This chapter has two main themes: a plea (from Jeremiah) for the Lord’s forgiveness of His people, and a condemnation of false prophets (and their teachings / followers).
“Then I said: ‘Ah, Lord God, behold, the prophets say to them, “You shall not see the sword, nor shall you have famine, but I will give you assured peace in this place.” ‘ And the Lord said to me: ‘The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds… By sword and famine those prophets shall be consumed.’ ” (v13-15 abr)
There are countless false prophets in our world today, many of which don’t label themselves as prophets. Our household received a pamphlet yesterday from someone claiming to be a prophet, who denounced multiple religions / belief systems and said we need to believe in him and his vision for salvation. Ironically, he quoted scripture to prove his points, yet also denounced (and somehow promoted) Jesus at the same time… his literature left me baffled as to what he wanted me to believe. not all false prophets are obviously false, however, many are very subtle.
We need to be extremely careful who we listen to, and what we believe. We need to partner closely with the Holy Spirit, scripture, and other Christ followers to discern what is true or false. In this information age you can easily find someone who believes and teaches what our flesh wants to believe, yet, those masterfully twisted / false views can quickly lead us astray from God. Only God can authenticate Himself and His word, so looking elsewhere for explanations can be dangerous…
How do we know the Bible and God are telling us the truth? That can be a lengthy topic, however, I have witnessed firsthand how God keeps His promises. When we witness God keeping His promises, that goes a long way to proving His existence and trustworthiness. The rest of it comes down to faith: we all have faith in someone / something, whether we recognize it or not; I have faith my chair will support my weight (which may be foolish of me, haha). I’m choosing to place my faith in the proven Living God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who keeps His promises and in whom no fault can be found. Where does your faith lie?
Father God, our Heavenly Creator and Sovereign Lord, You alone are the authority on truth. Holy Spirit please partner with us in discerning truth, and lead us according to the Father’s ways. Jesus thank you for being our earthly example and guide. Holy Lord please keep us from being fooled by our enemies, and keep our paths straight, for Your honor and glory, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training