What is the meaning of Jeremiah 14:14? The prophets are prophesying lies in My name • The Lord exposes people who claimed His authority while spreading deception. Jeremiah had already heard similar warnings: “This is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They are filling you with false hopes’ ” (Jeremiah 23:16). • False prophets often invoke God’s name to gain credibility (cf. Deuteronomy 18:20). The misuse of the divine name is not a minor mistake; it is taking the Lord’s name in vain on a national scale (Exodus 20:7). • For us, any teaching that contradicts clear Scripture—even if labeled “Christian”—must be rejected (Galatians 1:8). replied the LORD • The statement comes directly from Yahweh, underscoring divine authority. God’s personal response mirrors other moments when He speaks into confusion, such as His reply to Job (Job 38:1). • Scripture repeatedly shows God confronting error rather than ignoring it (Isaiah 65:2). His answer provides an unchanging standard in every generation (Psalm 119:89). I did not send them or appoint them or speak to them • Three verbs—send, appoint, speak—cover every legitimate channel of prophetic authority. Lacking all three, these men stand self-commissioned. The true test: “I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran” (Jeremiah 23:21). • God alone assigns ministry (Numbers 16:28; Acts 13:2). Self-called leaders bear no divine backing and ultimately no power (Jeremiah 27:15). • Believers must discern calling by measuring teachers against Scripture and godly fruit (Matthew 7:15-20). They are prophesying to you a false vision • “Vision” implies supernatural revelation, yet these sights are counterfeit—fabricated pictures rather than God-given insight. Lamentations 2:14 laments, “The visions your prophets saw for you were empty and deceptive.” • False visions often promise peace when judgment is near (Jeremiah 6:14; 1 Thessalonians 5:3). • Today, any message that sidelines sin, holiness, or Christ’s sufficiency fits the same pattern (2 Timothy 4:3-4). a worthless divination • “Worthless” (lit. vapor, emptiness) echoes idols that cannot save (Jeremiah 10:15). Divination—seeking hidden knowledge apart from God—was condemned in Israel (Deuteronomy 18:10-12). • Ezekiel denounced identical practices: “You saw false visions and made lying divinations” (Ezekiel 13:7). • Modern counterparts include occult practices and manipulative “words” that bypass Scripture. God’s people must avoid every form of spiritual fraud (1 John 4:1). the futility and delusion of their own minds • At the core is human imagination divorced from God. Romans 1:21 describes those who “became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” • Ephesians 4:17 warns believers “no longer to live … in the futility of their thinking.” Without divine revelation, the mind drifts toward vanity. • Our safeguard is renewing the mind through God’s Word (Romans 12:2), letting truth replace delusion. summary Jeremiah 14:14 records God’s uncompromising verdict on counterfeit prophecy. The Lord exposes deception, rejects self-appointed messengers, and labels their claims empty, occult, and self-generated. In every era His people must test messages by Scripture, submit to divinely sent voices, and cling to the Lord’s unerring Word. |
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