Jeremiah 23:9-40 Led By Lies

Jeremiah is heart broken as he watches the people being led by lies. The very men who should be speaking God’s words are speaking lies of their own minds.

Jeremiah’s message is NOT a popular one but it is the truth. The people don’t want to hear it and the prophets don’t want to acknowledge it. So, they come up with a ‘better story’ for the people. But their ‘better story’ is full of lies and even more destruction.

Israel’s prophets were prophesying in the in the name of false gods. Judah’s prophets are even WORSE than Israel’s. They are prophesying in the name of the Lord with FALSE words; one of their own imaginations. And their words are giving the people false hope and convincing them that they have no need of repentance.

God has been doing everything possible to get through to His people; to call them back to Himself and repentance. Yet, the very people who should be leading them to Him are turning them away. Not by leading them to other gods but by diluting His laws, promising things He has already said “No” to, and creating an illusion of ‘all is well’ for the people to buy into. ‘If you have no idea you are sick, you won’t seek out a physician.’

I wonder if they had really convinced themselves that they were hearing from God. Did they KNOW what they were saying was a lie? Jeremiah was not the only prophet speaking the truth. Habakkuk, Zephaniah, and Ezekial were all sharing God’s words when Jeremiah was in service to the Lord. We haven’t made it to their writings yet but I would just about bank on the fact that they were warning Judah of God’s judgment too. They were all being ignored or called alarmists.

I have had times when I believe God is telling me something but I also wonder if it isn’t my own imagination. ‘Wishful thinking’ on my part. I PRAY I never speak falsely in His name! Most of the time when I’m wondering is when it is me doing some kind of service or project I believe He has led me to. And there ARE times when I KNOW I was wrong! But God has rescued me from my own imaginings. He has also let me feel the sting of the consequences of my own imaginings. I don’t want to go ANYWHERE without Him again! Even if it means going right into the lessons that are scary. I have NO illusion that life is ‘messy’ and there will be times when things DON’T turn out rosy. I also have NO illusion that I’m beyond the need of lessons.

I can see how enticing favorable prophesies are in a time of trouble. You want to think that everything will turn out right. But that wasn’t the only thing these false prophesies were doing. They were keeping the people from examining themselves. They were putting all the weight of ‘how things turn out’ on God’s shoulders. It was the people’s actions that brought about the hard things to come. They were blind to their own real need; repentance.

When things start going off the rails in my life, the first thing I look for is where I may have gone wrong. “Is this a random act of a fallen world or am I in the middle of a lesson?” “Did I bring this on by my own sin?” My husband struggles with this when it comes to his brain tumor. He wonders what sin he was being punished for. I don’t KNOW God’s mind, but I try and remind him that we live in a fallen world and bad things happen to good people too. I didn’t know him at the time of his illness so I can’t judge the changes he made afterwards. I know it ended his racing dreams. Only God knows the full extent and purpose. I’ll leave that for Him to reveal when He is ready. God is even opening my eyes to possibilities now. Speaking to my spirit about that His ways are not my ways and I don’t always have an answer. I simply have to trust Him. I KNOW He loves my husband and that my husband loves Him. That is enough for me. I wonder how I will answer him the next time he brings up this topic.

Father God, don’t let me be fooled by false prophesies. Don’t let me be one who spreads false prophecies either! I want to speak YOUR truth at all times. To give encouragement where You call me to do so and to speak correction where You call me to do that too.

Holy Spirit, DON’T let Satan chip away at my faith with his ‘That was just you’ pronouncements. Help me KNOW my Savior’s voice and character better each day. You are my sure foundation. Don’t let Satan OR me pick it apart!