Torah Readings and Studies-Deuteronomy 13–Beware of False Prophets

Prophets That Enticed Departure From Covenant 

A most timely Torah Reading this past Sabbath I must say: Deuteronomy 13:1-5, which addressed the issue of false prophets amongst Yah’s set-apart people. This mitzvah (or commandment) was not so much against those who would deliver “forth-telling” messages to Yah’s covenant people, but rather those false prophets who would deliver “forth-telling messages” that entice Yah’s people to break and depart from the covenant relationship they had with the Almighty. 

I described this reading as timely because we are witnessing a proliferation of self-proclaimed prophets out and about on various platforms fleecing Yah’s people and enticing them to abandon their covenant relationship with the Eternal. What do I mean by such a statement. I’ll explain a little later on in this write-up. 

What is the Hebraic Understanding and Definition of a Prophet?

The popular secular and religious understanding of a “prophet” these days is that of someone who claims they’ve received a message from “God.” That received message is typically related to some relevant future event that the so-called prophet declares will affect the lives of their followers and supporters. However, is this understanding consistent with the Bible’s or the Hebrew explanation of a prophet?  

When we do a little digging using some extra-Biblical resources, we can gain a more precise understanding of what a prophet–or rather a false prophet–truly is. 

The Hebraic Understanding of a Prophet

The English term “prophet” in the Hebrew is “nabiy‘ .” 

According to the Gesenius Lexicon (ed. Tregelles), “nabiy” is derived from the verb n¹ba± which means to “bubble up, ” “boil forth,” hence, “to pour forth words, like those who speak with fervour of mind or under divine inspiration, as prophets and poets.” to utter revelations from God’s spirit (ecstatic speech) which is the function of the n¹bî°. The mood is said to be active. 

Other writers describe “nabi” in a passive sense. These writers describe the would be prophet as one who receives God’s speech and then proclaims it to an intended audience. 

Still other writers reject the ecstatic nature of the prophets which naturally suggests that true prophets of God simply receive their message from God and deliver their message possessing complete control of their faculties. 

Four Prevailing Scholarly Views of “Nabiy”

There appear to be 4-prevailing views or thoughts related to the Hebrew term “nabiy”:  

1) The term is derived from an Arabic root, naba°a which means “to announce, ” hence to be a “spokesman” (Comill, Koenig, Eiselen, G. A. Smith).  

2) From a Hebrew root, n¹b¹° softened from n¹ba± “to bubble up, ” hence to pour forth words (Gesenius, von Orelli, Kuenen, Girdlestone, Oehler). 

3) From an Akkadian root nabû  which means “to call, ” hence one who is called [by God] (Albright, Rowley, Meek, Scott), or one who felt called of God. 

4) And from an unknown Semitic root (A. B. Davidson, Koehier and Baumgartner, BDB, E. J. Young, Heinisch.) The essential idea in the word is that of an authorized spokesman. 

The prevailing Interpretation then seems to have settled upon the basic thought that is not derived from the term’s etymology, which most agree has been lost to antiquity, but in the general usage of the word. 

 Three Biblical Examples Where Nabiy Was Employed Giving Us a Definition of the Term Prophet

The first example is found in Exodus 6:28-30: 

And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee as God to Pharaoh; and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet. Thou shalt speak all that I command thee; and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh” (cf. Exodus 7:1, 2).

Whatever the origin of the word, therefore, a n¹bî° is a person authorized to speak for another. As it related specifically for Aharon, speaking in Moshe’s place to Pharaoh, he was Moshe’s “n¹bî°.” 

The second example is found in the story of where Aharon and Miriam questioned Moshe as being YHVH’s chosen man over the Hebrew nation in Numbers 12:1-2. Of course YHVH Himself intervened in the descension by declaring Moshe to be His chosen man of the hour (so to speak) and that He communicated face-to-face His Will over the nation to Moshe. Yah further informed the pair that he would communicate with prophets via dreams and visions (Numbers 12:4-8). 

The third examples occurs just before Moshe’s death. We find in what could be considered as a formal announcement of the office of n¹bî° that would be enacted on a continuing basis in Deuteronomy 18:9-22. Within this passage YHVH prohibits the Hebrews from learning any of the ways of the Canaanites (Deuteronomy 18:9-14). And then Yah declares that a line of prophets would speak (or write) with the same authority that Moshe had spoken (and written). The nation would then be required to obey the words of His chosen nabi (Deuteronomy 18:15, 18, 19).

(There was a time when I thought this last passage was a prophetic declaration given to the nation by YHVH foreshadowing the greatest of all prophets: Yahoshua HaMashiyach. I thought this declaration solely applied to Yeshua. I have since come to accept that this passage most likely applied to all those future spokesmen of the Most High who would represent and deliver YHVH’s Word to the nation, including Yeshua Messiah.)

Fiver Certifying Signs of a Prophet

Scripture provides us with at least 5-certifying signs of a prophet (cf. Psa 74:9; cf. Mt 12:38; Acts 2:22) were announced as follows:

1) The prophet had to be an Israelite. Scripture describes them as being “of thy (the Hebrews’) brethren” (Deuteronomy 18:15, 18).

2) All true prophets must speak in YHVH’s Name: “voice of Jehovah” (Deuteronomy 18:16); “he shall speak in my name” (Deuteronomy 18:19; cf Deuteronomy 18:20). Any who would falsely prophesy, especially in Yah’s Name (i.e., Yah’s authority) would be subject to death (Deuteronomy 18:20; cf Deut 18:1ff; 1Kings 18:20-40).

3) True prophets of YHVH would possess supernatural knowledge of future events as authenticity of their divinely appointmented office (Deuteronomy 18:21-22; cf. 1Kings 22; ; Jer 28, , esp. v. 17).

4) The true prophet of Yah might on divinely appointed occasions perform some other miraculous sign (see Deut 13:1 ff; cf. 1Kings 18:24; and esp. v. 12 36).

5) And lastly, the final test is strict conformity to and agreement with the whole of Torah and other divinely appointed prophets of YHVH (Deuteronomy 13:1-18).

 Exposition of Deuteronomy 13:1-5

In this 13th chapter of Deuteronomy, YHVH addresses the issue of false ones who would proclaim themselves to be prophets and who would attempt to lead those who would hearken unto their words away from YHVH and follow other elohim (that being false-pagan gods) utilizing signs and wonders that would come to pass. Yah commands us not to “shama” these so-called prophets as YHVH would used them to test whether we actually love Him or not (vss. 2-3). We are, instead:

(1) “yalak” (or follow) after YHVH.

(2) “yare” (or fear or reverence Yah).

(3) “shamar” (or keep or guard) Yah’s mitzvot (i.e., Yah’s commandments).

(4) “shama” (or hear, listen and obey) His voice.

(5) ” ‘abad” (or serve) Yah. And

(6) “dabak” (or stay close to) Yah (vs. 4).

 The Ultimate Test of a Nabiy or Prophet

The ultimate test of a prophet is whether or not his/her words are in alignment with Yah’s Word. Regardless whether or not a prophet’s prophesies turn out to be true and or accurate, we are commanded to not follow after the words and teachings of those prophets whose words are not in alignment with Yah’s Words, or better, words that are not in alignment with Scripture.

Father commanded His people to execute those false prophets that entice Yah’s people to break covenant with Him, despite his/her prophesy coming to pass. These false prophets’ works are to be considered evil in our sight and in our lives and they and their evil are to be expunged from our midst.

The So-Called Prophets of Today

We have seen a flurry of self-proclaimed prophets taking center-stage on various communications of late. Many of these would be “spokesmen/spokeswomen” of God have amassed a great many followers and significant financial support from the Christian Community. These self-proclaimed prophets fervently contend that they received their messages from God Himself. Many of their prophesies are of a political nature.

Now, most if not all of these false prophets have delivered prophesies to their constituents that have failed in one or more ways to be true. So their claims of being prophets of God (or Jesus Christ) cannot be true, leaving many of them terribly discredited and abandoned by their countless followers.

The Most Egregious Problem of Today’s False Prophets

From my perspective, the fact that their prophesies did not turn out to be true is not their biggest problem. Not by a long shot. My friends, these false prophets’ most egregious problems rests in their efforts to entice Yah’s people to turn away from their Creator and follow after false gods. How is that even possible you might ask. Well, quite simply this: most if not all of these present day false prophets have not and are not imploring their followers to Teshuvah (ie., turn away from their sinful, lawless lives and turn to the Elohim of Avraham, Yishak and Ya’achov and the Father of our Master Yahoshua HaMashiyach) and establish a true, substantive, covenant relationship with Yehovah, the Creator of the Universe. They’ve encouraged their follow after another gospel that is not the Gospel that our Master and His anointed and chosen Apostles preached and taught us through Yah’s sacred Word.

Instead, these “jack-legged” preachers–these false prophets–have pushed and coerced their followers to seek after the false gospels and faiths of conservatism, patriotism, nationalism and Trumpism. Neither of these concepts is of YHVH. Indeed, they may contain some of the ideals of the True Faith once delivered and some so-called Christian principles for purposes of eliciting the full support of so-called Christians. However, Yah’s covenant people were never instructed to pledge their allegiance to these concepts and principles. In fact, the only concept and principle, if you will, that Father instructed His children to adhere to are those of the Kingdom of YHVH. Yeshua instructed His disciples and by extension us today, to “seek first His (YHVH’s) Kingdom and His righteousness…” (Matthew 6:33). Outside of our Master’s instructions, Yah’s covenant people have no business barking up the trees of conservatism, patriotism and any other ism’s.

The Future Punishment for Today’s False Prophets

Torah instructs that individuals who seek to lead Yah’s people away from a covenant relationship with the Almighty be summarily executed. Surely we who are YHVH’s do not presently live in a “Theocracy,” so to speak–that being a society or nation or community that is governed strictly by YHVH; where Yah’s Torah is the only Law of the land. Simply put: we are then just sojourners in this nation and society and are subject to this nation’s laws and regulations. Thus, we cannot execute false prophets that are among us.

But we can turn a blind eye to them–those false prophets that is. We can also encourage others who would belong to YHVH not to succumb to their false messages. Instead, we must adhere only to those whose messages are in lockstep with the whole of Scripture and who live lives that imitate the life of our Master Yeshua Messiah.

As for the punishment these false prophets will receive, they will have to contend with Yahoshua’s judgments against them. Many of these false prophets may end up hearing those terrible words from our Master: “…I never knew you. Depart from Me, you that work iniquity (i.e., you that work lawlessness) (Matthew 7:23).

Faithfully

Rod Thomas

The Messianic Torah Observer