May the mumbling commence!
What happens when prophets collide? It depends which prophet has sought to be on the Lord’s side. In the first days of the Babylonian exile there was not agreement among the prophets – all of whom claimed they spoke the word of the Lord. How do we decide who to believe? Do we go with the majority? Going with the majority would have been a dangerous thing. Read from Jeremiah 27 and 28:
Early in the reign of Zedekiah son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: This is what the Lord said to me: "Make a yoke out of straps and crossbars and put it on your neck. Then send word to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre and Sidon through the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. Give them a message for their masters and say, 'This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: "Tell this to your masters: With my great power and outstretched arm I made the earth and its people and the animals that are on it, and I give it to anyone I please. Now I will hand all your countries over to my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; I will make even the wild animals subject to him. All nations will serve him and his son and his grandson until the time for his land comes; then many nations and great kings will subjugate him.
If, however, any nation or kingdom will not serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon or bow its neck under his yoke, I will punish that nation with the sword, famine and plague, declares the Lord, until I destroy it by his hand. So do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your interpreters of dreams, your mediums or your sorcerers who tell you, 'You will not serve the king of Babylon.' They prophesy lies to you that will only serve to remove you far from your lands; I will banish you and you will perish. But if any nation will bow its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will let that nation remain in its own land to till it and to live there, declares the Lord." '" (27:1-11)
Jeremiah was one prophet who prophesied serving the king of Babylon among a multitude of prophets who prophesied rejecting servitude to the Babylonian king. Yes, majority in this case did not rule. Sometimes, the Lord speaks in the sole voice of one true prophet. In chapter 28, we see the collision of Jeremiah and Hananiah:
In the fifth month of that same year, the fourth year, early in the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, the prophet Hananiah son of Azzur, who was from Gibeon, said to me in the house of the Lord in the presence of the priests and all the people: "This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: 'I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon. Within two years I will bring back to this place all the articles of the Lord's house that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon removed from here and took to Babylon. I will also bring back to this place Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and all the other exiles from Judah who went to Babylon,' declares the Lord, 'for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.'"
Then the prophet Jeremiah replied to the prophet Hananiah before the priests and all the people who were standing in the house of the Lord. He said, "Amen! May the Lord do so! May the Lord fulfill the words you have prophesied by bringing the articles of the Lord's house and all the exiles back to this place from Babylon. Nevertheless, listen to what I have to say in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people: From early times the prophets who preceded you and me have prophesied war, disaster and plague against many countries and great kingdoms. But the prophet who prophesies peace will be recognized as one truly sent by the Lord only if his prediction comes true."
Then the prophet Hananiah took the yoke off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah and broke it, and he said before all the people, "This is what the Lord says: 'In the same way will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon off the neck of all the nations within two years.'" At this, the prophet Jeremiah went on his way. (Verses 1-11)
Though the present majority of prophets proclaimed a coming peace, the actual majority of prophets throughout time had prophesied war and disaster and plague. These evils are almost always a given among humanity. But the prophets who proclaim imminent peace will be judged true only if their prediction comes true.
Indeed, Jeremiah wished the words of Hananiah would come true, but Jeremiah had already seen the Lord’s handwriting on the wall.
Bottom line: Beware of prophets who bring a message that you want to hear – especially when everything in the current situation argues against it.
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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