False Prophets

INTRO

Deuteronomy 12:32 says, “You must be careful to do everything I command you; do not add anything to it or take anything away from it.” The law can’t be added to or taken away from. It is what it is. This is the transition into Deuteronomy 13, where Scripture says to beware of false prophets and teachers who lure you into false thinking and to follow them instead of following Christ.

TEACHING

What is a prophet? Eugene Merrill defines a prophet as “a spokesperson for God who represent Him before others.”1 Prophets were proclaimers (Exodus 4:15–16) and forthtellers (Exodus 7:1). Aaron will fulfill the role of high priest, he will also communicate as a prophet.

Deuteronomy 13:1–5: Warren Wiersbe talks about three types of temptations to consider in Deuteronomy 13. The first is the temptation from false prophets (vv.1–5).²Moses described the false prophet as someone who comes with a dream or proclaims a sign or wonder that required the worship of other gods (vv. 1–2). In verse 4, Moses said to not only follow God but to fear Him. They were to “keep His commands and listen to His voice; you must worship Him and remain faithful to Him” (v. 4). For information on testing, see 1 Peter 1:6–7; James 1:2–4; Matthew 7:15; 2 Corinthians 11:3–4; and 1 Timothy 1:6–7. There are times when we’re going to be refined and tested and we have to rely on the Word of God, not on these false things. The false teachers will perish and go away. Our job is to test everything we hear and align it with God’s Word.

Moses said false prophets must be put to death because they were taking people away from God (v. 5). In Deuteronomy, the phrase “purge the evil from you” is used eight times. Why? Because people that turn others away from God are detestable to Him (1 Corinthians 5:6-8, 13). Wiersbe says that “just as a surgeon removes cancerous tissue from a patient’s body to keep it from spreading, so the local body of believers must experience surgery, no matter how painful, to maintain the spiritual health of the church.”³No matter how painful, the person who is turning others away from God has to be removed or it will get worse. Constable says, “God permitted prophets to utter false prophecies in order to test His people’s love, specifically to see if they would remain loyal to Him.”⁴God allows false prophets to come into the environment to test the love of His people for their Lord.

To keep God’s commands and hear His voice (v. 4) means to understand that the Holy Spirit is constantly speaking to us, directing us based on the Word of God. He will never contradict, add to, or remove any portion of Scripture. A false mentality, received from the evil spirit world, will lead people away from God and the truth.There is no way around it. The people receive it because of their flesh, because of the world they operate in, or from the evil spirit world. Think of Pharaoh’s magicians that Moses interacted with (Exodus 7; 11; 22). They were receiving things that actually mimicked the truth. Be alert, know the truth, and be careful you don’t fall because of information from false prophets.

Deuteronomy 13:6–11: The second temptation Wiersbe gives that the Israelites had to face was the temptation from family and friends (vv. 6–11).⁵ Verses 7–8 say to keep the friends and family members as far away as possible, and it emphasizes not to spare or shield someone who would lead you down a false path. This includes not “going along with it” just because you feel sorry for them; not even listening to what they have to say; not touching horoscopes or experiencing something enticing you know nothing about; not giving in just because you want to “be there for them” or “help” them.

Solomon’s wives created problems for him. King Solomon had 700 wives (including Pharaoh’s daughter) and 300 concubines (from many nations) whom he was attached to and loved (1 Kings 11:1–3). They were all from nations that they were not supposed to intermarry with. These women lured and turned Solomon’s heart away from God (Matthew 10:21). Jesus said this would happen—this constant tension as you continue to walk with the Lord. Our ministry hears questions like this all the time: “Why do you want to follow Jesus and give everything up?” “Come back, you’ll be fine. You do not have to do this all the time.” “You don’t have to raise your support, that’s silly.” We need to love God more than our family. It’s our family that, sometimes, tries to lure us back from our actual calling (Matthew 10:34–36).

As brothers, Moses and Aaron felt immediate tension when Aaron was caught worshipping the golden calf (Exodus 32). Division between brothers happened instantly. Be careful of advice from family and friends that goes against what we know to be truth. At times, we are called to actually hate our family and it sounds drastic (Luke 14:26). We must be in tune with God’s word so that we are always growing in discernment.

Verse 9 commands that the idolater—the one who created the temptation— be killed and all the people were to join in. The command continues in verse 10— to stone the idolater to death. Although others were not enticed, the idolater was still guilty. Why be so extreme? So that all Israel will hear and know not to do anything this evil again (v. 11). They were to kill anyone who tried to turn them from the Lord. God wanted the Israelites to know He’s serious about people following Him and being aligned with the Word.

Deuteronomy 13:12–18: Wiersbe’s list of temptations has one more to add: the third temptation is the temptation of many.⁶In verse 14, three key actions are given to identify these idolaters: Inquire, Investigate, and Interrogate. Together, these words mean to do it thoroughly. If it is found that the people tried to lure them away from God, they were to die by the sword (vv. 15–16). In fact, everything in the city was to be completely destroyed, including the inhabitants and livestock. They were even to create a mound of the spoils of the city and burn it. Nothing of the ruin was to remain or be carried out of the city for personal gain. In verse 18, Moses explained that mercy and multiplication would be given to those who obeyed God and kept His commandments. The passage ended with: “doing what is right in the sight of the LORD your God.”

CLOSING

Temptation comes from false prophets. Temptation comes from family and friends. Temptation comes from many. This means, Church, be aware. Satan is doing everything he can to kill, steal, and destroy your belief in Him; your belief that this thing is true. God wants us to do right in the sight of the Lord. How do you do this? Simple: Inquire, investigate, and interrogate everything that comes through your lens with the Word of God.

1 Eugene Merrill, Deuteronomy: An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture (New American Commentary) (Nashville, TN: Holman, 1994), p. 230; quoted in Dr. Constable’s Expository (Study) Notes, pp. 93-94, available online at https://planobiblechapel.org/tcon/notes/pdf/deuteronomy.pdf.