The visions of your prophets
Lamentations 2:14 NIV
were false and worthless;
they did not expose your sin
to ward off your captivity.
The prophecies they gave you
were false and misleading.
The book of Lamentations is thought to have been written by the prophet Jeremiah after the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonian army. As the name suggests, this book contains a series of laments over Jerusalem.
Jeremiah was a prophet who faithfully served as God’s spokesman for many years, despite intense opposition and suffering. Many others in Jerusalem during the same time claimed to speak for God. However, these were false and misleading prophets. Their message was not from God. Instead, they spoke words that the king and other people wanted to hear. That all would be well and that God would deliver them from the army of Babylon. And these are the people that Jeremiah refers to in this verse. Rather than exposing the sin of the people, an action that might lead to repentance and an escape from captivity, they delivered a false and misleading message that was of no value to those who heard them.
It strikes me there are many of these false and misleading prophets within the church today. Men and women who claim to be delivering a message from God. But rather than calling on people to repent, turn from their sin, and surrender to the lordship of Jesus, they proclaim a more appealing message. One that will attract a following. But one that offers no real value to its hearers and leads many astray from the truth. Stay away from those whose message is appealing and popular but does not lead to holiness. They will only lead you to grief.