13 Then I said, “O Lord God, the ones who speak in Your name are telling them, ‘You will not see the sword and you will not go hungry. But I will give you lasting peace in this place.’” 14 Then the Lord said to me, “Those men are speaking lies in My name. I have not sent them, or told them, or spoken to them. They are telling you a false dream of a false future that means nothing. They are speaking the lies of their own hearts. 15 So this is what the Lord says about those men who tell what is going to happen in the future using My name. I did not send them, yet they keep saying, ‘There will be no sword or hunger in this land.’ So by the sword and by hunger those false teachers will be destroyed!
It happens all the time. We go to Kohl’s and purchase some clothes or shoes, and when we check out, they give us Kohl’s Cash. Upon looking at this “Kohl’s Cash,” we see that it offers 25% off or is worth $20. We think, “That’s cool,” and put it in our wallet. Weeks go by, and my wife finds herself back at Kohl’s. She goes up to the register and suddenly remembers the Kohl’s Cash. Excited, she pulls out the voucher and hands it to the cashier. The cashier looks at it and says, “This is out of date.” Perplexed, my wife looks at it again, and sure enough, it expired yesterday or this past weekend. So much for Kohl’s Cash.
The Israelites didn’t have Kohl’s Cash, and they weren’t shopping for clothes. Instead, they were continuing in the practice of disobeying the Lord on a large scale. The temple still stood in Jerusalem, and for the most part, the people might have even been observing some of the Jewish laws. Their actions appeared correct, but their hearts were not in it. A small glimpse into their daily practices is seen in our verses above. Prophets still existed, priests still served, and temple traditions were still carried out. To an outsider, it might have seemed like all of God’s laws were being observed. Even the prophets were prophesying. Everything looked good—at least, that’s what the prophets said. They were supposed to be the voice of God in early Jewish culture. So what was so upside-down?
The Lord tells Jeremiah that these prophets were not from Him. They spoke the lies of their own hearts. In other words, these men were declaring that everything was fine when, in reality, things were far from good. Beneath the surface, the people were practicing other religions, praying to idols, and ignoring their sins. Meanwhile, the prophets proclaimed messages of peace and prosperity, reinforcing sinful behavior and driving the people even further from the Lord. Jeremiah was God’s voice of correction, warning of impending punishment—exile into Babylon.
For us, we need to be careful about who we listen to. The Bible is clear that fools listen only to fools and keep returning to their bad habits. Proverbs 26:11 tells us, “A fool who does his foolish act again is like a dog that turns back to what he has thrown up.” The foolish act is as disgusting as vomit, yet fools continue to return to it. Even worse, by failing to call out sinful behavior, these prophets were justifying it. Romans 1:32 tells us, “…they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.”
Today, be careful who you allow into your inner circle of counsel. Make sure they are godly men and women who guide you in God’s ways. Too often, our excuse is, “I didn’t know.” If you are reading this, you have a chance to “know better.” The Bible is God’s playbook for life. Unlike Kohl’s Cash, it has no expiration date. It never goes out of style and is good for eternity. The Bible tells us to write it on the tablet of our hearts so we won’t forget it. Today, start a new era in your life—one where God’s Word and His promises are inside you, ensuring that you won’t be deceived by false prophets who justify sinful behavior. Sin is sin, and we should run from it at all costs.
Prayer: Father, help us discern the false prophets in our lives. Help us recognize bad advice from so-called friends. I pray that we only listen to and accept godly counsel from Your Word, writing it on our hearts and minds. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Let It Go 
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