The intersection of free will, human weakness, and Divine providence comes into sharp focus when a person claiming to speak for God falls into a web of lies and faces severe consequences. The motivation for a prophet's downfall usually originates from within. Driven by a desire to please his audience and give them the answers they seek, he is easily led astray [מצודת דוד]. Like anyone else, a prophet has human flaws and can be lured by the promise of great honor and material wealth [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. In other instances, it is his own evil inclination or the influence of corrupt peers that tempts him to deliver false visions [מלבי"ם]. Ultimately, he ends up speaking words that are simply not true [רש"י].
A profound theological challenge arises when considering whether God Himself plays a role in deceiving the prophet, only to punish him afterward. Commentators offer several ways to understand this dynamic. One approach explains that God does not actively push the prophet toward sin. Instead, God simply opens the door for the prophet to pursue whichever path he desires. Following the spiritual principle that one who wishes to pursue impurity is given the means to do so [רש"י, חומת אנך], God merely allows the prophet to walk down the misguided road he has already chosen for himself [ביאור שטיינזלץ].
Alternatively, the idea of Divine deception can be understood as a rhetorical question: Would God actually entice a person to tell lies? The answer is an absolute no. The prophet is lured by his own desires or by wicked individuals, leaving his free will completely intact and making his subsequent punishment entirely justified [מצודת דוד, אברבנאל, חומת אנך]. Another perspective suggests that the concept of God deceiving the prophet is not a Divine action at all, but rather anticipates the future excuses of the false prophet himself. In an attempt to justify his actions, the prophet will falsely claim that God orchestrated his misleading mission [מלבי"ם].
Conversely, some scholars maintain that God does actively stir the prophet's desire to lie, but strictly as a penalty for previous hidden sins. False prophets were often corrupt individuals who committed grave offenses, such as adultery, in secret. To expose their true nature to the public, God places a very public stumbling block in their way in the form of false prophecy. When the ultimate punishment arrives, the entire community witnesses their disgrace and recognizes the absolute justice of the Heavenly decree [רד"ק, אברבנאל].
Other interpretations suggest that God's involvement simply means He publicly exposes the prophet as a foolish and easily misled individual [רד"ק ואברבנאל בשם רב סעדיה גאון]. It is also possible that because God does not strike the prophet dead the moment he utters a lie, His patience is misinterpreted as an encouragement to continue sinning [אברבנאל]. In the end, because the prophet freely chooses evil, God turns His hand against him, delivering a heavy penalty that results in his absolute destruction and complete eradication from the people of Israel [מצודת ציון].