It would appear that Jer. 14:13 is where the prophet Jeremiah sets before Yahweh an attempt to excuse the Lord’s apostate people. He calls attention to the lies and deceit of the court’s false prophets, where he claims that they have an excuse by delusion and contradiction.
“Ah, Lord GOD!” I said, “Look, the prophets are telling them,
‘You will not see the sword nor will you have famine,
but I will give you lasting peace in this place.’ ” – Jer. 14:13
To infer that the prophet Jeremiah was wrong or mistaken, the kings, priests, officials, and people of Judah understood that they were safe and not under indictment and forthcoming judgment. Where just immediately before Jeremiah’s appeal, his prayer for mercy was on behalf of Judah for other reasons. Behind his plea was a severe drought throughout the land. Yet while their iniquities and sins were many, he acknowledged the situation and asked Yahweh not to abandon them. While in truth, the leaders and people of Judah had already abandoned God and the covenant their fathers made with Him.
So, the leaders and people of Judah were without excuse. Yahweh instructed Jeremiah to stop praying for their welfare and recognize that their prayers, fasting, and sacrifices were not accepted. Their sins would be called to account as Yahweh would remember them and hold the people accountable. Even if the court’s false prophets partly deluded the people, they were still guilty for the wrongs committed against Yahweh and each other. Their wrongdoings extended well beyond their delusion fed to them by false prophets set up by the kings and officials.
Yahweh, Himself spoke against the false prophets who claimed they spoke in His name. According to Yahweh, they were producing false visions, erroneous prophecies, and divination, which were an abomination as forbidden (Deut. 18:10) within the Mosaic covenant they rejected. While it appears that those falsely prophesied were self-deceived, they were making false assurances of peace that were not of God. Yahweh, Himself clearly made certain to Jeremiah that they did not receive instructions or commands from Him. Their fraudulent activity to inform the people of Judah was yet another manifestation of the wickedness within them. The false prophets were enjoined to the wickedness of the people by yet another evil.
By their assurances that the people of Judah would not suffer hunger and violence, they were in outright contradiction to Yahweh’s decrees. As prophesied through Jeremiah, the false prophets declared there would be no sword or famine in the land. To in effect dismiss the prophecy given to them by Jeremiah, the Lord’s chosen prophet to warn them and call them to repentance. The presence of the false prophets within the courts of the kings and officials was bad enough, but they also set about making claims that would contribute to the harm of Judah.
Those who were committing such grievous sin would become subject to that which they falsely prophesied. They would be thrown into the streets to starve and become exposed to violence. The very wickedness committed by them that Lord Yahweh returned to them resulted in their demise.
