CLARITY EDITION · OLD TESTAMENT
Jeremiah 23
Chapter 23 of 52
Chapter Overview
What happens in Jeremiah 23
God condemns the leaders who have scattered his people and promises to raise up a righteous king from David's line. He then turns his attention to the false prophets who tell lies in God's name, promising peace when there is no peace. God's true word is like fire and like a hammer that breaks rock.
Scripture
Jeremiah 23
Woe to the Bad Shepherds
Study note
God pronounces judgment on the shepherds (leaders) who have destroyed and scattered his flock. He promises to gather the surviving remnant and place good shepherds over them who will care for them properly.
1 "What a disaster is coming for the leaders who scatter and destroy the sheep in my flock!" says the Lord. Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD.
2 So the Lord, the God of Israel, says to the leaders in charge of his people: "You scattered my flock and chased them away. You refused to look after them. So now I will look after you -- by punishing you for the evil you've done," says the Lord. Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD.
3 "I myself will gather what is left of my flock from every country where I scattered them. I will bring them home to their own pasture, where they will have many offspring and grow in number." And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.
4 "I will put shepherds over them who will genuinely take care of them. They will never be afraid or terrified again, and not a single one will go missing," says the Lord. And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD.
The Righteous Branch
Study note
God promises to raise up a righteous descendant from David's line, a king who will rule wisely and do what is just and right. In his days, Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. His name will be 'The Lord Our Righteousness.' This future deliverance will be even greater than the exodus from Egypt.
5 "The time is coming," says the Lord, "when I will raise up a righteous Branch from David's family line. He will be a king who rules wisely and carries out justice and does what is right throughout the land." Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
6 "During his rule, Judah will be rescued and Israel will live safely. People will call him by this name: 'The Lord Is Our Righteousness.'" In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
7 "A time is coming," says the Lord. "People will no longer say, 'As the Lord lives, who brought Israel out of Egypt.'" Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that they shall no more say, The LORD liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;
8 "Instead they will say, 'As surely as the Lord lives, the one who brought the descendants of Israel back from the land of the north and from every country where he had sent them.' Then they will live in their own homeland." But, The LORD liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.
The Corrupt Prophets
Study note
Jeremiah is heartbroken over the false prophets. Both prophets and priests are ungodly. The prophets of Jerusalem are like Sodom and Gomorrah because they commit sin and encourage others to do the same. God asks a powerful question: Who has truly stood in the Lord's council to hear his word?
9 About the prophets: My heart is shattered inside me. All my bones are shaking. I feel like someone who is drunk, like a person who has had too much wine — and it's all because of the Lord and his holy words. Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the LORD, and because of the words of his holiness.
10 The land is full of unfaithful people. The land dries up and grieves under the weight of a curse. The pastures in the wilderness have withered. These people rush to do evil and abuse their power. For the land is full of adulterers; for because of swearing the land mourneth; the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up, and their course is evil, and their force is not right.
11 "Both the prophets and the priests are wicked. Even inside my own Temple I have found their evil," says the Lord. For both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith the LORD.
12 "Because of this, their path will become slippery. They will be shoved into the darkness and fall. I will bring disaster on them in the year I punish them," says the Lord. Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring evil upon them, even the year of their visitation, saith the LORD.
13 "Among the prophets of Samaria I noticed something disgusting. They prophesied in Baal's name and led my people Israel down the wrong path." And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied in Baal, and caused my people Israel to err.
14 "But among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen something even worse. They cheat on their spouses and live dishonest lives. They encourage people who do evil, so nobody turns away from their wickedness. To me, they are no better than Sodom, and the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah." I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah.
15 So the Lord of Armies says about these prophets: "I will make them eat bitter food and drink poisoned water. The prophets of Jerusalem have spread ungodliness throughout the entire land." Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land.
16 The Lord of Armies says, "Don't listen to what these prophets tell you. They fill you with empty hopes. The visions they share come from their own minds, not from the Lord." Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD.
17 "They keep telling people who hate me, 'The Lord says everything will be peaceful for you.' To everyone who stubbornly follows their own heart they say, 'Nothing bad will happen to you.'" They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you.
18 "But has any of them ever stood in the Lord's inner circle to see or hear what he says? Has any of them paid attention to his word and listened carefully?" For who hath stood in the counsel of the LORD, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it?
19 "Watch out! The Lord's storm will explode in anger. A whirlwind will come crashing down on the heads of the wicked." Behold, a whirlwind of the LORD is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked.
20 "The Lord's anger will not fade until he has completely finished what he planned. When that day comes, you will understand this perfectly." The anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly.
21 "I never sent these prophets, but they ran with their message anyway. I never spoke to them, but they prophesied anyway." I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.
22 "If they had stood in my inner circle, they would have announced my words to my people. They would have turned people away from their evil actions and their wicked behavior." But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.
God's Word Like Fire
Study note
God declares that no one can hide from him. He is not just a God nearby but also far away. His word is like fire and like a hammer that breaks rock into pieces. He is against the prophets who steal his words, use their own tongues, and speak false dreams.
23 "Am I only a God who is nearby?" says the Lord. "Am I not also a God who is far away?" Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off?
24 "Can anyone find a hiding place where I can't see them?" says the Lord. "Don't I fill up all of heaven and earth?" says the Lord. Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.
25 "I've heard what these prophets are saying — these prophets who tell lies in my name. They say, 'I had a dream! I had a dream!'" I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed.
26 "How long is this going to go on? How long will these lying prophets keep making up messages from their own imaginations?" How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart;
27 "They think the dreams they share will make my people forget my name. That is what happened before when their ancestors forgot my name because of Baal worship." Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal.
28 "Let the prophet who has a dream go ahead and tell it. But let the person who has truly received my word share it faithfully. What does straw have in common with grain?" says the Lord. The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD.
29 "Doesn't my word burn like fire?" says the Lord. "Isn't it like a hammer that smashes solid rock to pieces?" Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?
30 "So I am against the prophets," says the Lord, "who steal my words from each other and pass them off as their own." Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour.
31 "I am against the prophets," says the Lord, "who make up their own messages and then announce, 'The Lord says.'" Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith.
32 "I am against those who prophesy false dreams," says the Lord. "They tell them and lead my people off track with their careless lies. I never sent them or gave them any authority. They don't help my people one bit," says the Lord. Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD.
The Burden of the Lord
Study note
When people mockingly ask about 'the burden of the Lord,' God says they themselves are the burden he will throw down. Anyone who misuses the phrase 'burden of the Lord' will be punished with everlasting shame.
33 "When these people, or a prophet, or a priest asks you, 'What message does the Lord have for us?' tell them, 'What message? I'm going to throw you away,' says the Lord." And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee, saying, What is the burden of the LORD? thou shalt then say unto them, What burden? I will even forsake you, saith the LORD.
34 "Say a prophet, priest, or other person claims, 'This is the Lord's word.' I will punish that person. I will punish their whole family." And as for the prophet, and the priest, and the people, that shall say, The burden of the LORD, I will even punish that man and his house.
35 "Here is what you should ask each other: 'What answer has the Lord given?' or 'What has the Lord said?'" Thus shall ye say every one to his neighbour, and every one to his brother, What hath the LORD answered? and, What hath the LORD spoken?
36 "But stop using the phrase 'the Lord's message,' because each person twists their own words into 'the Lord's message.' You have corrupted the words of the living God, the Lord of Armies, our God." And the burden of the LORD shall ye mention no more: for every man's word shall be his burden; for ye have perverted the words of the living God, of the LORD of hosts our God.
37 "When you speak to a prophet, ask, 'What answer has the Lord given you?' or 'What has the Lord said?'" Thus shalt thou say to the prophet, What hath the LORD answered thee? and, What hath the LORD spoken?
38 "But if you keep using the phrase 'the Lord's message,' then the Lord says: Since you used those words even though I told you not to," But since ye say, The burden of the LORD; therefore thus saith the LORD; Because ye say this word, The burden of the LORD, and I have sent unto you, saying, Ye shall not say, The burden of the LORD;
39 "I will pick you up and throw you far from my presence — you and the city I gave to you and your ancestors." Therefore, behold, I, even I, will utterly forget you, and I will forsake you, and the city that I gave you and your fathers, and cast you out of my presence:
40 "I will bring on you lasting disgrace and never-ending shame that no one will ever forget." And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.
Key Themes
Themes in Jeremiah 23
Woe to the shepherds who scatter the flockThe promise of the righteous branchFalse prophets versus true prophetsGod's word as fire and a hammerGod's nearness and omnipresence
Prophetic Connections
How this chapter points to Christ
Jeremiah Jeremiah 23:5-6 Luke 1:32-33; Romans 1:3; Revelation 22:16
The promise of a righteous Branch from David's line who will reign wisely and be called 'The LORD Our Righteousness' is fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the descendant of David who reigns as eternal King.
Jeremiah 23:1-4 John 10:11-16
Jeremiah's indictment of faithless shepherds who scatter God's flock, paired with the promise that God himself will gather his sheep and raise up faithful shepherds, anticipates Jesus' declaration that he is the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep.
Apply This Today
Living Jeremiah 23
God holds leaders accountable for how they care for the people entrusted to them. The promise of a righteous king from David's line points to ultimate justice and security under God's chosen leader. Discerning true messages from God requires testing them against His revealed character and word.
Go Deeper
Study Jeremiah in Covenant Path
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