Readings for today: Jeremiah 23:21-25:38, 2 Thessalonians 2, Psalms 84, Proverbs 25:15
We live in a world of false prophets. Prophets, priests, pastors who use the Word of God to manipulate and control. To prop up unrighteous systems and support evil deeds. The examples are legion. Priests using their position of power to abuse the most vulnerable. Pastors using their influence to accumulate massive amounts of wealth at the expense of their congregations. Still other Christian leaders using their social media platforms to promote hatred against men and women of different faiths. Entire denominations aligning their theology with one party’s political platform or another. I have listened to pastors use the image of the heavenly Jerusalem to promote the building of a wall on our southern border. I have heard leaders in my old denomination fiercely defend abortion on demand as righteous and good. I have experienced the merging of pagan rituals with the precious sacraments of the Christian faith. The words of the ancient prophet Jeremiah hold true now more than ever…
"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.” (Jeremiah 23:21-22)
“I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in my name, saying, 'I have dreamed, I have dreamed!' How long shall there be lies in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies, and who prophesy the deceit of their own heart, who think to make my people forget my name by their dreams that they tell one another, even as their fathers forgot my name for Baal?” (Jeremiah 23:25-27)
“Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, declares the Lord, who steal my words from one another. Behold, I am against the prophets, declares the Lord, who use their tongues and declare, 'declares the Lord.' Behold, I am against those who prophesy lying dreams, declares the Lord, and who tell them and lead my people astray by their lies and their recklessness, when I did not send them or charge them. So they do not profit this people at all, declares the Lord.”(Jeremiah 23:30-32)
Friends, God will not be mocked. He will not allow His name to be profaned. He will not stand idly by while people warp and twist and pervert His Word. Do we really think God is not listening? Do we really think God doesn’t see our sin? Do we really think God will not rise up and act to defend His own honor and glory? We are fools as Jeremiah points out. "Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 23:23-24) God hears every word we say. He sees every tweet. He knows every Facebook post. He looks down from heaven and his anger grows as He watches those who claim to be shepherds for His people embrace unrighteousness. His wrath is kindled towards those who use His name to acquire wealth and power and privilege at the expense of those we are called to serve. The poor. The lost. The lonely. The least of these. He will not stand idly by as false prophets share their dreams and cast their visions and spread their lies.
'The Lord will roar from on high, and from his holy habitation utter his voice; he will roar mightily against his fold, and shout, like those who tread grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth. The clamor will resound to the ends of the earth, for the Lord has an indictment against the nations; he is entering into judgment with all flesh, and the wicked he will put to the sword, declares the Lord…Wail, you shepherds, and cry out, and roll in ashes, you lords of the flock, for the days of your slaughter and dispersion have come, and you shall fall like a choice vessel. No refuge will remain for the shepherds, nor escape for the lords of the flock. A voice—the cry of the shepherds, and the wail of the lords of the flock! For the Lord is laying waste their pasture, and the peaceful folds are devastated because of the fierce anger of the Lord. Like a lion he has left his lair, for their land has become a waste because of the sword of the oppressor, and because of his fierce anger." (Jeremiah 25:30-31, 34-38)
Make no mistake, friends. The Lord is coming in righteous judgment against the false prophets we see on television or hear opining on cable news or follow on Twitter. He will make them drink the cup of His wrath. He will bring them down just as surely as they lifted themselves up. And it would be easy for us to rejoice in their fall. Until we start to examine our hearts. We too must acknowledge where we have sinned. We too must humble ourselves under God’s mighty hand. We too must confess the manifold ways we have allowed the corrupt values of this world to infiltrate our hearts. Influence our decisions. Shape the way we see the world. Like the false prophets of old, we must heed His call to return to His Word in faithfulness. We must let His love replace our hate. Let His kindness replace our anger. His joy replace our sorrow. His peace replace our anxiety. Above all, we must cling to His truth above our own. We must reject the lies and falsehoods and never give fear a foothold lest we compromise our faith. The grass will wither. The flower will fade. The glory of the nations will come and go. Only God’s Word stands forever.
Readings for tomorrow: Jeremiah 26-27, 2 Thessalonians 3, Psalms 85, Proverbs 25:16