Jeremiah 23

CHAPTER 23

The Righteous Branch (23:1–8)

1–4 Having denounced Judah’s evil kings in the previous chapter, Jeremiah now broadens his denunciation to include all of Judah’s shepherds (leaders); instead of protecting and gathering the Lord’s sheep, they have been destroying and scattering them (verse 1). The Lord will punish these leaders for their evil deeds (verse 2), which have resulted in the people being sent into exile. However, in verse 3, the Lord promises to gather the remnant of His people and bring them back to Judah (see Isaiah 10:20–23; Jeremiah 3:14–18; 16:14–15 and comments). And He will place good shepherds over them, and the people will be prosperous and secure (verse 4).

These verses refer primarily to the return of the exiled Jews under the leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah and others—the “good shepherds.” However, God’s promise here involves more than simply the restoration of Judah after the Exile; the complete fulfillment of the promise will occur only in the Messianic age,⁸¹ when the Messiah—the good shepherd (John 10:11)—comes again to establish His kingdom.

5–6 The mention of “good shepherds” in verse 4 leads Jeremiah to prophesy about the coming Shepherd, the righteous Branch, who would be descended from David’s line (see Isaiah 4:2–6; Matthew 1:1). Unlike all of David’s other royal descendants, this Messiah would be the perfect King (verse 5). Under His rule, the nation—a united Judah and Israel—would be saved spiritually and also “saved” physically; the people would live in safety (verse 6). In the kingdom of the Messiah, the LORD our Righteousness, the people would indeed be blessed.

7–8 These verses repeat what Jeremiah has written in 16:14–15. In this context, however, they clearly point to the Messianic age. The deliverance of the Jews from the bondage of exile will be a foreshadowing of a much greater deliverance of both Jew and Gentile from the bondage of sin—a deliverance to be brought about by the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

Lying Prophets (23:9–32)

9–10 Jeremiah was a true prophet; he spoke the holy words of the Lord. He was compelled by God’s words, overcome by them (verse 9). But the lying prophets were filled with their own words; they led the people into spiritual and physical adultery. The land is full of adulterers, says Jeremiah in verse 10. And because the people have violated God’s covenant, their whole land lies under a curse.

11–14 Here the Lord continues to denounce the lying prophets. He mentions the prophets of Samaria (the former capital of the northern kingdom) who prophesied by Baal (verse 13). But the prophets of Jerusalem were worse; they “prophesied” by the Lord—using the Lord’s name. But they misused His name; they lived a lie. They spoke their own words and pretended they were God's words. Because Jerusalem’s prophets had led the people into wickedness, the whole city deserved the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah (verse 14).

15–18 Next to the evil kings, the lying prophets were most responsible for spreading ungodliness throughout the land (verse 15). Their words did not come from God but from their own minds (verse 16). Their main message was: “You will have peace” (verse 17); “the Lord will not punish you for your sins” (see Jeremiah 6:14). These false prophets were like the false teachers in the New Testament who preached a different gospel (Galatians 1:6–9). These prophets had never stood in the council of the LORD (verse 18)—that is, among the faithful beings in heaven to whom God reveals His plans; they had never heard God’s voice and therefore could not speak His words.

Do we have such false prophets and false teachers today? Sadly, yes; they have been present in every age. How can they be recognized? In this chapter, Jeremiah suggests three ways. First, their personal behavior does not meet God’s standard of faithfulness and HOLINESS: false prophets commit adultery and live a lie (verse 14). Second, they do not call for complete commitment and obedience to the Lord; in effect, therefore, they strengthen the hands of evildoers (verse 14). Third, they teach only what people want to hear; they promise peace, health and prosperity in this life, but these are visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD (verse 16). Instead of warning about the dangers of sin, they tell people: “No harm will come to you” (verse 17).

Jesus also taught us how to recognize false prophets: “By their fruit you shall recognize them” (Matthew 7:15–16). It is easy to be deceived by pleasing words; we must examine the “fruit” of those words. Do they lead people to live lives of greater commitment and holiness, or do they lead to the spread of ungodliness . . . throughout the land? (verse 15). We may not recognize false prophets by their words, but we should be able to recognize them by their fruit.

19–24 The Lord asks rhetorically if the false prophets think they can hide from Him (verse 24). Of course, they cannot. God is not merely a local deity nearby from whom one can escape; He is also a God far away (verse 23)—a God of the entire universe (see Psalm 139:7–10). He lives “far away” in a high and holy place, but He is also “nearby” with him who is . . . lowly in spirit (Isaiah 57:15).

25–32 In these verses, the Lord further emphasizes that the words of the false prophets do not come from Him. Instead, they come from dreams, from delusions of their own minds⁸² (verses 26–27).

In verses 28–29, God reveals the difference between His word and the words of the false prophets. His word is like grain, which feeds and nourishes; their words are like straw (verse 28). God’s word is also like fire (verse 29); it purifies the godly and consumes the ungodly (Jeremiah 5:14). God’s word is also powerful like a hammer—or a sword (Hebrews 4:12)—which “crushes” the hardened heart to bring one to repentance (verse 29).

False oracles and False Prophets (23:33–40)

33–40 In this section, the Lord condemns the false prophets who pretend they are declaring an oracle of the LORD ⁸³ (verse 34). He forbids them to use the term “oracle of the Lord” and thereby make people think they are speaking the Lord’s words. Because they do not speak God’s words, they will be cast ... out, together with the city of Jerusalem (verse 39); they will suffer everlasting disgrace (verse 40).