The Test of A True Prophet

How do you know if that preacher in the pulpit is worth listening to? There's a very important test we can observe in Jeremiah's life in Jeremiah 37 that may help us answer that question. 

In Jeremiah 37, there's a new king but the same old story. He won't listen to the prophet sent to warn them of the impending exile to Babylon. 

Jeremiah 37:1–2 (ESV) Zedekiah the son of Josiah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah, reigned instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim. 2 But neither he nor his servants nor the people of the land listened to the words of the LORD that he spoke through Jeremiah the prophet.

Zedekiah should have had a heart to listen to the Lord. His father was Josiah, a godly king, but Zedekiah hardened himself like his brother before him against the Word God gave him through Jeremiah. But when the going got tough, Zedekiah appealed to Jeremiah for prayer on his behalf. Jeremiah refused to let Zedekiah feign religious piety and gave him the hard truth:

Jeremiah 37:7–8 (ESV) “Thus says the LORD, God of Israel: Thus shall you say to the king of Judah who sent you to me to inquire of me, ‘Behold, Pharaoh’s army that came to help you is about to return to Egypt, to its own land. 8 And the Chaldeans shall come back and fight against this city. They shall capture it and burn it with fire.

Consider the next event: The king of Egypt abandoned any support for Judah for fear of the Babylonian invasion, and Jeremiah's words were proven true. For this, the people accuse Jeremiah of is siding with the Babylonians himself, and they throw God's prophet in prison!

Jeremiah 37:15 (ESV) And the officials were enraged at Jeremiah, and they beat him and imprisoned him in the house of Jonathan the secretary, for it had been made a prison.

And YET after this, Zedekiah is interested in seeking a good word from Jeremiah. 

Jeremiah 37:17 (ESV) King Zedekiah sent for him and received him. The king questioned him secretly in his house and said, “Is there any word from the LORD?” Jeremiah said, “There is.” Then he said, “You shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.”

Jeremiah embodies a rare commitment to the truth. He's in prison, and he's still speaking the same word. You know, we have a lot of preachers in churches today who know what to say to gather a crowd and gain followers themselves. But will they say what God tells them when it costs them? That's how you know you've met a true man of God. He will say what's true even if saying it makes him a pariah. He will declare the truth even when it's irritating the people around him.

The chapter ends with Jeremiah pleading for and gaining his release from prison. He survives the final days of Judah's siege. Amazingly, Jeremiah lives in a time when 1000s are dying. God preserved His mouthpiece for the entire event.

When it comes to speaking truthfully for God, you may not be liked by men; you may even offend those in your own family and nation, but none of them can do anything outside of what God allows. And while many prophets died speaking for God at the hands of wicked men, their mission was accomplished, and their reward is now great. 

True prophets bear the cost of speaking truth when it's not convenient.