Too Many Voices

I am told by friends who wear hearing aids that one of the hardest adaptations is trying to weed out superfluous sound that their brains used to automatically label “white noise,” not worthy of attention.  Hearing aids magnify all sound, requiring the wearer great focus to hear a selected thing while their brain adjusts.  We don’t usually think of it in this light, but when there are many voices with different messages speaking simultaneously, there is similar confusion.  Since it is actually not a hearing problem, discernment is required.

We can learn a lot from Jeremiah’s experience, who prophesied from the reign of Josiah, the last good king of Judah, through to the Babylonian exile of most Judeans and the destruction of Jerusalem.  Only a handful of people were left in the charred and broken city and countryside.  All were trying to understand what had happened to the once thriving nation of Israel, and what their future now held.  Dating back hundreds of years to Joshua, the people had recited blessings and curses for obeying or forsaking God, respectively.  Obviously, it was their sinful behavior now being highlighted through the consequences of the curse.  Not caring to know or understand God’s heart set up the downward slide and now impeded their understanding of what He would do next.  So, there arose a group of self-declared prophets prophesying that the grace of God would return the exiles in a few short years, along with the stolen temple articles.

But God had warned the Israelites again and again through Jeremiah, even giving them last minute opportunities to turn back to Him.  When all were ignored, God gave Jeremiah the verdict they were not expecting and didn’t want to hear that the exile would last 70 years.  Contrary to appearances, God made known His blessing over the exiles by encouraging them to settle in and serve their captors, marry and have families.  Those who thought themselves blessed by being left in Israel were destined to die by the sword, famine, and plaque.  During this time, Jeremiah alone carried God’s message, while all the other prophets prophesied lies in the name of the Lord.  Jeremiah 29:32 is God’s proclamation against one lying prophet who threatened Jeremiah.  ³²“This is what the Lord says: ‘I will surely punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants. He will have no one left among this people, nor will he see the good things I will do for my people, declares the Lord, because he has preached rebellion against me.’”

We find ourselves in a similar quandary today of contemporary prophetic voices, outspoken or respected pastors with vastly different scriptural interpretations, and para-church ministries trying to fill in gaps left by the others.  How do we know who to listen to?  God’s Word through Jeremiah to the exiles in Jeremiah 29:13-14 is also profound truth for us. “’You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. ¹⁴ I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity.’” Our captivity is to deception that the Lord equates with rebellion.  The question is whether we are broken enough to seek God with ALL our hearts. Make no mistake – brokenness in the form of repentance and humility is absolutely required.  Otherwise, we are simply seeking info we can dismiss when it doesn’t validate our positions.

During the early church period, Paul wrote to Timothy about those who were teaching false doctrines that promoted controversies rather than God’s work. Paul desired that they be confronted with their error. “The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. ⁶ Some have departed from these and have turned to meaningless talk.” (1 Timothy 1:5-6)  It is not hate-speech to point to truth in God’s Word.  Rather, it is the most loving thing we can do.  God said it best in Hosea 4:6, “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.”

So, when the cacophony of loud and confusing voices threatens to steam-roll the still, quiet voice of God, let us follow King David’s example in Psalm 86:11.

“Teach me Your way, Lord,
    that I may rely on Your faithfulness;
give me an undivided heart,
    that I may fear Your Name.”