Jeremiah 23:38

38 But don't pretend that you know all the answers yourselves and talk like you know it all. I'm telling you: Quit the 'God told me this . . . God told me that...' kind of talk

Jeremiah 23:38 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 23:38

But since ye say, the burden of the Lord
Seeing, notwithstanding all prohibitions of it, and directions to the contrary, they still persisted to call prophecy by this name, and that in a jocose and bantering way, and asked for it, and what it was, in a scoffing manner: therefore thus saith the Lord, because you say this word, the burden
of the Lord;
will continue to use it, though so displeasing to me: and I have sent unto you, saying, ye shall not say, the burden of the
Lord;
and therefore could not plead ignorance of his will, or excuse themselves, by saying they would have avoided it, had they known it was disagreeable to him: this was an aggravation of their impiety, that they should obstinately persist in it, after he had remonstrated against it by his messages to them.

Jeremiah 23:38 In-Context

36 But don't go around pretending to know it all, saying 'God told me this . . . God told me that....'I don't want to hear it anymore. Only the person I authorize speaks for me. Otherwise, my Message gets twisted, the Message of the living God-of-the-Angel-Armies

37 "You can ask the prophets, 'How did God answer you? What did he tell you?'

38 But don't pretend that you know all the answers yourselves and talk like you know it all. I'm telling you: Quit the 'God told me this . . . God told me that...' kind of talk

39 "Are you paying attention? You'd better, because I'm about to take you in hand and throw you to the ground, you and this entire city that I gave to your ancestors. I've had it with the lot of you.

40 You're never going to live this down. You're going down in history as a disgrace."