Pastors & Prophets - Jeremiah 23

Jeremiah 23:25 "I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed."

Hebrews 4:13 "Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do."

Of course, it means the Lord is watching.

This chapter deals with pastors and prophets who have told the people lies. The lie mentioned is that everything was going to be alright when in fact the enemy was at the door.

v1 "Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD."

Pastors of our time are due the rest due their station. They have a great responsibility. The good ones have given up what ever life they may have had to devote their time and energy to a group of people who may or may not follow his teachings.

The caution here is that pastors are not to make stuff up. They are to preach what the Bible says, or as the Bible says what 'Thus saith the Lord." There are many truths in the Bible. As much as they have been preached for over 2000 years, they are still fresh and appropriate for our time.

v2 "Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them; behold I will visit upon you the evil of your doings saith the LORD."

The people are being scattered for their disobedience but they were led by some people who made up things out of the imagination of the heart. There will be a new day when a righteous leader will come.

v5 "Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice int he earth."

We are talking about the Messiah. He came to Jerusalem and was rejected but with purpose. It was to provide a time of grace for the Gentiles and all the world to come to Christ. When that work is finished, He will return to the throne of David.

v6 "In his days, Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely; and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS."

Oh for that day to come. It is Israel's day but it is also the Christians day when our hope is come and we escape this wicked world.

(These studies have a lot to say about the rebellion of Israel but it is not meant as criticism. It is meant as a history review. We as Christians and as a Christian nation have done no better in staying by Bible teachings, as a whole. There are still the faithful and I am thankful for them.)

The balance of the chapter is devoted to the subject of the pastors' and prophets' misleading of the people.

v17 "They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you."

That shoots in the foot some of the modern day preaching of prosperity. Some say, 'just send us your money and you will in turn receive abundance and be healed and reap mountains of rewards on this earth in this life', or something like that. That is not necessarily true. We will be blessed but it may be peace in our heart instead of a piece of property, it may be joy over the well-being of another instead of complete health for ourselves. Christ was perfect, yet he suffered for the glory beyond the cross.

So if you have a dream, tell a dream. The truth comes from the Lord and we have it written down for us.

v28 "The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD."

There we have it, a caution to lead the people correctly.

The Branch Isaiah 11

Isaiah 11:1-2 "And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;" See also Isaiah 9:6

Lately, I've also been reading some in the gospels. To read about the life of Jesus, as well as, going over the prophecies here, it is truly amazing how accurate they are. In the gospels, we can see this wonderful person who reached out to the hurting and was unafraid to speak the truth even when it caused him problems.

We know that Jesus was rejected by his own people but accepted by many others. The prophecy of his rule and reign from David's throne and those of the tranquility between the animals themselves and mankind, are yet to be fulfilled. Isaiah's words apply to several time periods.

v6 "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them."

For an understanding of the joys of the thousand year reign, one should study Daniel and Revelation. Hosea, Habakkuk and Zechariah as well should be looked at.

We have to remember that the words of Isaiah were unclear to the people of his time. As Jesus said, many had sought to know the things He taught his disciples. Matthew 13:11 "He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given." Enter the mystery of the church and salvation to the Gentiles.

Then the chapter talks of gathering the remnant 'again'. We know they went off into captivity and a remnant came back to build the wall and that at the time of Jesus there was a working government in Jerusalem under the supervision of the Romans. Again they were disbursed as history tells us but in 1948 the nation was reborn and the children of Israel continue to return.

v11 "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt and from pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea."

I would have to refer you to those who have studied prophecy much more than myself to see if this was a prophecy of the returning to build the wall or a later time and event. There is a reference to some geography in this chapter that the water separating Israel from Egypt would be dried up.

v15 "And the LORD shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dryshod. See also Revelation 16:12

Revelation 16:12 "And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared."

So we see how the Bible has been knitted together over the centuries. It speaks of one writer using the pen of many to tell the story that has happened and that will happen. It is so solidly bonded that it should greatly increase our faith as we study.

Psalm 119:163 "How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!"