What is the meaning of Jeremiah 14:15? Therefore this is what the LORD says about the prophets who prophesy in My name God Himself steps into the conversation. • The phrase “the LORD says” highlights divine authority (see Isaiah 1:18–20; Deuteronomy 18:18-19). • By addressing “the prophets who prophesy in My name,” God exposes people who invoke His reputation while rejecting His will, much like the prophets in Jeremiah 23:16-17 who “speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD.” • True prophecy always aligns with previously revealed truth (Numbers 23:19; 2 Peter 1:20-21). • The opening reminder places the burden of discernment on listeners (1 John 4:1), urging them to weigh every message against Scripture. I did not send them A direct denial of divine commissioning. • In Jeremiah 23:21 God says, “I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message.” The same indictment appears in Jeremiah 27:15. • Without God’s sending, a message carries no divine backing; the speaker becomes a “hireling” (John 10:12-13) rather than a shepherd. • False prophets can gain popularity (2 Timothy 4:3-4), but their success is temporary because their foundation is sand (Matthew 7:26-27). Yet they say, ‘No sword or famine will touch this land.’ The content of their prophecy contradicts what God has already spoken. • Earlier in the chapter, God announced drought, sword, and famine (Jeremiah 14:12). These prophets preach the opposite—“peace, peace” when there is no peace (Jeremiah 6:14). • Ezekiel 13:10-16 describes the same “whitewashed wall” message of false security. • Such soothing words appeal to fleshly hopes: “They lean on the LORD, saying, ‘Is not the LORD among us? No disaster will come upon us’ ” (Micah 3:11). • Paul later warns that when people proclaim “peace and security,” sudden destruction follows (1 Thessalonians 5:3). By sword and famine these very prophets will meet their end! God’s verdict is measure-for-measure justice. • The same calamities they denied will be their undoing, fulfilling Deuteronomy 18:20: “The prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name that I have not commanded … that prophet shall die.” • Jeremiah 28 records Hananiah’s death for falsely predicting the end of Babylonian domination; Jeremiah 29:21-23 states that Ahab and Zedekiah would be roasted in the fire by Nebuchadnezzar. • Judgment starts with leaders (Jeremiah 25:29; 1 Peter 4:17), underscoring accountability for those who influence others. • God’s faithfulness to His word—both promises and warnings—stands unshaken (Psalm 119:89; Revelation 19:11). summary Jeremiah 14:15 teaches that God personally confronts and judges anyone who claims to speak for Him without His authorization. False prophets comfort people with empty assurances, contradicting clear divine warnings. Because God is just and true, He ensures that the very disasters they denied become their own punishment. The verse calls believers to test every message by Scripture, trust God’s unwavering truth, and reject any voice that offers peace apart from repentance and obedience. |
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