©Kris Gerbrandt
Chapter 23:16-22 (ESV) - Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD. They say continually to those who despise the word of the LORD, ‘It shall be well with you’; and to everyone who stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, ‘No disaster shall come upon you.’”
For who among them has stood in the council of the LORD
to see and to hear his word,
or who has paid attention to his word and listened?
Behold, the storm of the LORD!
Wrath has gone forth,
a whirling tempest;
it will burst upon the head of the wicked.
The anger of the LORD will not turn back
until he has executed and accomplished
the intents of his heart.
In the latter days you will understand it clearly.
“I did not send the prophets,
yet they ran;
I did not speak to them,
yet they prophesied.
But if they had stood in my council,
then they would have proclaimed my words to my people,
and they would have turned them from their evil way,
and from the evil of their deeds.
Question to consider: How does the LORD speak to us?
It is popular in Christian culture, especially among Charismatic churches, to refer to an inward thought or prompting as the “still small voice” of God. The idea is based on 1 Kings 19:11-12, “And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.”
The first thing I’d like to note about this encounter between the LORD and Elijah is that this is an unusual circumstance and not the norm. When the LORD addressed the people of Israel from Mount Sinai, it was through thunder, lightning, and trumpet blasts which made the people tremble to the point where they pleaded with Moses to deal directly with the LORD because they feared they would die.
When the LORD addressed Elijah quietly, it was not in the wind, earthquake or fire, for Elijah was already in a state of despair from threats against his life from Jezebel, the wicked wife of king Ahab. The LORD met Elijah with the soothing reassurance that he was not alone.
The second thing to note was even though the voice of the LORD came to Elijah in a whisper, it was still an audible, external voice. When people use the phrase “still, small voice” today, they are referring to an idea that pops into their mind. Much like the false prophets of today, those in Jeremiah’s day believed that they could learn how to hear the voice of God. However, given that the Law was buried in the temple treasury, the LORD raised the question of who among them stood in His council or paid attention to His word?
When Jeremiah proclaimed the direct word of the LORD, they despised it (and him). If they loved the word of the LORD, they would have repented of their sin and encouraged the people to do the same. Today, we do not need to have visions from God because the entire canon of scripture has been revealed.
Today, a true prophet knows scripture, teaches it to others, and connects it to Christ who is the name above every name. Most self-proclaimed vision-casters of this age may summarize a passage or make a vague reference to scripture, but they rarely take the time to read scripture in its intended context because then it cannot be manipulated to reinforce their "vain hopes." As the LORD said through Jeremiah to the people of Judah, "Do not listen to them."
Dear heavenly Father, help us to learn the word You have given us so that we may repent and teach others to do the same. Thank You for Your mercy and grace and for Your Holy Spirit who lives in us and is remolding us in Christ’s image. Amen.