Jeremiah 23:9-40, Judgment of the Prophets

When Tevye, in Fiddler on the Roof, realizes that his daughter, Tzeitel, is greatly opposed to marrying the man, the butcher, Tevye and his wife agreed could marry her, he concocts a story of a dream he had of his wife’s dead grandmother coming to him and blessing his daughter’s wedding to the tailor, and the butcher’s dead wife warning him against marrying her husband. His wife believes him and they break off the arranged marriage. Dreams, or the report of dreams, have served the false prophets of Jeremiah’s days, also.

⁹ Concerning the prophets:

My heart is broken within me; all my bones tremble. I am like a drunken man, like a strong man overcome by wine, because of Yahweh and his holy words. ¹⁰ The land is full of adulterers; because of the curse the land lies parched and the pastures in the wilderness are withered. The prophets follow an evil course and use their power unjustly.

Jeremiah is called upon by God to prophesy against the false prophets, and it fills him with dread for the judgment that will come to them.

¹¹ “Both prophet and priest are godless; even in my temple I find their wickedness,” declares Yahweh. ¹² “Therefore their path will become slippery; they will be banished to darkness and there they will fall. I will bring disaster on them in the year they are punished,” declares Yahweh.

Not only the prophets, but the priests, as well, are godless, with no true faith in Yahweh. They will slip on the path to their own injury, and be banished to darkness by the hand of Yahweh.

¹³ “Among the prophets of Samaria I saw this repulsive thing: They prophesied by Baal and led my people Israel astray. ¹⁴ And among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen something horrible: They commit adultery and live a lie. They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that not one of them turns from their wickedness. They are all like Sodom to me; the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah.”

Jeremiah is preaching to the prophets of Judah that they are worse even than the prophets of Samaria, who led the people of that now exiled kingdom astray by worshiping Baal. The prophets of Judah have added to their sin that they are living immorally, and encourage rather than discourage the people to live wickedly. Jerusalem has become as bad as Sodom and Gomorrah were, and we know what happened to them.

¹⁵ Therefore this is what Yahweh Almighty says concerning the prophets: “I will make them eat bitter food and drink poisoned water, because from the prophets of Jerusalem ungodliness has spread throughout the land.” ¹⁶ This is what Yahweh Almighty says: “Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of Yahweh. ¹⁷ They keep saying to those who despise me, ‘Yahweh says: You will have peace.’ And to all who follow the stubbornness of their hearts they say, ‘No harm will come to you.’

Yahweh urges the people not to listen to these prophets who prophesy peace when He has told them destruction is coming. Of course, it is the peoples’ own stubborn hearts that dispose them to believe the lies of the false prophets, and they, along with them, will suffer judgment for their ungodliness.

¹⁸ But which of them has stood in the council of Yahweh to see or to hear his word? Who has listened and heard his word? ¹⁹ See, the storm of Yahweh will burst out in wrath, a whirlwind swirling down on the heads of the wicked. ²⁰ The anger of Yahweh will not turn back until he fully accomplishes the purposes of his heart. In days to come you will understand it clearly. ²¹ I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied. ²² But if they had stood in my council, they would have proclaimed my words to my people and would have turned them from their evil ways and from their evil deeds.

True prophets have been invited into the heavenly council and heard the true word of God. These prophets have not been sent by God or they would have turned them from their evil ways. God’s storm of judgment is coming upon them.

²³ “Am I only a God nearby,” declares Yahweh, “and not a God far away? ²⁴ Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them?” declares Yahweh. “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares Yahweh. ²⁵ “I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies in my name. They say, ‘I had a dream! I had a dream!’ ²⁶ How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions of their own minds? ²⁷ They think the dreams they tell one another will make my people forget my name, just as their ancestors forgot my name through Baal worship. ²⁸ Let the prophet who has a dream recount the dream, but let the one who has my word speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?” declares Yahweh. ²⁹ “Is not my word like fire,” declares Yahweh, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?

³⁰ “Therefore,” declares Yahweh, “I am against the prophets who steal from one another words supposedly from me. ³¹ Yes,” declares Yahweh, “I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues and yet declare, ‘Yahweh declares.’ ³² Indeed, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,” declares Yahweh. “They tell them and lead my people astray with their reckless lies, yet I did not send or appoint them. They do not benefit these people in the least,” declares Yahweh.

God is not a local god, like Baal or Molech, but the omniscient and omnipresent God who sees all and knows all. When prophets make up dreams to substantiate their prophecies, Yahweh knows it. It isn’t hidden from Him. True prophecy from God is like a fire that consumes or a hammer that breaks evil. It is grain, not the straw. False prophecy is powerless to help people.

³³ “When these people, or a prophet or a priest, ask you, ‘What is the burden of Yahweh?’ say to them, ‘You are the burden and I will cast you off, declares Yahweh.’ ³⁴ If a prophet or a priest or anyone else claims, ‘This is the burden of Yahweh,’ I will punish them and their household. ³⁵ This is what each of you keeps saying to your friends and other Israelites: ‘What is Yahweh’s answer?’ or ‘What has Yahweh spoken?’ ³⁶ But you must not mention ‘a burden of Yahweh’ again, because each one’s word becomes their own burden. So you distort the words of the living God, Yahweh Almighty, our God. ³⁷ This is what you keep saying to a prophet: ‘What is Yahweh’s answer to you?’ or ‘What has Yahweh spoken?’ ³⁸ Although you claim, ‘This is the burden of Yahweh,’ this is what Yahweh says: You used the words, ‘This is the burden of Yahweh,’ even though I told you that you must not claim, ‘This is the burden of Yahweh.’ ³⁹ Therefore, I will surely forget you and cast you away along with the city I gave to you and your ancestors. ⁴⁰ I will bring on you everlasting disgrace—everlasting shame that will not be forgotten.” (Jeremiah 23:9-40)

The people and the false prophets have become accustomed to teasing Jeremiah by asking him what the burden of Yahweh is, a technical term, maś•śā, for what burdens Yahweh or an oracle from Yahweh. Yahweh tells them that they are the burden on Him, and He will unburden Himself of them. He is ready to cast them off and hand them over to their enemies, bringing them into disgrace and shame.

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Discussion Questions:

1. Jeremiah says the prophets are using their power unjustly. What power does a preacher or prophet have in people’s lives?
2. Does false teaching always lead its adherents into immoral behavior?
3. What gives you the courage to reject the teaching of a false teacher or prophet?
4. Do you think God is burdened with the spiritual behavior of the church today?