Don't Speak Falsely For God
After the LORD had finished speaking to Job, He said to Eliphaz the Temanite: "I am angry with you and your two friends, for you have not spoken accurately about me, as my servant Job has.
So take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer on your behalf.
I will not treat you as you deserve, for you have not spoken accurately about me, as my servant Job has." So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite did as the LORD commanded them, and the LORD accepted Job's prayer. (Job 42:7-9, NLT).
So take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer on your behalf.
I will not treat you as you deserve, for you have not spoken accurately about me, as my servant Job has." So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite did as the LORD commanded them, and the LORD accepted Job's prayer. (Job 42:7-9, NLT).
One of the most arresting things is to hear the words, "God says"; or "God told me that…"
Those words immediately catch our attention because of who God is. God is righteous, God is holy, God is almighty, God is loving, God is merciful, and God is caring. God is also to be feared because He is God, and He is awesome. Any words purported to be coming from God are, therefore, not to be taken lightly. We must never misrepresent God in our words.
Unfortunately, all through Scripture as well as in human history, many have been led astray by individuals who claimed to have heard from God but have not! Their brazen pronouncements have been concocted to manipulate people for their own selfish ends. They want to look spiritually powerful by claiming that God has spoken to them. They speak about things they have no knowledge of. They make proclamations purporting to be prophecies given directly by God. People trust their words and end up in ruin! Historically, there have been instances of such fraudsters leading people to commit suicide all in the name of God.
The Bible clearly cautions us against false pronouncements because of the destructive effects on God's people. The prophet Jeremiah addressed one such false prophet: "Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, 'Listen, Hananiah! The LORD has not sent you, yet you have persuaded this nation to trust in lies. Therefore, this is what the LORD says, 'I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. This very year you are going to die, because you have preached rebellion against the LORD.'" (Jeremiah 28:15-16, NIV). This false prophet led the whole nation astray! Speaking falsely and attributing it to God can have terrible consequences on people, hence the harsh punishment that it can bring from God.
Job's friends spoke without accurate knowledge from God, hence God's anger towards them. However, because of Job's personal knowledge of God, he was able to refute the false claims of his friends. The good news is that God forgave the friends of Job because they acted in ignorance.
It is vitally important to know the voice of God for ourselves so that we will not be led astray by false proclamations that are attributed to God.
Those words immediately catch our attention because of who God is. God is righteous, God is holy, God is almighty, God is loving, God is merciful, and God is caring. God is also to be feared because He is God, and He is awesome. Any words purported to be coming from God are, therefore, not to be taken lightly. We must never misrepresent God in our words.
Unfortunately, all through Scripture as well as in human history, many have been led astray by individuals who claimed to have heard from God but have not! Their brazen pronouncements have been concocted to manipulate people for their own selfish ends. They want to look spiritually powerful by claiming that God has spoken to them. They speak about things they have no knowledge of. They make proclamations purporting to be prophecies given directly by God. People trust their words and end up in ruin! Historically, there have been instances of such fraudsters leading people to commit suicide all in the name of God.
The Bible clearly cautions us against false pronouncements because of the destructive effects on God's people. The prophet Jeremiah addressed one such false prophet: "Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, 'Listen, Hananiah! The LORD has not sent you, yet you have persuaded this nation to trust in lies. Therefore, this is what the LORD says, 'I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. This very year you are going to die, because you have preached rebellion against the LORD.'" (Jeremiah 28:15-16, NIV). This false prophet led the whole nation astray! Speaking falsely and attributing it to God can have terrible consequences on people, hence the harsh punishment that it can bring from God.
Job's friends spoke without accurate knowledge from God, hence God's anger towards them. However, because of Job's personal knowledge of God, he was able to refute the false claims of his friends. The good news is that God forgave the friends of Job because they acted in ignorance.
It is vitally important to know the voice of God for ourselves so that we will not be led astray by false proclamations that are attributed to God.
Prayer: Father, please help me never to misrepresent you or believe what is not of you. Amen.