Predictions are tricky business. They...
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Predictions are tricky business. They abound at the turn of every year as people predict what the new year will be like. Every major shift in the stock market brings new economic predictions. The beginning of a sports season brings predictions based on analysis of teams concerning where they will place in conference or national standings. Some people make small fortunes predicting almost anything from when California will fall into the Pacific Ocean through when royal couples will split up.
Some of those predictions are based on fairly reliable data that make predicting fairly accurate, such as weather forecasting (in spite of the bad rap it gets). Others are mere guesses such as where a team will end in the national standings since there are so many unknowns and variables involved. Still others are nothing more than speculation, usually theoretically based on some sort of perception of vibration delivered to the predictor from some vague outside source.
The text sounds like it is largely based on predicting the outcome of events, and there is a measure of such predicting in what Jeremiah says. But "prophecying" is not the same as "predicting." "Prophecy" such as Jeremiah speaks of here is a word delivered by the Lord to chosen people interpreting the nature and direction of events. Therefore much more is involved than merely predicting. Jeremiah is urging Israel to guard against people who speak of easy and quick solutions to difficult situations. There are hard-nosed facts to take into account and although the Lord has control over what happens, it will be in the divine time and in a divine way that God's Word to chosen people will come and events in Israel will take place.
Some of those predictions are based on fairly reliable data that make predicting fairly accurate, such as weather forecasting (in spite of the bad rap it gets). Others are mere guesses such as where a team will end in the national standings since there are so many unknowns and variables involved. Still others are nothing more than speculation, usually theoretically based on some sort of perception of vibration delivered to the predictor from some vague outside source.
The text sounds like it is largely based on predicting the outcome of events, and there is a measure of such predicting in what Jeremiah says. But "prophecying" is not the same as "predicting." "Prophecy" such as Jeremiah speaks of here is a word delivered by the Lord to chosen people interpreting the nature and direction of events. Therefore much more is involved than merely predicting. Jeremiah is urging Israel to guard against people who speak of easy and quick solutions to difficult situations. There are hard-nosed facts to take into account and although the Lord has control over what happens, it will be in the divine time and in a divine way that God's Word to chosen people will come and events in Israel will take place.
