Spice Mines of Kessel

Micah 2:11 – “If a man walking in a spirit of falsehood lies: ‘I will prophesy to you of wine and of strong drink;’ he would be the prophet of this people.”

False prophets are hard at work to deceive you. They have been a blight to the church ever since the creation of man.

One key tactic of the false prophet is to make the listener to feel good about themselves. A false prophet will also prophesy to someone to justify sin, avoid offending someone, and/or to gain money or possessions. All at the expense of the one(s) being prophesied to. An easy way to put it is that a false prophet will tickle your ear to make you feel good and comfortable, just to get what they want. They are masters of deception.

A prime example of false prophets can be found in the 14th chapter of Jeremiah. Verses 13 through 16 say:

13 Then I said, Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, the prophets say to them, You shall not see the sword, neither shall you have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place. 14 Then the LORD said to me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I have not sent them, neither have I commanded them, nor spoken to them: they prophesy to you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nothing, and the deceit of their heart. 15 Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the prophets that prophesy in my name, and I didn’t send them, yet they say, Sword and famine shall not be in this land; Those prophets shall be consumed by sword and famine. 16 And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem, because of the famine, and the sword; and they shall have no one to bury them– them, their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters: for I will pour their wickedness upon them.

Previously, the LORD had been warning the people of the sword and the famine. Now, these false prophets come along and prophesy that the sword and famine will not come and that everything will be just fine and God’s peace will be there. They were telling the people what they wanted to hear and not what God’s word was warning them about. Grave danger exists in listening to false prophets, as it says in verse 16.

So, this verse in Micah is really not much different than those verses from Jeremiah. Here we have “a man walking in a spirit of falsehood…” He’s a false prophet. He shows himself to be a prophet and he comes speaking flattery, pleasant words, and fleshly desires. This particular example in Micah is that of “wine and of strong drink.”

Concerning wine and strong drink, the word says: “…it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes to say, ‘Where is strong drink?’” It also says that, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whoever is deceived by it isn’t wise.” How is this relevant? Well, it says in 1st Peter 2:9 that, “…you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” In that scripture, the word, royal, comes from the Greek word, basileios (bas-il’-i-os), which not only can mean royal, it can also mean kingly (in nature). So, if the children of God, the people of Israel, and Christians are kingly priests, then wine and strong drink are not for them to drink.

So, in Micah 2:11, we see that it is written that a prophet will come and preach about wine and strong drink to this nation. This prophet is suitable for this nation because he would be preaching a message that would apply to their self-indulging and fleshly desires. It says in Jeremiah 5:31, concerning false prophesies, that, “…my people love to have it so…“

It is very dangerous to listen to the messages of false prophets. The consequences are dire for both the deceiver and the deceived. Matthew Henry said in his commentary:

There is corruption in the world through lust, and we should keep at a distance from it… Since they will be deceived, let them be deceived. Teachers who recommend self-indulgence by their doctrine and example, best suit such sinners.

He also said:

The false prophets were the most criminal. The Lord pronounces condemnation on them; but as the people loved to have it so, they were not to escape judgments. False teachers encourage men to expect peace and salvation, without repentance, faith, conversion, and holiness of life. But those who believe a lie must not plead if for an excuse. They shall feel what they say they will not fear.

This deception is rampant in the church; it is all over the Internet; it is broadcast daily on TV; it is published in books. Don’t listen to these lies and deceptions. Give heed to the warning Jesus gave concerning false prophets. He said: “For there will arise false christs and false prophets, and will show signs and wonders, that they may lead astray, if possible, even the chosen ones. But you watch. Behold, I have told you all things beforehand.”

References and related scriptures: Proverbs 20:1, 31:4; Jeremiah 5:31, 14:13-16; Matthew 24:24; Mark 13:22-23; 1 Peter 2:9; Geneva Study Notes for Micah 2:11, Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary (Jeremiah 14:10-16 and Micah 2:6-11).