Jeremiah 23:16-32
Summary for Jer 23:16-32: 23:16-32 a The Lord appealed to the people to reject these prophets and listen instead to his word. 23:16 b The false prophets gave the people futile hopes; they had not been commissioned to speak for the Lord, and their ideas came from their own imaginations.23:17 c These prophets lied to the people, assuring them that peace would soon come, even though they despise the Lord’s word. However, the Lord had already decreed destruction.
Summary for Jer 23:18-19: 23:18-19 d These prophets invented their messages (23:16 e); they had never been in the Lord’s presence, and none of them cared enough to listen to God’s instruction.
Summary for Jer 23:19-20: 23:19-20 f Contrary to the lies of the false prophets, the world was facing the storm of the Lord’s anger. The political situation was a whirlwind that would soon strike the wicked. The Lord had planned this punishment and would ensure that it took place. After the war, the survivors would look back and see that Jeremiah had prophesied correctly.
Summary for Jer 23:21-24: 23:21-24 g In this stanza, the Lord expressed his keen disappointment and disgust toward the false prophets.
23:22 h The messages of the false prophets would have been quite different if they had actually come from the Lord. God wanted the people to reject their evil ways (such as Baal worship) and turn to the one true God.
Summary for Jer 23:23-24: 23:23-24 i The Lord revealed the difference between himself and the Canaanite nature deities. The pagan deities were close at hand, as part of nature. The Lord was close at hand because he created all nature, but he was also far away in his distinction from it. His essence is different from nature, yet he is present in all the heavens and earth.
Summary for Jer 23:25-27: 23:25-27 j The false prophets placed a high value on dreams. The claim to have had a dream supposedly gave authority to a prophet’s message. However, these prophets were inventing everything they said in order to lead the people away from the Lord.
23:28 k The Lord temporarily allowed the false prophets to tell their dreams. At the same time, the Lord had his true messengers, such as Jeremiah, to proclaim his every word. This allowed the people to see the difference between the useless dreams of the false prophets (straw) and the nourishing words of the Lord’s messengers (grain); cp. Ps 1:3-4 l.
23:29 m The Lord’s word has power, like fire, to destroy false prophecies. It would smash the seemingly impregnable fortress of Jerusalem like a mighty hammer.
Summary for Jer 23:30-32: 23:30-32 n The Lord rebuked and opposed the prophets who spoke lies in his name.
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