©Bonnie LaBelle
Chapter 14:13-22 (ESV) - 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. Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the prophets who prophesy in my name although I did not send them, and who say, ‘Sword and famine shall not come upon this land’: By sword and famine those prophets shall be consumed. And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem, victims of famine and sword, with none to bury them—them, their wives, their sons, and their daughters. For I will pour out their evil upon them.
“You shall say to them this word:
‘Let my eyes run down with tears night and day,
and let them not cease,
for the virgin daughter of my people is shattered with a great wound,
with a very grievous blow.
If I go out into the field,
behold, those pierced by the sword!
And if I enter the city,
behold, the diseases of famine!
For both prophet and priest ply their trade through the land
and have no knowledge.’”
Have you utterly rejected Judah?
Does your soul loathe Zion?
Why have you struck us down
so that there is no healing for us?
We looked for peace, but no good came;
for a time of healing, but behold, terror.
We acknowledge our wickedness, O LORD,
and the iniquity of our fathers,
for we have sinned against you.
Do not spurn us, for your name's sake;
do not dishonor your glorious throne;
remember and do not break your covenant with us.
Are there any among the false gods of the nations that can bring rain?
Or can the heavens give showers?
Are you not he, O LORD our God?
We set our hope on you,
for you do all these things.
Question to consider: What is the difference between a false prophet and a heretic?
Every time Jeremiah conveyed the words that the LORD told him to give to Judah and Jerusalem concerning the sword that was coming by way of Babylon and a horrible drought and famine that was going to leave the wells and cisterns dry, there were those who professed to be prophets who proclaimed that the people would be safe if they stayed within the walls of Jerusalem.
The LORD verified to Jeremiah that He did not send these men to be His prophets or give them that message with which they deceived the people. They were following lying visions— trying to interpret dreams or drug-induced hallucinations as if they were messages from the LORD. They also used worthless divinations— some mystical instruments like: astrological signs, animal entrails, tea leaves, a crystal ball, tarot cards, etc. The LORD called them worthless because they were just superstitions created by men or means exploited by demons to deceive people, or deceitful ideas from their own minds.
The least creative would be those who considered every idea that came into their minds as a message from God— like Obi Wan Kenobi telling Luke Skywalker to “search his feelings and know something is true.” The prophets and those who were deceived by them would realize their deception when they are dying in droves by these means, and there’s no room left to bury people.
The song through which Jeremiah was to deliver it described Judah as a virgin daughter because up until this point, she had never been taken captive by another nation. She would be shattered with a great wound, the people all over the countryside being pierced by the sword, and the city filled with disease and famine.
Jeremiah was not allowed to intercede for Judah so I wonder if the second verse of the song was given to the people so that they would remember it and sing it back to the LORD when all of these things came to pass. It would seem to them that the LORD had utterly rejected Judah, but we know they would eventually be reconciled to Him. One day they would recognize that the LORD was the One true God. Only He could bring the rains or protect them from the nations if only He would remember His covenant with their forefathers.
We still have false prophets today— those who profess to speak the words of God but are using lying visions, worthless divinations, or some unspoken voice which reflects whatever thought is on their mind. You can recognize them because they don’t call people to repent and turn to Christ, they focus on earthly things which are perishing, and they set aside the revealed word of God in scripture.
A heretic would be someone who takes the revealed word of God and mishandles it. This is why not everyone should be pastors, teachers, or elders. They have a responsibility to know and understand the scriptures and help others to do the same.
Dear heavenly Father, thank You for giving us Your word which is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness. Help us to receive it with joy and be transformed by it with all wisdom and understanding in Christ Jesus. Amen.