True Prophet

Choose now

Joshua 24:15 “But if it is bad in your eyes to serve Yahweh, choose for yourselves today whom you want to serve, whether it is the gods that your ancestors served beyond the river, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve Yahweh.””

Why do you suppose that false prophets arise? Matthew 7:15 ““Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inside are ravenous wolves.”

When Hananiah arrives on the scene he is not immediately recognized as a false prophet. He is introduced as a prophet. proph·et 📷

noun 1. a person regarded as an inspired teacher or proclaimer of the will of God. "the Old Testament prophet, Jeremiah" With this definition we could automatically assume that if someone is called a prophet that they are from God, but apparently not every prophet is a true prophet.

Jeremiah 28:1-4 “And it was in that same year, at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah, the king of Judah, in the fourth year, in the fifth month, that Hananiah, the son of Azzur, the prophet who was from Gibeon, said to me in the house of Yahweh before the eyes of the priests and all the people, saying, “Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, ‘I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. Within two years I will bring back to this place all the vessels of the house of Yahweh which Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon took away from this place and brought to Babylon. And Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, and all the exiles from Judah who went to Babylon, I will bring back to this place,’ declares Yahweh, ‘For I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’ ””

Why do you suppose Hananiah chooses to tell this prophesy rather than the true prophesy? It is most desirable isn’t it. Everyone wants to be liked. Jeremiah responds to Hananiah in a somewhat favorable way, 6 and Jeremiah the prophet said, “Amen! May Yahweh do so; may Yahweh fulfill your words that you have prophesied, to bring back the vessels of the house of Yahweh and all the exiles from Babylon to this place.

W. Hall Harris III et al., eds., The Lexham English Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), Je 28:6.

The real key to what Jeremiah says and what he means is in verse 7. 7 Nevertheless listen please to this word that I am speaking in your ⌊hearing⌋ and in the ⌊hearing⌋ of all the people,

W. Hall Harris III et al., eds., The Lexham English Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), Je 28:7. Jeremiah is saying I hear what you are saying, I hope it is true ,but that is contrary to what Yahweh is saying to me. 8 The prophets who were ⌊before⌋ me and ⌊before⌋ you from ancient times prophesied against many countries and against great kingdoms of war, and of disaster, and of plague.

W. Hall Harris III et al., eds., The Lexham English Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), Je 28:8. Jeremiah cites the prophets of the past and what they said in contrast to what Hananiah is saying. The tension here in the passage is concerning which is the true prophet and which is a false prophesy. Let us look at a guide given to determine true prophecy. Deuteronomy 18:21-22

Deuteronomy 18:21–22 LEB

And if you say to yourself, ‘How can we know the word that Yahweh has not spoken it?’ Whenever what the prophet spoke in the name of Yahweh, the thing does not take place and does not come about, that is the thing that Yahweh has not spoken it. Presumptuously the prophet spoke it; you shall not fear him.”

Wanting something to be true does not make it true. This lifestyle is like a wish upon a star mentality. Jeremiah addresses this in the next verse 9 when he talks about 9 The prophet who prophesies peace, at the coming of the word of the prophet, will become known as the prophet that Yahweh has ⌊truly⌋ sent.”

W. Hall Harris III et al., eds., The Lexham English Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), Je 28:9. What is meant by verse 9 is obviously sarcasm on the part of Jeremiah in that he would be known as the true prophet not because it was true but because it was what the people wanted to be true.

Take homes for this week:

Wishing upon a star is not the same as praying.

If you want to know what the future holds look at the words of past prophets.

Mother used to say if it sounds too good to be true it probably isn’t true.

Mother was notified years ago that she had won a lottery in a foreign country; it was millions of dollars. She wanted it to be true, but that didn’t make it true. The people told her if she would just send them 5,000 dollars they could send her the money. Thank goodness mother was smart enough to tell them to take the cash out of her winnings and send her the rest.

What we want is irrelevant.

Let us pray