daily java

Daily Java:

But listen now to the solemn words I speak to you in the presence of all these people. The ancient prophets who preceded you and me spoke against many nations, always warning of war, disaster, and disease. So a prophet who predicts peace must show he is right. Only when his predictions come true can we know that he is really from the Lord. (Jeremiah 28:7-9)

A couple of posts back I wrote about those who claim to have a “word from God” and then tell you how much God loves you and how things are going to turn out fine. My comment was you rarely heard real prophets ever tell anyone that things would be fine. Usually they came thundering the fact that God was about to slap the living fire out of somebody.

Jeremiah said the same thing here. He said, just look at the prophets who came before me. these people were full of the Lord’s righteous anger against somebody who had turned from God. They spoke of war, disaster and disease. They never came full of sweetness and light, with messages of good things to come.

They came telling of judgment.

Jeremiah said to be suspicious of prophets who come proclaiming peace. If a prophet comes proclaiming little happy things, the happy things coming true will be his authentication.

The prophets were not to tell people they were fine, when I came down to it. The prophets were there to tell people of what God wanted. They were there to tell of shortcomings, or failures of falling short of the glory. They were there as guideposts at the edge of the road to keep people from falling off.

Any time someone comes to me with “words from God” that tell me everything is fine and that God loves me and I am doing fine, I am suspicious of it.

Jeremiah was too. You should be too.