During Jeremiah's time as prophet, Israel had progressed deeply into sin. Jeremiah chapter five lists their injus-tice, hypocrisy, idolatry, and adultery. At the close of chapter five, Jeremiah identified the underlying cause of the people's condition in verse 31: false prophets and priests. This passage from Jeremiah 5 and 6 records the character of the false prophets and priests present in Jeremiah's day, who fostered and furthered the spiritual decline of Israel.

Since Jeremiah described clearly the failures of his day, we can use it in our day to identify the false leaders among us and avoid the pitfalls that beset Israel. In this passage, Jeremiah identified six characteristics of false prophets and leaders. They aptly describe our era and its dangers.

First, they gained popularity by the declaration of a false message. When they said, "God said," they lied. They spoke their own messages. They prophesied falsely. When the priests failed to correct the prophets, the priests gained support from the prophets for their lavish, wicked lifestyle. Worse yet, the people loved it that way.

This centuries old course of action repeats itself today. False prophets abound with their messages of deceit filled with fallacies. Their fallacies have made void previously sacred doctrines like the doctrines of salvation, the sinfulness of humanity, the authority of the Scriptures, and the nature of God. This gives only a short list of the favorable things they proclaim to please church leaders and people. Their disregard for truth has made their preaching a sham.

In similar fashion to Jeremiah's day, pastors and church leaders promote and defend the erroneous beliefs of the false prophets for financial gain. They gain authority by the influence of human effort. Sadly, like Jeremiah's day, we approve and applaud them. Scores of people find satisfaction and security in fallacies. In fact, many cannot discern the difference between the false and the true.

Furthermore, many who call themselves followers of Christ do not want to hear the truth. Instead, they want to hear stories and exciting things. They dislike messages on sin and the great doctrinal truths of Scripture. They have an aversion to sermons on the Lord Jesus and the holiness of God and His demands upon them. To satisfy their desires they heap to themselves teachers who will make them feel good. Their ignorant endorsements fur-ther encourage the false prophets to continue their sinful ways. The people love it that way. (See 2 Timothy 4.3-4.)

Second, the shameful practices of Israel's leaders resulted in the people viewing God's word to them with deri-sion. (See Jeremiah 6.10.) When God spoke to them through His prophets, they rebelled against Him and de-parted from His word without fear of Him. Every level of society, rich and poor, defied God at every turn. His warnings fell upon deaf ears and hard hearts. They rejected His word to them. They had no interest or desire for it. It was a reproach to them. They traded God's word for that of the false prophets and priests. This brought a dearth of the knowledge of God. Doubt and unbelief followed.

In our day, we reflect the same attitude in a different fashion. Instead of reliance upon God's word to instruct and guide us in life, we have replaced it with books, retreats, and seminars. With glowing promises, they urge us to buy their publications and attend their meetings. The false leaders of today offer the solutions to all of life's problems through these means. Without exception, when people consult me with problems in their lives, they ask me for a recommendation of a good book that will help them.

I remember a friend of mine who related his experience in this vein. As a young man new to the realities of life in Christ, he went to the one whom God had used to introduce him to these realities and asked him for a good book on them. After some deliberation, the man's teacher wisely replied, "I recommend a book that usually comes in a black leather cover entitled, "The Holy Bible."

No mere writings of man can replace the Bible, God's word to humanity. In it, He has provided all that we need for life and godliness. Further, His words are alive. The writings of Godly men and women can provide help to us. Yet, nothing can replace God's word. God has not promised to authenticate man's writings, but He has given the Holy Spirit to illuminate our minds to understand His word and its role in our lives. As disciples of Christ, we must return to God's word and let the Holy Spirit instruct and edify us that we may grow.

Verse 13 or this text identifies a third characteristic of the false prophet, desire for possessions. They sought money and the positions of prominence associated with it. Their unbounded indulgences of the flesh drove them to dishonest gain. Ultimately, their sin infected the whole nation, from the poorest to the richest, so that covet-ousness contaminated their whole society. No one denied his or her selfish interests.