Show Notes
Jeremiah 28, Jeremiah Series
I’ve just finished reading an interesting biographical sketch on the life of Winston Church during his first 58 years before the Second World War and his first time in office as the Prime Minister. The book is entitled: ‘The Last Lion,’ by William Manchester. Churchill was never fooled by Hitler and his intentions before the War. While Britain was disarming following the First World War, Churchill, who initially agreed with that approach, realized the mistake and pointed out that two significant threats were rising, Communism and Nazism. Before Hitler’s ascent into German leadership, he had insisted that “he would never wage aggressive War, but Winston didn’t believe him. By his own admission, the man was untrustworthy; Churchill quoted Mein Kampf: ‘The great masses of people...will more easily fall victims to a great lie than to a small one.”
In hindsight, we can see that is precisely what Hitler communicated to the German people and the world. We know the damage caused by spreading and embracing lies. It leads people into bondage and ultimately to death.
In Jeremiah 28, we have a confrontation of a false prophet toward Jeremiah’s message. What is at stake is the truth of God’s warning being negated, and the consequences for disobedience will be devastating. What happens when lies are being propagated? Why does God allow liars to operate? God actually uses them to reveal what is in the hearts of people.
"If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a sign or wonder, and if the sign or wonder spoken of takes place, and the prophet says, ‘Let us follow other gods (gods you have not known) ‘ and let us worship them,’ you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The LORD, your God, is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and soul.
It is the LORD your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve and hold fast to him. That prophet or dreamer must be put to death for inciting rebellion against the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. That prophet or dreamer tried to turn you from the way of the LORD your God commanded you to follow. You must purge the evil from among you." (Deuteronomy 13:1-5)
Moses explains that God is testing people regarding their commitment to God. It is not that God doesn’t know, but that we discover from our response to false teaching where we really are. If we think that this is just an Old Testament concept, notice Paul’s warning in 2 Thessalonians 2:9:
"The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie and all the ways wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refuse to love the truth and so be saved."
For this reason, God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.
One of the problems with sin is that its very nature is deceptiveness, and it can suppress the truth.
"There have always been false prophets. Jesus speaks of them in the Sermon on the Mount. How we can identify them." (cf. Heb. 3:13, Rom. 1:18)
"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit, you will recognize them. Do people use grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?
Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit, you will recognize them." (Matthew 7:15-20)
So what is the actual cost of lies, and what happens when we embrace the lie or lies and suppress the truth? What happens to those who deceive and those who are deceived?
