DCLM DAILY MANNA DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR NOVEMBER 19, 2021 (BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS)
Topic: “Beware Of False Prophets“
TEXT: Jeremiah 23:9-22
9. Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the LORD, and because of the words of his holiness.
10. For the land is full of adulterers; for because of swearing the land mourneth; the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up, and their course is evil, and their force is not right.
11. For both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith the LORD.
12. Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness; they shall be driven on, and fall therein; for I will bring evil upon them, even the year of their visitation, saith the LORD.
13. And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied in Baal, and caused my people Israel to err.
14. I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing; they commit adultery, and walk in lies; they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness; they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah.
15. Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall; for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land.
16. Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you; they make you vain; they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD.
17. They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you.
18. For who hath stood in the counsel of the LORD, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it?
19. Behold, a whirlwind of the LORD is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind; it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked.
20. The anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart; in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly.
21. I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran; I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.
22. But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.
Key Verse: Jeremiah 23:16
“Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you; they make you vain; they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord.”
A distinguished Methodist minister preached on sin and one of his church officers afterwards came into his study to see him. He said to the minister, “Mr. Howard, we don’t want you to talk as plainly as you do about sin because if our boys and girls hear you talk so much about it, they will easily become sinners. Call it a mistake if you will, but do not speak so plainly about sin.” Then the minister took down a small bottle and showed it to the visitor.
It was a bottle of Strychnine and was marked “poison”. He said, “I see what you want me to do. You want me to change the label. Suppose, I take off this label of ‘poison’ and put on some mild label, such as ‘essence of peppermint’, don’t you see what happens? The milder you make your label, the more dangers you make your poison”.
The prophets and priests of Samaria and Jerusalem in our text today were unlike the Methodist pastor. They were profane and wicked. They prophesied in Baal, causing the people to err. They committed adultery and walked in lies. They strengthened the hands of evil doers such that the sinners could not repent. The false prophets and priests hindered the people from hearing God’s word, thereby hindering their return from evil (Jeremiah 23:22).
Hypocrisy and deception are the common marks of false prophets and priests in ancient times. There is always a prophet or personality waiting to contradict God’s word. These are the false prophets and preachers who are greater in number than true prophets. They will not warn the people of the doom to come but declare peace only.
Be conscious of your feeling and thoughts when a prophet approaches you. Look beyond the external. To get to heaven, beware of false prophets and keep your distance.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Keep your distance from false prophets.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Ezekiel 29-31
Daily Manna is the daily devotional of the Deeper Christian Life Bible Ministry (DCLM). It is an extraction of God’s Word designed to draw the sincere seeker closer to God on a daily basis through an insightful exposition and analysis of God’s Word. Read More…
