If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, 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; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet. Deuteronomy 13:1-3a KJV
In the Old Testament, God used prophets to communicate with His people. Moses was a prophet. Once in the land, prophets would often be used by God to call the people back to God after a period of spiritual backsliding. This instruction was to protect them in a time when true and false prophets would compete for their attention. It is a relevant warning for God’s people even today. Whatever we want to hear, if we look long enough, we will find a teacher proclaiming it. These teachers are often very successful. Their success seems to verify their truthfulness. That is the danger. Too often we follow successful looking messengers even though their message is wrong. The message must always take precedence over the messenger and his success. Moses told the people of Israel even if a prophet performed a sign of wonder not to follow him if his message contradicted truth.
Lord, I am amazed how times do not change. The dangers that existed so long ago still confront us, and the warnings remain vital to our spiritual well-being. The temptation to follow success is real even for me. Help me to always put Your Word before any wonder.
