“The Person that will win the American election is a Woman, I saw it clearly. Write it down you will see.” - the US election pose an interesting question for communities that listen to certain voices.
In the Old Testament, false prophecy was considered a serious offense because it led people of Israel away from the truth of God, which was central to the covenantal relationship between God and Israel. The punishment for false prophets was severe, often leading to death. One key passage addressing this is Deuteronomy 18:20, which states, “But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, is to be put to death.”
The Old Testament provided a test for distinguishing true prophets from false ones. If a prophecy did not come true, it was a clear sign that the prophet was not sent by God. Such a prophet’s authority was nullified, as seen in Deuteronomy 18:21-22: “You may say to yourselves, ‘How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?’ If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed.”
If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams encouraged people to worship other gods, even if they performed signs and wonders, they were to be executed. This is addressed in Deuteronomy 13:1-5: “If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a sign or wonder, and if the sign or wonder spoken of takes place, and the prophet says, ‘Let us follow other gods’ (gods you have not known) ‘and let us worship them,’ you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul. It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him. That prophet or dreamer must be put to death for inciting rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery.”
False prophets faced divine retribution and exposure, as illustrated in prophetic books like Jeremiah, where God denounces false prophets for their lies. In Jeremiah 14:14-15, the text reads, “Then the Lord said to me, ’The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds. Therefore this is what the Lord says about the prophets who are prophesying in my name: I did not send them. Yet they are saying, ‘No sword or famine will touch this land.’ Those same prophets will perish by sword and famine.”
The Old Testament emphasized the need to guard the community’s spiritual integrity, ensuring only true messages from God were propagated. Consequently, the harsh punishment for false prophets was intended to maintain loyalty and obedience to God alone.
Where people follow Christianity and a particular religious leader, IF they need to examine according to their own scriptures, they are being led astray. Africans of whatever faith systems—Islam, Christianity, traditional faiths, atheism, should hold their leaders accountable.
No comments:
Post a Comment