Slices
Prepare
Think of a time when you discerned that someone was telling you something simply because they thought it was what you wanted to hear. How did that make you feel?
Bible passage
Lying prophets
9 Concerning the prophets:
My heart is broken within me;
all my bones tremble.
I am like a drunken man,
like a strong man overcome by wine,
because of the Lord
and his holy words.
10 The land is full of adulterers;
because of the curse the land lies parched
and the pastures in the wilderness are withered.
The prophets follow an evil course
and use their power unjustly.
11 ‘Both prophet and priest are godless;
even in my temple I find their wickedness,’
declares the Lord.
12 ‘Therefore their path will become slippery;
they will be banished to darkness
and there they will fall.
I will bring disaster on them
in the year they are punished,’
declares the Lord.
13 ‘Among the prophets of Samaria
I saw this repulsive thing:
they prophesied by Baal
and led my people Israel astray.
14 And among the prophets of Jerusalem
I have seen something horrible:
they commit adultery and live a lie.
They strengthen the hands of evildoers,
so that not one of them turns from their wickedness.
They are all like Sodom to me;
the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah.’
15 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says concerning the prophets:
‘I will make them eat bitter food
and drink poisoned water,
because from the prophets of Jerusalem
ungodliness has spread throughout the land.’
16 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
‘Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you;
they fill you with false hopes.
They speak visions from their own minds,
not from the mouth of the Lord.
17 They keep saying to those who despise me,
“The Lord says: you will have peace.”
And to all who follow the stubbornness of their hearts
they say, “No harm will come to you.”
18 But which of them has stood in the council of the Lord
to see or to hear his word?
Who has listened and heard his word?
19 See, the storm of the Lord
will burst out in wrath,
a whirlwind swirling down
on the heads of the wicked.
20 The anger of the Lord will not turn back
until he fully accomplishes
the purposes of his heart.
In days to come
you will understand it clearly.
21 I did not send these prophets,
yet they have run with their message;
I did not speak to them,
yet they have prophesied.
22 But if they had stood in my council,
they would have proclaimed my words to my people
and would have turned them from their evil ways
and from their evil deeds.
23 ‘Am I only a God nearby,’
declares the Lord,
‘and not a God far away?
24 Who can hide in secret places
so that I cannot see them?’
declares the Lord.
‘Do not I fill heaven and earth?’
declares the Lord.
25 ‘I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies in my name. They say, “I had a dream! I had a dream!” 26 How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions of their own minds? 27 They think the dreams they tell one another will make my people forget my name, just as their ancestors forgot my name through Baal worship. 28 Let the prophet who has a dream recount the dream, but let the one who has my word speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?’ declares the Lord. 29 ‘Is not my word like fire,’ declares the Lord, ‘and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?
30 ‘Therefore,’ declares the Lord, ‘I am against the prophets who steal from one another words supposedly from me. 31 Yes,’ declares the Lord, ‘I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues and yet declare, “The Lord declares.” 32 Indeed, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,’ declares the Lord. ‘They tell them and lead my people astray with their reckless lies, yet I did not send or appoint them. They do not benefit these people in the least,’ declares the Lord.
Explore
God prompts Jeremiah to switch the focus of his critique from the leaders of Judah to the prophets (v 9). There are many similarities between the two. Here we see that the prophets, like the shepherds, are leading people astray, but it is specifically with their words of false comfort (vs 16,17) that they are pretending to be words from God (v 18).
In the context of Jeremiah, these prophets are saying that Jeremiah is wrong to say that Judah is going to be carried off into exile. There will be peace and no harm will come to the people (vs 16,17).
No one wants bad or difficult things to happen to them or their loved ones and that’s a good thing. But we can take that to an extreme and always seek comfort over godliness; the easy life over obedience.
Maybe a contemporary parallel is never to preach on or study difficult passages, to avoid the prophets, or maybe the entire Old Testament (then again you’d have to avoid quite a lot of the New Testament too!). We need to be ready to hear God’s words to us without being selective and only picking the bits we like. That’s a benefit of reading Daily Bread!
Respond
Think about your Bible diet. What have you learned through studying some of the more challenging passages?
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: 2 Samuel 17,18; Psalms 52–54
Pray for Scripture Union
Please pray that as the Wales team share the main findings from their Gen Alpha research project with churches and key organisations across Wales, they will be able to work together to discover practical ways this research can help shape approaches and increase effectiveness.
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