The Three Stooges.

To Shemaiah of Nehelam you shall say: “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: You have sent letters in your name to all the people who are in Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying, ‘The Lord has made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, to have charge in the house of the Lord over every madman who prophesies, to put him in the stocks and neck irons. Now why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth who is prophesying to you? For he has sent to us in Babylon, saying, “Your exile will be long; build houses and live in them, and plant gardens and eat their produce.”’”

Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the hearing of Jeremiah the prophet. Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: “Send to all the exiles, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord concerning Shemaiah of Nehelam: Because Shemaiah had prophesied to you when I did not send him, and has made you trust in a lie, therefore thus says the Lord: Behold, I will punish Shemaiah of Nehelam and his descendants. He shall not have anyone living among this people, and he shall not see the good that I will do to my people, declares the Lord, for he has spoken rebellion against the Lord.’” – Jeremiah 29:24-32 ESV

There were three individuals in Babylon who were making life difficult for Jeremiah back in Judah. They were all three part of the group of Judahites who were exiled to Babylon in the first wave of captives taken by Nebuchadnezzar. Two of them, Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, were false prophets who were telling the exiles in Babylon that their stay there would be short. And this news was getting back to the people in Judah who, when they heard it, refused to listen to the words of Jeremiah. So, God called out Ahab and Zedekiah, letting them know that they would end up in the hands of Nebuchadnezzar himself.

“Their terrible fate will become proverbial, so that the Judean exiles will curse someone by saying, ‘May the Lord make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon burned alive!’” – Jeremiah 29:22 NLT

Their made-up, make-believe good news would turn out poorly for them. Not only would the people exiled in Judah remain in Babylon 70 years, Ahab and Zedekiah would lose their lives for lying in the Lord’s name. But their sins against God also included adultery. They were claiming to speak for God while breaking the law of God. And their words were in direct opposition to Jeremiah, the prophet appointed by God. And when they contradicted his words, they were guilty of calling God a liar and causing the people to turn against Him.

But they were not alone. There was yet another stooge in Babylon who was misleading the people in exile, but also attempting to disrupt things back in Judah. His name was Shemaiah and he too was a self-appointed prophet. When he had heard the content of Jeremiah’s initial letter to the exiles, he had responded with a letter of his own, addressed “to all the people who are in Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests” (Jeremiah 29:25 ESV). In his letter, Shemaiah had strong words regarding Jeremiah and what should be done to him. He also told Zephaniah the priest that he was to replace Jehoiada as the chief priest over the temple.

“The Lord has appointed you to replace Jehoiada as the priest in charge of the house of the Lord. You are responsible to put into stocks and neck irons any crazy man who claims to be a prophet. So why have you done nothing to stop Jeremiah from Anathoth, who pretends to be a prophet among you? Jeremiah sent a letter here to Babylon, predicting that our captivity will be a long one. He said, ‘Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce.’” – Jeremiah 29:26-28 NLT

Essentially, he was attempting to disrupt Jeremiah’s ministry by launching a long-distance campaign against him. This self-appointed prophet was attempting to stage a coup all the way from Babylon. He wanted Jeremiah out of the way, locked up as a madman, and the only way he could see that happening was if he could put someone else in control of the temple where Jeremiah tended to deliver his messages. His hope was that Zephaniah would display a much stronger anti-Jeremiah sentiment and do something about removing him once and for all. What possessed him to believe that this strategy would be successful in thwarting the will of God is unclear. But he evidently was convinced that what Jeremiah was prophesying was not of God. He didn’t want to believe that Jeremiah’s message was true.

But things didn’t turn out quite as Shemaiah had planned. First of all, his letter to Zephaniah ended up in the hands of Jeremiah. It seems his hand-picked replacement for Jehoiada had reservations about Shemaiah’s grand plan and decided to inform Jeremiah. As a result, God gave Jeremiah a message to send to the people of Judah in Babylon concerning Shemaiah’s fate.

“Send an open letter to all the exiles in Babylon. Tell them, ‘This is what the Lord says concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Since he has prophesied to you when I did not send him and has tricked you into believing his lies, I will punish him and his family. None of his descendants will see the good things I will do for my people, for he has incited you to rebel against me. I, the Lord, have spoken!’” – Jeremiah 29:21-32 NLT

Ahab, Zedekiah and Shemaiah. These three men would discover the hard way what happens to those who claim to speak for God, but who offer up lies and half-truths. They were actually encouraging rebellion against God while claiming to speak on behalf of God. Their words were not from God. In fact, they were contradicting the messenger of God. They were denying the truth of Jeremiah’s words and in doing so, calling God a liar. Their distaste for Jeremiah’s message was real, but their rejection of it did nothing to change its efficacy or outcome. We may not like what the Word of God says, but refusing to listen to and obey it does not change the truth contained in it. While the news of 70 years of captivity was not appealing, it was actually good news. It meant that God was going to spare a remnant of the people of Judah and return them to the land of promise. He was not going to abandon them completely. But for men like Ahab, Zedekiah and Shemaiah, it was easier to believe a lie and hope that they would all return in less than two years. They preferred their man-made message to the word of God. They would rather believe a lie that ended in death than the truth that would result in life.

And that is the problem with the vast majority of people living in the world today. They would prefer to believe the lies of the self-appointed prophets of hope, who claim that science, education, the sexual revolution, socialism, bigger government, small government, or no government are the answers to mankind’s problems. When God says that the hope of the world is found in His Son, the false prophets attempt to shout Him down, refusing to accept His word as truth. When God accuses mankind of sin and rebellion against Him, and encourages them to seek salvation through His Son, the false prophets simply deny the reality of sin and offer up pseudo-saviors for the ills facing mankind. Even pastors, claiming to speak on behalf of God, present a false view of God. They present Him as all-loving and refuse to accept the idea that He would condemn anyone to eternal punishment. They deny the reality of hell. They downplay the significance of sin. They preach tolerance and promote peace at all costs. They refuse to call people to repentance. They resist the divine decree that all men have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. They declare Jesus to be nothing more than a moral role model, not a sinless Savior who gave His life as payment for the sins of mankind. And in doing so they deceive the people and declare God to be a liar. But, like Ahab, Zedekiah and Shemaiah, they will be proven wrong. Science is not our savior. Social welfare programs, while needed, will not redeem anyone from slavery to sin and eternal judgment. Tolerating any and all lifestyles may make others feel better about themselves, but it will do nothing to change the fact that they are alienated from God. The truth can be painful. It can be difficult to accept. But replacing the truth with a lie does not change its ultimate outcome. As Jesus told His disciples, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32 NLT). The truth of God is always preferable to the lies of men, because His truth is spoken in love. He always tells us what we need to hear, even when it is difficult for us to accept what He has to say.

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG)Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

In Need Of A Savior.

2 Kings 13-14, Galatians 3

Then Jehoahaz sought the favor of the Lord, and the Lord listened to him, for he saw the oppression of Israel, how the king of Syria oppressed them. (Therefore the Lord gave Israel a savior, so that they escaped from the hand of the Syrians, and the people of Israel lived in their homes as formerly. – 2 Kings 13:4-5 ESV

One of humanity's greatest shortcomings has been its inability to recognize its need for a savior. There is no doubt that men have always sensed their need for salvation – from war, poverty, oppression, disease, defeat, and even death. But the problem has always been that that men tend to seek salvation from all the wrong sources. Rather than turn to God, men have turned to themselves, false gods, military might, and a host of human saviors offering deliverance from whatever problems were facing them. But God never meant for mankind to seek or find salvation from any source other than Him. Yet He has allowed us to repeatedly discover just how unreliable our pseudo-saviors really are by permitting mankind to seek salvation in anything and everyone other than Him. Even God's people were guilty of turning to sources other than God for help in time of need. Yet, when things got bleak and their false saviors failed to deliver, the people of God tended to turn their attention back to God. In the 13th chapter of 2 Kings, we read of Jehoahaz, king of Israel, faced with the unrelenting oppression of Syria, who finally turned to God for help. He “sought the favor of the Lord, and the Lord listened to him” (2 Kings 13:4 ESV). God saw their oppression and “gave Israel a savior so that they escaped from the hand of the Syrians” (2 Kings 13:5 ESV). God didn't do this because they deserved it. He didn't save them because they were worthy of salvation. In fact, we're told that Jehoahaz “did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin” (2 Kings 13:2 ESV). And in spite of God's salvation, the people of Israel “did not depart from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, which he made Israel to sin, but walked in them; and the Asherah also remained in Samaria” (2 Kings 13:6 ESV). God's salvation was not conditional. It was not based on their behavior or merit, but was an expression of His mercy, grace and compassion. It was in fulfillment of His covenant promises to Abraham and David. “But the Lord was gracious to them and had compassion on them, and he turned toward them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them, nor has he cast them from his presence until now” (2 Kings 13:23 ESV).

What does this passage reveal about God?

God is gracious, loving, compassionate and faithful. In the face of man's idolatry, spiritual adultery, and persistent unfaithfulness, He continued to show undeserved mercy and grace. That God would provide a “savior” for the people of Israel after all they had done is amazing. Over and over we read of the sinfulness of God's chosen people. Each successive king did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. On rare occasions, we read of the isolated example Amaziah, who “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord” (2 Kings 14:3 ESV), but his obedience was incomplete and impartial. Nothing really changed. Yet God never fully abandoned His people. He continued to love them, watch over them, and protect them. Even when He eventually sent them into exile for their sinfulness, He never took His hands off of them. He ended up returning them to the land of promise, despite all they had done to rebel against Him. When we read of the history of God's people, it provides us with a backdrop against which to view the amazing grace and mercy presented in the Gospels. The coming of the ultimate Savior of Israel stands in stark contrast to the sinfulness and rebellion of the people of God. John 3:16 reminds us, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Elsewhere, Paul writes, “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8 ESV). Even thought Israel so often failed to turn to God for their salvation, God was always there, ready to provide it. And while men have consistently and stubbornly refused to seek God for their salvation from sin and death, God has so graciously continued to offer it to those who would believe.

What does this passage reveal about man?

Man has an innate need to try and save himself, or at least to determine who his savior might be. The Israelites were guilty of turning to false gods for help. They even turned to other nations, like Egypt, to bail them out of their difficulties. Sometimes they turned to representations of God, like the Ark or the Temple, to find security and salvation. But God has always wanted men to turn to Him in times of need, and the crux of the issue is just that… NEED. We must see our need for God. We must recognize our desperate need for salvation. That was the whole reason God gave the Israelites the law. It was a God-given, written code of conduct that clearly articulated God's moral standard for living. And it was non-negotiable. The law required perfect and complete obedience. It was not enough to obey partially. Perfection was the criteria for success, and no man could measure up. “But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe” (Galatians 3:22 ESV). The law was holy and good because it was given by God. It was an accurate depiction of God's righteous standard for holy conduct, but the problem was that no man was capable of living up to that standard because of the presence and power of sin. God's law revealed just how sinful man really was. When Jesus came to earth, He offered an invitation to the Jewish people. He stated, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29 ESV). He was speaking to a people worn out and burdened down a lifetime of attempting to keep the law. They were weary. They were laboring under the sheer weight of the law's righteous expectations. But Jesus offered them rest. He offered salvation. All they had to do was admit their own sinfulness and their incapacity to save themselves, and believe in Him.

How would I apply what I’ve read to my own life?

Man has never been able to earn a right standing with God. Our own sinfulness makes it impossible. God's holiness and righteousness requires that man be sinless and righteous in order to stand in His presence. And while we might convince ourselves that something or someone else might save us from our predicament, it is not until we admit our weakness and sinfulness that we will realize our salvation comes from only one source: Jesus Christ. “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12 ESV). We can't earn our salvation. No one else can provide it for us. We must place our faith, hope and trust in Jesus Christ alone. He alone can save. He alone can make us right with God. He alone can provide us with the righteousness we need to stand before God as holy, sinless and fully acceptable in His sight. “For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:3-4 ESV).

Father, thank You for the reality of salvation made possible through Your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank You for doing for me what I could never have done for myself. Now help me to realize that this new life You have saved me to live, is only possible through the power of Your Spirit. I am no more able to live righteously on my own than I was able to save myself from sin. Make me ever more dependent upon You for my daily salvation from sin and self. Amen