Deuteronomy 13:4Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

You shall follow the Lord your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice, and you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him; but that prophet or that dreamer shall be put to death, because he has spoken to turn you away from the Lord your God" (Deuteronomy 13:1-5). What a righteous and divinely instituted command! If those who commit physical murder deserve execution under the law, how much more should the one who leads a soul into dangerous falsehoods and plunges it into destruction, which, as the Saviour Himself indicated, is far worse than the death of the body (Matthew 10:28)? Thus, God acknowledges that it is just for the liar and deceiver to face such a penalty; He also imposes the same consequence on those who casually listen to such individuals with a carefree and indifferent attitude. When the truth was readily available and a sound mind was within reach, why, He asks, did one choose to abandon righteousness?

He states: ‘But if a prophet arises among you, or one who dreams dreams, and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder comes to pass, and he says, Let us go after other gods, which you have not known, and let us serve them, you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul’ (Deuteronomy 13:2-4). Therefore, the false prophet performs miracles with God’s permission. This teaches us to disregard signs when the doer promotes teachings contrary to godly living. Moses instructed that such a false prophet should be put to death, ensuring the people are safeguarded from corrupt doctrine. He declared, ‘Thus you shall purge the evil from your midst’ (Deuteronomy 13:5). If a brother, friend, or relative, ensnared by falsehood, sought to mislead others, the law mandates that one must declare the truth about this wicked teacher and publicly take action against the individual who follows such erroneous teachings, stoning the guilty party so that their punishment may serve to protect others from similar fate.