Jeremiah 27:14

My Notes

What Does Jeremiah 27:14 Mean?

Jeremiah directly warns against the false prophets: don't listen to them. They're telling you that you won't serve Babylon. They're prophesying a lie. The content of the lie is specific: freedom from Babylon. The method is prophetic: they claim to speak for God. And the verdict: it's false. They prophesy a lie unto you.

The false prophets' message is attractive: you won't serve Babylon. The yoke will be broken. Freedom is coming. Everything the people want to hear. And Jeremiah says: it's a lie. The people who are telling you what you want to hear are telling you what isn't true.

The warning "hearken not" (al tishme'u) is a direct prohibition: don't listen. The false message isn't just wrong. It's dangerous. Listening to it will lead to the very destruction the false prophets deny is coming. The lie doesn't just misinform. It kills — because the people who believe the lie won't make the survival choice (submission) that truth demands.

Reflection Questions

• 1.What 'lie you want to believe' is currently being delivered in spiritual packaging in your context?
• 2.How do you identify false prophecy when the message is attractive and the messenger seems credible?
• 3.Does the lethal consequence (the lie leads to actions that produce destruction) make you more vigilant about what you listen to?
• 4.Where has 'don't listen' (stopping exposure to the lie) been the right strategy rather than trying to evaluate while still listening?

Devotional

Don't listen to the prophets who tell you what you want to hear. They're lying. And the lie will kill you.

Jeremiah names the specific lie: you won't serve Babylon. The false prophets' message is everything the people want to believe: freedom is coming. The yoke will be broken. Babylon won't last. Don't worry. And Jeremiah says: it's a lie. Every word of it. Prophesied in God's name by people God didn't send.

The lie is attractive because it tells you what you want. No one wants to hear: submit. Serve. Wear the yoke. Everyone wants to hear: you're free. It's over. The bad thing isn't coming. And the false prophets supply exactly that — the comfortable message, the reassuring word, the prophecy that scratches the itch.

"They prophesy a lie unto you" — the lie is delivered in prophetic packaging. It comes with "thus saith the LORD." It arrives in the temple, from the lips of recognized spiritual leaders, with all the credentials of genuine prophecy. The only thing missing is truth.

The danger isn't the lie itself. It's the action the lie produces: the people who believe the false prophets won't submit to Babylon. They'll resist. And resistance — against a divinely authorized empire — produces destruction. The lie that says "you'll be free" leads to the actions that ensure you'll be destroyed.

"Hearken not" — Jeremiah's prohibition is as clear as the false prophets' message is attractive. Don't listen. The command isn't to evaluate and decide. It's to stop listening. Because the lie is so appealing and the liar is so convincing that continued listening itself is dangerous.

The most dangerous lie is the one you want to believe. And the most dangerous prophet is the one who tells it to you with God's name attached.

Don't listen. Not because you're closed-minded. Because the lie will kill you.

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture