This is what the LORD of Armies says: Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They are deluding you. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the LORD’s mouth. They keep on saying to those who despise Me, “The LORD has spoken: You will have peace.” They have said to everyone who follows the stubbornness of his heart, “No harm will come to you.” (23:16-17)
I did not send out these prophets, yet they ran. I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied. If they had really stood in my council, they would have enabled my people to hear my words and would have turned them from their evil ways and their evil deeds. (23:21-22)
Jeremiah was a prophet, but his life was not easy. He was constantly in disfavor with the ruling establishment and there was a host of people, preists and prophets who despised him and opposed him at every turn. Yet, at that moment, he was the only real prophet speaking the truth. Everyone else who claimed to be a prophet was simply saying what the people wanted to hear and speaking words of peace when they should have been speaking words of warning. Yet, at the end of the day it was Jeremiah’s word against theirs as to who was really speaking the truth and as to who had really heard from God. When it came to a popularity contest he came out on the losing side of things. However, that is really the point of a prophet. He does not even compete in the popularity contest but stands for the LORD regardless of who listens and regardless of what it costs him.
In Africa, the Prosperity Gospel is rampant and every “so called” prophet is prophesying health and wealth and blessing for all who will listen to his message. It also helps if you support him financially because then you can get EVEN MORE blessing 😉. That is not what prophesy really is in the Bible. Sometimes the message is positive and encouraging, but often the message is one of judgment and warning and a call to repentance. We tend to think of prophesy in the bible as being “fortelling” and occasionally it is, but more often it is “forth-telling” where the prophet warns the people of judgment and calls them to repentance. The test for a prophet who “foretold” the future was if it came to pass or not. If the prophecy failed to happen then he was a fraud. Jeremiah teaches us here that the test for “forthtelling” is “does it enable people to hear God’s word and turn from their sin.”
We all love a preacher to “tell it like it is” and “to step on our toes,” but in reality those guys don’t do very well in our society. People want someone to say what they want to hear. They want him to tell them “its all going to be okay” and “you can do it, if you just try hard enough.” Yet, that is not what real prophets do. Instead, they point out sin in our lives and they help us to turn around. There are times when the message of the LORD goes agains the grain of our lives and we need to submit to that and listen to the “prophet” who is speaking to us. Someone once said to fire and brimstone preacher Billy Sunday, “Preacher you are rubbing the fur of this cat the wrong way and I don’t like it!” His answer was classic, “Well if the cat will just turn around and go the other direction then it won’t rub him the wrong way.” Thank God for those who are willing to speak the truth in love.
