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the audience factor
Deuteronomy 18:19 I will hold accountable whoever does not listen to my words that he speaks in my name.
Deuteronomy 18:20 But the prophet who presumes to speak a message in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods– that prophet must die.’
the audience factor
With great power comes great responsibility. The prophets who emerged in Israel were greatly respected and feared, because God said that he would hold his people accountable for listening and heeding their words. But prophets who dared to say things knowing that those messages did not come from Yahveh would also be held accountable for the rebellion. Such rebels warranted the death penalty. But even the death penalty to the false prophets could not undo the damage done in the hearts and lives of those who listened to them. Lies spread like an epidemic.
How careful are we today to make sure that what we say comes from the Lord? We are now living in an era of unimaginable distribution of information. Any one of us has the potential to communicate in a few seconds to an audience which would have taken a lifetime to cultivate. We should be all the more careful about the words we say and write. It is not only the enormous audience of today, but the staggering audience of the future who is potentially listening.
Lord, make us people who are meticulous to represent you with what we say and write.
