Jer 23:23-24 | KingComments | STEP | The three questions of are practically the same questions. They are questions that at the same time give the answer. God is not a local God, but is everywhere; He is not a God Who sees only the perceptible, for nothing is hidden from Him ( ; ). He fills the heavens and the earth with His holy presence, so that there is no place beyond His authority, where He is not present, where anyone could be without Him being there. He is omnipresent and nothing escapes Him. It is a great encouragement to the believer that he may be aware of God’s presence always, everywhere and in all circumstances. It is for the unbeliever a serious call to break with his sins. We may well pray that we never lose the sense of His presence. These false prophets emphatically state “I had a dream” and repeat it again, just to impress ( ). It is all about their own ‘self’. They want to draw attention to themselves. What they then tell are lies in which they also use the Name of the LORD. But He has heard it! God certainly did speak through dreams, as we know from the history of Joseph with Pharaoh and Daniel with Nebuchadnezzar ( ; ; ; ; ). It may be about one’s own dreams or dreams of others. How long will the dreaming false prophets continue to preach their castles in the air and how long will the people listen to them ( )? What these prophets tell comes from their corrupt hearts; it is lies and deception. Their goal is to make God’s people forget His Name with their dreams. They are telling each other their dreams and the people are standing there and listen to them and love it ( ). What they are doing is the same as what their fathers did by clinging to Baal. It comes from the same depraved source and has the same consequence. Let the false prophet tell his dream ( ). Let him go about his business. What God wants for everyone with whom His word is, is to speak His word truthfully. The lie is always exposed by the truth. Truth and lie have nothing to do with each other, any more than the worthless straw in which there is no food has anything to do with the nutritious grain. The straw is the worthless prophecy of the lying prophets and the grain is the true proclamation of God’s Word. In addition to food, the word of the LORD can also be compared to a fire and to a hammer ( ). This will be experienced by all who engage in the lie, either to spread it or to embrace its preacher. The lie is always pleasant, while the word of truth consumes the lie and the lie prophets like a fire and works like a hammer which shatters a rock. Nothing remains of the lie. The LORD is “against the prophets”. He will act with the force of the hammer just mentioned against those “who steal” His “words from each another” ( ). They boast that they are the only ones who can explain God’s Word and they do so in a pernicious manner. In doing so, they steal from each other what the other has come up with as an explanation. We can also apply this to passing on God’s Word today. We can read an explanation that is good. But if we pass it on to show thereby how much we know of the Word, we are stealing the words from the other person. It is not our property and does not come from our hearts, but from our heads. We can and do make grateful use of what others have said and written about God’s Word. However, it is not our property until we have thanked God for what He has shown us of the truth of His Word through that other person. The LORD will also deal forcefully with prophets who use their tongues and then have the audacity to say that He, the LORD, is speaking ( ). This is an abominable thing. Therefore, the LORD states for the third time that He will act with power against those prophets of false dreams ( ). It is remarkable how often these verses say “declares the LORD” ( ). We see here the exaltedness of His speaking in the face of the mendacious speaking of these lying prophets. These people deceive His people with their lies that are nothing but drivel. Vigorously the LORD testifies of them that He did not send them, did not command them, and that they are of no use to His people. He wipes them out. What fool will then want to hear even one word from these lying prophets, let alone attach any value to them? The issue in is three classes of false prophets. With each of those classes the LORD will deal. 1. The first group ( ) commit plagiarism. They are not original; they steal the words of the true prophets and act as if they were their own. 2. The second group ( ) uses their tongue without restraint to deceive. By introducing their words with “declares the LORD”, they act as if their words have divine authority. 3. The third group ( ) plays on national feelings. This group addresses the whole people. They want to encourage them with their lies and not to care about the threats of the true prophet.

‏ Jeremiah 23:23-24

God’s Judgment on the Lying Prophets

The three questions of Jer 23:23-24 are practically the same questions. They are questions that at the same time give the answer. God is not a local God, but is everywhere; He is not a God Who sees only the perceptible, for nothing is hidden from Him (Psa 139:7-10; Amos 9:2-4). He fills the heavens and the earth with His holy presence, so that there is no place beyond His authority, where He is not present, where anyone could be without Him being there.

He is omnipresent and nothing escapes Him. It is a great encouragement to the believer that he may be aware of God’s presence always, everywhere and in all circumstances. It is for the unbeliever a serious call to break with his sins. We may well pray that we never lose the sense of His presence.

These false prophets emphatically state “I had a dream” and repeat it again, just to impress (Jer 23:25). It is all about their own ‘self’. They want to draw attention to themselves. What they then tell are lies in which they also use the Name of the LORD. But He has heard it!

God certainly did speak through dreams, as we know from the history of Joseph with Pharaoh and Daniel with Nebuchadnezzar (Gen 37:5-9 ; Gen 41:1 ; 28-32; Num 12:6; 1Sam 28:6; Dan 2:7; Joel 2:28). It may be about one’s own dreams or dreams of others.

How long will the dreaming false prophets continue to preach their castles in the air and how long will the people listen to them (Jer 23:26)? What these prophets tell comes from their corrupt hearts; it is lies and deception. Their goal is to make God’s people forget His Name with their dreams. They are telling each other their dreams and the people are standing there and listen to them and love it (Jer 23:27). What they are doing is the same as what their fathers did by clinging to Baal. It comes from the same depraved source and has the same consequence.

Let the false prophet tell his dream (Jer 23:28). Let him go about his business. What God wants for everyone with whom His word is, is to speak His word truthfully. The lie is always exposed by the truth. Truth and lie have nothing to do with each other, any more than the worthless straw in which there is no food has anything to do with the nutritious grain. The straw is the worthless prophecy of the lying prophets and the grain is the true proclamation of God’s Word.

In addition to food, the word of the LORD can also be compared to a fire and to a hammer (Jer 23:29). This will be experienced by all who engage in the lie, either to spread it or to embrace its preacher. The lie is always pleasant, while the word of truth consumes the lie and the lie prophets like a fire and works like a hammer which shatters a rock. Nothing remains of the lie.

The LORD is “against the prophets”. He will act with the force of the hammer just mentioned against those “who steal” His “words from each another” (Jer 23:30). They boast that they are the only ones who can explain God’s Word and they do so in a pernicious manner. In doing so, they steal from each other what the other has come up with as an explanation.

We can also apply this to passing on God’s Word today. We can read an explanation that is good. But if we pass it on to show thereby how much we know of the Word, we are stealing the words from the other person. It is not our property and does not come from our hearts, but from our heads. We can and do make grateful use of what others have said and written about God’s Word. However, it is not our property until we have thanked God for what He has shown us of the truth of His Word through that other person.

The LORD will also deal forcefully with prophets who use their tongues and then have the audacity to say that He, the LORD, is speaking (Jer 23:31). This is an abominable thing. Therefore, the LORD states for the third time that He will act with power against those prophets of false dreams (Jer 23:32).

It is remarkable how often these verses say “declares the LORD” (Jer 23:29 ; 30 ; 31 ; 32). We see here the exaltedness of His speaking in the face of the mendacious speaking of these lying prophets.

These people deceive His people with their lies that are nothing but drivel. Vigorously the LORD testifies of them that He did not send them, did not command them, and that they are of no use to His people. He wipes them out. What fool will then want to hear even one word from these lying prophets, let alone attach any value to them?

The issue in Jer 23:30-32 is three classes of false prophets. With each of those classes the LORD will deal.

1. The first group (Jer 23:30) commit plagiarism. They are not original; they steal the words of the true prophets and act as if they were their own.

2. The second group (Jer 23:31) uses their tongue without restraint to deceive. By introducing their words with “declares the LORD”, they act as if their words have divine authority.

3. The third group (Jer 23:32) plays on national feelings. This group addresses the whole people. They want to encourage them with their lies and not to care about the threats of the true prophet.