Throughout the history of Israel, prophets served as God's messengers, delivering His word to the people. However, the messages they brought were not always welcomed, especially when they called for repentance or warned of impending judgment. The people of Israel, at various times, sought to influence the prophets to deliver more favorable or "smooth" messages that aligned with their desires rather than the truth of God's word.

One of the clearest examples of this tendency is found in the book of Isaiah. The prophet Isaiah records the people's desire for comforting and deceitful messages rather than the hard truths of God's impending judgment. In Isaiah 30:10 , the people say to the seers, "Do not see," and to the prophets, "Do not prophesy to us the truth. Speak to us pleasant words; prophesy illusions."

This desire for smooth words was not limited to Isaiah's time. The prophet Jeremiah also faced similar challenges. In Jeremiah 6:14 , he describes how false prophets would proclaim peace when there was no peace: "They have dressed the wound of My people with very little care, saying, 'Peace, peace,' when there is no peace." The people preferred these comforting lies over the difficult truths that Jeremiah was called to deliver.

The prophet Micah also encountered resistance when delivering God's message. In Micah 2:11 , he sarcastically notes the people's preference for a prophet who would prophesy of wine and beer, saying, "If a man of wind were to come and invent lies: 'I will prophesy to you of wine and beer,' he would be just the prophet for this people!"

This pattern of rejecting true prophecy in favor of more palatable messages is a recurring theme in the Old Testament. The people often sought prophets who would affirm their current lifestyle and choices rather than challenge them to live according to God's standards. This rejection of true prophecy in favor of false comfort is a testament to the human tendency to avoid confronting sin and the need for repentance.

The New Testament also reflects on this tendency, warning believers to be wary of false prophets who come in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves (Matthew 7:15). The apostle Paul, in his letters, cautions against those who would turn away from the truth to follow myths, as seen in 2 Timothy 4:3-4 : "For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires. So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths."

The struggle between true and false prophecy highlights the importance of discernment and faithfulness to God's word. The prophets' experiences serve as a reminder of the challenges faced by those who speak God's truth in a world that often prefers comforting illusions over the reality of divine judgment and the call to repentance.1 Kings 22:13
And the messenger that was gone to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, Behold now, the words of the prophets declare good to the king with one mouth: let your word, I pray you, be like the word of one of them, and speak that which is good.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Isaiah 30:10
Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not to us right things, speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Amos 2:12
But you gave the Nazarites wine to drink; and commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Appeal to the Christian Women of the South
... with cruel beatings and scourgings as they often are. ... The Prophets were stoned,
imprisoned, and killed by the Jews ... speak the truth; to tell the Jews, boldly and ...
/.../an appeal to the christian women of the south/appeal to the christian women.htm

Psalm LXXVIII.
... a testimony by the Law and the Prophets, [3553] therefore ... by Cain, [3574] so by the
Jews was slain ... crooked and embittering persons, "How often they exasperated ...
/.../augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/psalm lxxviii.htm

Letter cxlvii. To Sabinianus.
... You may treat the words of prophets with contempt ... the Ammonites and the Moabites,
the Jews also and the children of Israel, although God had often prophesied to ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/letter cxlvii to sabinianus.htm

Introduction to Oration ii.
... degree, our tears and groans, and has often stirred my ... a preacher of the Gentiles,
[2698] a patron of the Jews. ... by an enumeration of all the prophets, and of ...
/.../cyril/lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/introduction to oration ii.htm

Book ii.
... oracles of God, the Gospel, and the prophets, who believe ... law of the flesh, and the
mind often, when sin ... those festivals which were enjoined on the Jews by the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/ambrose/works and letters of st ambrose/book ii.htm

'Other Sheep'
... learned to believe that 'salvation is of the Jews,' though they ... Touch not Mine anointed
and do My prophets no harm ... We are often told that we have done nothing. ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/maclaren/expositions of holy scripture i/other sheep.htm

The Unjust Steward - Dives and Lazarus - Jewish Agricultural Notes ...
... The very name - not often mentioned in any other real ... what really was, but only
introduces Jews as speaking ... not hearing to] Moses and the Prophets, neither will ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter xviii the unjust steward.htm

Footnotes
... HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS} Some useful sermons have been often perplexed with a ... 157 [That
is, not to speak of."Ed.]. ... captivate, sell as a slave to make them do that ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/footnotes.htm

The Greatness of the Soul,
... 4. The soul is often called the life of man, not a ... the evil or good of such things
are tried; especially when in ... could that be, if He did not also make some of ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the greatness of the soul.htm

Of Prayer --A Perpetual Exercise of Faith. The Daily Benefits ...
... not the lauded sanctity of patriarchs, prophets, and apostles ... Accordingly, he upbraids
the Jews, that shortly after ... is pardoned by God, who often exercises his ...
/.../the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 20 of prayera perpetual.htm

What does the Bible say about false prophets? | GotQuestions.org

What are the Major Prophets and Minor Prophets? | GotQuestions.org

What was the school of prophets? | GotQuestions.org

Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus