16 Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. ……..

 

Word Study:  The word “listen” is translated from a word that means to pay attention. It has been used several times in the Old Testament and mostly used to mean not only to pay attention and hear but also to obey. The word “vain” means empty.

Comment: God through Jeremiah warns us that we should not pay attention to what is being said by these false prophets and not only that but we should also not obey it. God also tells us that what ever hope these false prophets is giving us, it is empty hope.

Message: Nothing has changed since the time of Jeremiah. We are still experiencing false prophets, priests, pastors, apostles, men of god, etc and these are still giving people false hopes. Hopes of being delivered, hopes of breakthroughs, hopes of being healed, etc. The unfortunate part about this is that, people do pay attention and obey these false prophets contrary to what God has told us.

 

 

23 “Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away? 24 Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord. 25 I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed!’ 26 How long shall there be lies in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies, and who prophesy the deceit of their own heart,

 

Word Study: The word “deceit” means to do something underhandedly with evil or trickery in mind.

Comment: God indicates here that He is not a God who is far away that He cannot hear the lies that the false prophets are saying. God tells us that He is a God that is very near us and everywhere. Because God is very near and everywhere, He can hear the lies spoken by false prophets who claim to have had a vision. The lies that are spoken cannot be hidden from Him.  The hearts of these prophets which God can see is full of lies and they prophesy with evil intent in order to trick people into  believing their lies. God sees all this. Nothings happens anywhere on earth and heaven that God does not see or hear.

Message: If these prophets thought that God is not watching or somehow they are able to continue to prophesy lies in secret so that God does not see, then they are wrong. God could see them then and can see them now. God knew their hearts then and He knows their hearts now.

 

 

 

28 Let the prophet who has a dream tell the dream, but let him who has my word speak my word faithfully. What has straw in common with wheat? declares the Lord. 29 Is not my word like fire, declares the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?

 

Word Study: A straw is a chopped stem of  the grain. The word straw is likened to chaff in Job 21:18. Chaff is generally what is used to refer to the wicked who must be separated from the righteous and burned.

Comment: God says here that we are to allow those that prophesy false visions continue to do that and those that speak His word faithfully must also do so. God indicates here that the false visions spoken off by false prophets will be defeated by the true word of God. God says this is because His true word is like fire that burns off the straw or chaff, His  true word is like a hammer that breaks the rock into pieces. In this, the false words of the prophets are likened to the chaff that is burned and the rock that is broken into pieces.

Message: God is simply saying to us that although these false prophets, priests, pastors, apostles, men of god, etc exist and continue to prophesy lies, let those of us who preach His true word faithfully, continue to preach it. In the end, the true word of God will win. False prophets will be defeated through and by the faithful preaching of the true word of God.

Comment: For this passage of scripture, that is for Jer 23:9-40, we will not follow the normal order of verses but rather, we will combine verses according to the message. Some verses will be combined with other verses that carry the same theme.

 

 

9 Concerning the prophets: My heart is broken within me;

all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, like a man overcome by wine, because of the Lord and because of his holy words.10 For the land is full of adulterers; …………….. 11 “Both prophet and priest are ungodly; even in my house I have found their evil, declares the Lord.

 

Jeremiah says the land is full of adulterers. This is not one or two but the land is full. These prophets, and priests as well, commit adultery because they are ungodly. Their evil has even extended in the house of God. This is how widespread this evil is in that it even extends to the House of God.

 

Message:  Coming back to today, the same adultery has continued to take place. We still have prophets and priests today that are ungodly and bringing their evil into the church. Not only prophets and priests but, apostles, bishops, pastors, men of god, etc who are also adulterers, who are breaking God’s law and preventing people from entering God’s kingdom, and bring evil even in God’s church. 

 

 

13 In the prophets of Samaria I saw an unsavory thing: they prophesied by Baal and led my people Israel astray.14 But in the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing:

they commit adultery and walk in lies; they strengthen the hands of evildoers, ………..…….16 ………… filling you with vain hopes.They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord. 17 They say continually to those who despise the word of the Lord, It shall be well with you’; and to everyone who stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, No disaster shall come upon you.’”

 

Comment: Having discussed the presence of false prophets and priests who are ungodly and whose evil has spread even into the House of God, Jeremiah now tells us what kind of works or deeds are done by these false prophets and priests. Jeremiah says:

 

Message: The question is, what has changed since then?, Nothing! We also sit with false prophets and priests who continue to preach exactly the above. They lead people astray by using the devil’s power . They clearly are not worshipping the true God and truly live a lie since they pretend to sympathize with the people while they live a rich wealthy life of sin. They give people empty hopes by promising them prosperity, break throughs, deliverance, health, etc. They claim new revelations and visions from God which infect come from their own imaginations. They water down the word of God so that, what used to be immoral is now moral, and therefore people can do what God considers immoral without the fear of punishment. They promise salvation to those that are on their way to hell without telling them that they need to repent.

So, nothing has changed but it has just gotten worse in our time and continues to be worse.

 

 

18 For who among them has stood in the council of the Lord to see and to hear his word, or who has paid attention to his word and listened? 21 “I did not send the prophets, yet they ran; I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied.

 

Comment: Having told us how ungodly the prophets and priest are and how their evil has even extended in the house of the Lord, and also having indicated to us the evil deeds that these false prophets and priests do, now, Jeremiah tells us that these false prophets and priests were never send by God. In verse 18 above, Jeremiah  tells us that these false prophets and priests have never stood before God to hear His word and have never even paid any attention to God in order that they may hear His word. Jeremiah tells us that God did not send these false prophets and priests and yet they ran, not walked, but ran to go and do their evil deeds that they do even in the house of the Lord. God never spoke to them and yet they ran and spoke as if they are speaking on behalf of God.

 

Message: It is pretty much the same in our current times, you have false prophets, priests, pastors, apostles, men of god, etc whom God has never spoken to, who have never stood before God to hear his words, who have never paid attention to God and yet they are running around claiming to speak on behalf of God. They are claiming to be receiving visions and revelations from God. It’s amazing how they always prophesy exactly what people want to hear. What is their goal? For that wait for part 2