Jeremiah 23
-Jeremiah predicts the coming
Righteous Branch of David (the Messiah) amidst pronouncing woe unto the false
shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of His pasture. God will
attend (def.- pay attention to, visit, reckon with, punish, strike upon or
against) to these evil overseers because of their unrighteous deeds. Then He
will gather the remnant of His flock out of all the countries where He had
driven them and bring them back to their pasture where they will again be
fruitful and multiply. At that time He will raise up good shepherds over them
and they will nurture to the point that there will no longer be any fear,
terror, or missing (Jeremiah 23:1-4).
-The days are coming when the
LORD Himself will raise up for David a Righteous Branch who will reign as King
and act wisely doing justice and righteousness in the land. In His days Judah
will be saved and dwell securely, and His Name will be called, “The LORD our
righteousness (Jeremiah 23:5-6).” He will be given credit for bringing the
descendants back from the north and from all the countries where they had been
driven, and they will again be back securely on their own soil (Jeremiah
23:7-8). This has been partially fulfilled, but has further consummation when
the Christ comes back and sets up His millennial reign on earth. He is the
Savior, King, and Security of Israel and all who believe in Him. *Application*
What a glorious day we anticipate when the LORD comes back to restore and
reestablish all that has gone wrong with His people. Christ is our redemption
and our only hope for true justice and righteousness. He is all wise and will
rule with grace and peace. Maranatha (Lord come quickly, 1 Corinthians 16:22)!
-Next, the false prophets are
condemned and denounced by the man of God, Jeremiah. His heart is broken and
all his bones tremble because of the LORD and His holy words. The land is full
of adulterers and is cursed because of the vast sin in it. It is a dried up
land with a course of evil. Its people’s might is not right. Both prophet and
priest are polluted and in the House of God is wickedness declares the LORD.
Therefore, their paths will be slippery, and they will be driven away into the
gloom and fall down in it. Calamity will be upon them in the year of their
punishment by the Word of God (Jeremiah 23:9-12). The prophets prophesy by
false gods (Baal) and lead the people of the true God astray. The walk in
adultery and falsehood strengthening the hands of evil doers. No one has turned
back from his wickedness, and they have become like Sodom and Gomorrah in
treachery against the LORD. Because of this, God is going to feed them wormwood
(bitterness) and poisonous water. “Pollution has gone forth into all the land
(Jeremiah 23:13-15).”
-Therefore, God says not to
listen to the words of these prophets who are leading into futility by a vision
of their own imagination, not from the mouth of the LORD (Jeremiah 23:16). They
falsely predict peace and wellbeing. They have NOT walked in the counsel of the
LORD and given heed to His message. God will swirl down like a tempest on these
and His anger will not turn back until He has performed and carried out His
Divine purposes from His heart (Jeremiah 23:17-20a). In the end, it will
clearly be understood that He did not send these false prophets. They ran on
their own and prophesied by a contrary spirit (Jeremiah 23:20b-22).
-God is near, not far off. No one
can hide from Him where He does not see. He fills the heavens and the earth and
knows all things. He hears the false visions and prophesies and defies them
boldly with all power and authority. He is against the false prophets who
prophesy falsehoods with reckless abandon erroneously declaring “thus says the
LORD!” These charlatans furnish no benefit to the people, and because of their
work, the LORD is abandoning the situation. Their words have perverted the
words of the Living God and He did not send them. Because of their heresy, He
will forget them and cast them away from His presence along with the holy city,
which He had given to them and their fathers. He will put an everlasting
reproach on them with everlasting humiliation that will not be forgotten
(Jeremiah 23:23-40).
-*Application* We must always be
on guard against false prophecy and the people who practice this
insubordination to destroy the work of the LORD. The New Testament writers
often warned of the exact same dilemma when the fake proclaimers give their
lies and deceptions (Jude, 2 Peter, etc.). Stay in the Word and know the real
from the counterfeit.
Verses to Memorize: Jeremiah 23:5, 23
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