Hide and Seek

 

I got a little confused as I was reading Jeremiah chapters 28-30 today. I had to re-read it a couple of times before I figured out the stories.

I was reading about Hananiah son of Azur and Shemaiah the Nehelamite from Babylon. I know the story of Judah's exile to Babylon. The famous verses of Jeremiah 29:10-14 are very familiar to me:

"This is what the Lord says: 'You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. For I know the plans I have for you,' says the Lord. 'They are plans for good and not disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,' says the Lord. 'I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.'

So when I read the prophecy of Hananiah which said, Judah was only going to be held captive for two years and when I read the letter from Shamaiah against Jeremiah, I knew it was FALSE PROPHECY. What they were saying went against what was coming from God's chosen vessel. But, it took me a "quick minute" to realize it. 

Today, in our crazy, mixed up, sinful world, we have a lot of people, LOUD PEOPLE, that claim they are from God. It can get so confusing. What is from the Lord and what is not? The message today in our Western culture is "Eat, Drink, and Be Merry" and you will find YOUR God, one of many. If they believe in God, they will tell you that there is more than one way to get to heaven. They will say, "ALL RELIGIONS ARE TRUE!" They will tell you that the clear messages of God's word are OPEN FOR INTERPRETATION. They will tell you that your HAPPINESS is more important than serving the Lord. These messages are false. Like Hananiah and Shamaiah, they are delivering a message that people want to hear, but is not from God.

How can we tell the difference?

The verses above, from Jeremiah 29:10-14, give us a clue to discerning false preachers from true servants of the Lord. 

First, we must pray to God for wisdom and discernment. God will provide you with judgment to identify false preaching, if we take the time to listen to Him. 

Second, if we "wholeheartedly look for the Lord," WE WILL FIND HIM. THIS IS NOT A COSMIC GAME OF HIDE-N-SEEK. God is not trying to hide from you. If we earnestly seek him, he will be found and we will not have to guess if he is the ONE TRUE GOD. We earnestly seek God through a study of his word, spending time in prayer, listening and obeying the commands and teaching from his word. 

In Deuteronomy, Moses tells Israel. It is not that difficult. We are to love God, obey him, and cling to him. (Deut. 30:11-20) When we do this, we will be saved! Don't make it harder than it needs to be, but make sure you are NOT listening and obeying anyone who is contrary to the word of God!