carefully and prayerfully; for while we can, and may, deceive ourselves, we cannot deceive the Lord, and it is before him that we stand or fall.

While the most important application of the lesson should be made to our own individual standing before the Lord, we can draw more general observations from it. Take the prophets of evolution, for example; they tell the people that there is no such thing as original sin; that man did not fall, but is ever rising to greater heights of culture and civilization. This is a lie, yet the prophets who declare it claim that their message is in harmony with the Bible. They profess to be Christians, and hail Jesus as their Leader and Savior.

These same prophets, for many years before the first World War, lulled their congregations into a false sense of security by their gospel of evolution and advancing culture. They claimed that man had advanced too far to permit another war, and they branded as prophets of doom those who called attention to the prophecies of the Bible which foretold a “time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation.”—Dan. 12:1

Soon, now, this foretold trouble will have completely destroyed the “present evil world,” and the false prophets of evolution will be recognized by the people in their true light. (Gal. 1:4) Meanwhile, let those who have the Word of the Lord continue faithfully to proclaim it. Let us tell the whole world the meaning of the trouble that is now upon the nations, and the glorious outcome. Like Jeremiah, we will be called by many the prophets of doom, but in reality we will be pointing out to the world the only true solution for the problems created by sin and selfishness.

Jeremiah was confronted by so many difficulties in presenting the message given to him by the Lord that he decided to remain silent. He found, however, that he could have no rest or peace in such a course. The Word of the Lord was like a fire shut up in his bones, and he became weary trying to hold it back. (Jer. 20:9) This has been the experience of many of the Lord’s people, but in this most wonderful time of the world’s history, let us not try to hold back from proclaiming the Word of the Lord. Let us tell the whole world these blessed tidings!

QUESTIONS

What was one of the characteristics of false prophets in the days of Jeremiah?

What enabled the false prophets of that time so effectively to deceive the people?

What individual applications can we make of today’s lesson?

What larger application may we make of the lesson?

Should we hold back from proclaiming the truth simply because there is opposition to it?

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