Deuteronomy 13:1 If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder,
2 And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them;
3 Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
The nation of Israel was still a rather young nation at the time of our text. They had spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness. They were not interacting with other nations during this time. However, there was the danger of false prophets arising amongst them. We know that Korah and his family had tried to overthrow God’s chosen leader. We know that Aaron and Miriam had also tried to change God’s design for the nation.
In the book of Deuteronomy, the nation was close to entering the land of Canaan. They spent those 40 years wandering because their fathers had rejected God and chose to live in defiance of Him. God left them to wander in the wilderness until that generation of unbelievers died. Now they were preparing to go into the land of Canaan. They needed to listen to God’s leadership, not to naysayers. Moses had been a faithful servant of the Lord. His time was soon coming to an end. God had chosen a new leader for them. His name was Joshua. They would need to trust him and follow Him.
God knew what was ahead for the nation. He knew there would continue to be opposition to His way. There would be men who would want to make a name for themselves. They would talk a big game. They would speak of things that were contrary to the will of God. We read in our text that they would be dreamers and they would even be able to deceive the people with signs and wonders. God allows the devil to work his schemes at times.
You notice in verse 2 that the sign and the wonder of the false prophet might even come to pass. How could the people possibly be protected from these deceivers. The answer is given in our text.
Notice what the message of the false prophet would be. He would be telling the people to go after false gods. He would be giving counsel contrary to the Word of God.
Moses had spent the past forty years teaching the people the law of God. They had seen the mighty hand of God leading them through their wanderings. They had seen that same hand judging the wicked men who had sought to discourage the people. The people knew what was true and what was not. They needed to act upon that which was true and reject that which was false.
We see here that there is a need for faithful teaching of God’s Word. People need to be taught the truth. Moses had done what God told him to do. The priests had assisted him in his duties. Now it was up to this next generation to take the truth and examine all that they heard in the light of the truth.
In verse 3 they were told not to hearken unto the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. We read as well that the LORD — Jehovah God was testing the faith of the people.
The question the people need to ask themselves and prove to themselves was did they truly love the LORD their God. Notice that this love needed to be an all consuming love. It could not be a fickle love that would be there when things seemed good and they would turn away from it when things were not going to good. Or, would they forget about the true God when they were prosperous and assume their own hands had gained them that wealth.
The Word of the LORD that had been taught them over the past forty years was not story telling. It was not jokes and fiction. There were many laws given to them. There were the Ten Commandments, and then the sacrificial law. There was the instructions on how to build the Tabernacle and all the vessels that needed to be in that tent. There were dietary laws given and laws regarding moral issues. God had given them the means of living clean and successful lives. They could be a nation that could live in peace with God and with one another, if they would truly love the LORD their God with all their heart and soul.
Throughout the Old Testament, God kept His law before the people. Over time, many of the people chose not to love the LORD their God. They chose paganism over truth. God had to judge them accordingly. He split their nation into two parts. He still provided them prophets to teach and to warn them. Eventually He had to send the south into exile in Babylon. The north was invaded by the Assyrians and the people were scattered.
During that entire time, God’s Word was available to the people. We read in Daniel 9, that Daniel understood why Judah had been sent into exile in Babylon. Jeremiah had warned them that they would spend seventy years in exile because of their rebellion against God. Daniel believed God’s Word. Most of the people did not believe it. That was the reason they were in exile. They rejected God’s Word.
The same problem exists today, not just in Israel, but across the world. We have God’s Word. When people choose to reject God’s Word and choose a perversion instead, they no longer have the truth. If a person accepts a perversion as a substitute for the truth, they are admitting that there is no perfect Word of God on this earth. The perversions do not agree with one another and they certainly do not agree with the King James Version.
God promised to preserve His Word for ever. He declared that His Word is pure. God does not lie. When a person suggests otherwise, that person is a false prophet. They are a false teacher. The nation of Israel was told to reject a false prophet. The New Testament commands saints to reject a heretic.
It all boils down to our love for God. If a person truly loves God, they will keep His Word.
John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
Keeping God’s commandments is not law keeping. It is a demonstration of the love of God which is shed abroad in the heart of the saved individual. The way of blessing is in humbly submitting to the will of God. That is the nature of the true child of God.
We have the history of the nation of Israel to warn us of what happens when we allow a false prophet to turn us aside. Israel is still struggling to exist today. Mr. Netanyahu just dismissed one of his top people because he claims to have lost confidence in him. Why is there a movement to try to overthrow his government? Why are Hamas and Hezbollah and other groups trying to destroy Israel? Why is the world trying to destroy true Christianity? Why is there no open, public true church in China and other countries of similar ideologies? The reason is due to an abandonment of the Truth. Those who fight against the truth are many, but they will not succeed. They will have temporary superiority in numbers. However, they will never have superiority in power. They need to cheat and lie to try to force their agenda on others. Those who hold to the truth will be a minority, but the Word of God will never lose its power.
The devil has been trying for six thousand years, to destroy the Truth. The Truth is still just as real and just as powerful as ever. Those who are truly saved need to take the Truth seriously. We cannot allow the false teachers to gain a foothold in our own hearts, nor in our churches. Pastors need to be in the Word and aware of the tactics of the devil. It is important to stay close to God at all times. If we let our guard down, if our love for God weakens, we will find ourselves in trouble.
There is nothing to gain from being careless. We, the few who are saved and heeding God’s Word, can see the disastrous results of compromise. We need to take God at His Word and draw nigh to Him. His peace is far too precious to allow deceivers to erode that.
I John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
Beware and be humble. Know the Lord and love Him with all your heart and soul. The proof will be in your attitude toward His Word.
Pastor Bartel
