Chapter 23
Continues message 9, which started at 22:1, and has talked about the fate of the city - desolation - and about the fate of certain of Josiah's sons.
vss 1-4, God tells the bad shepherds that He is going to deal with them, and then He will bring His sheep home, and set good shepherds over them, and they will fear no more. Beginning in vs 2 we have a Messianic prophecy. I think this is a reference to the Millennial when the Jews return to Zion.
2023 - I think the first four verses all refer to the Millennial. Has there been a time since Jeremiah when the priests were as they should be? Not in Ezra and Nehemiah. They were good, but they were constantly reprimanding the rest who were lining their own pockets with the "perks" of the priesthood. Like our Congressmen, Senators, Governors and Presidents do today.
2021 - This is, I think, the first prophecy from Jeremiah that looks out past the immediate problems of Jerusalem. He has not really talked past the Babylonian captivity, but now he does. Actually, beginning in vs three we look out to the tribulation period, when Israel is gathered home in huge numbers. The shepherds spoken of here might well be - I think are - the 144,000 who will go out preaching and teaching and converting Israel and they will turn to Jesus - they will finally recognize him. This is in vss 3, 4.
Then these two verses:
5 "Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 6 In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: 'The LORD is our righteousness.' [Jer 23:5-6 ESV] Jehovah-Tsidkenu.
No doubt what this is about. Jesus reigning as King. Again, I don't see how one can maintain that the church has replaced Israel proper as the recipient of these promises. Israel is going to be drawn home from all over the world. And to tie it all up, vs 8 ends with "...Then they shall dwell in their own land." There is a contrast here between those who were freed from Egypt and came out to conquer Canaan, and have now disintegrated into this defiant, rebellious, worse than those they drove out people, and the future nation - the Millennia nation - that God will gather from all over the earth (instead of just Egypt). That future nation is sort of a "restart" for Israel.
2021 - Vss 5,6 are about the Millennial reign following the second coming. Jesus as King on earth over his people Israel, and the whole world at peace for 1000 years.
2023 - These verses:
7 "Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when they shall no longer say, 'As the LORD lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,' 8 but 'As the LORD lives who brought up and led the offspring of the house of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he had driven them.' Then they shall dwell in their own land." [Jer 23:7-8 ESV]. This is about the return of the people to Israel, and it gives us the "age" in history when that will happen. It will be when Jesus is on the throne (as vss 5,6 above tell us). This is the Millennial reign. It is NOT today.
As formatted, vss 9-15 go together, more as poetry or prose than as narration. Seems to be a sort of confession to God by Jeremiah. Jeremiah is broken hearted about the immediate future of Judah and Jerusalem. He understands what is coming, and is devastated at the thought of his homeland in ruins and his people made captives and slaves.
Looks like 9 and 10 are Jeremiah talking, but at vs 11, God speaks. (Yes. Pretty sure that's how to read it.) God contrasts the prophets in Israel with those in Jerusalem. In Israel they were doing unsavory things, making offerings to Baal. But in Jerusalem, they do horrible things - much worse:
14 But in the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing: they commit adultery and walk in lies; they strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns from his evil; all of them have become like Sodom to me, and its inhabitants like Gomorrah." [Jer 23:14 ESV]
They encourage evil. They make the evil the stronger. They are elevated in society by adopting sin as the way of things. There is no good left in them. Instead of just leading those who choose to come along with them in worshiping Baal, these Jerusalem priests are promoting evil. Like that are priests of Satan in disguise as priests of God. Their purpose is to multiply evil.
2021 - This is what happens when religious leaders become as corrupt as the people in general. There is no reason to be "good" when those in authority in religion are openly adulterous, openly corrupt, and "selling" salvation to the highest bidder. This was the state of the priesthood in Jeremiah's time. I couldn't help but think of the Catholic church when I read this, selling favors down through the years, taking money to pray people out of purgatory, and more recently the sex scandals - the sick combination of adultery and pedophilia so widespread among their priests and so covered up by the hierarchy. How can we read vss 11-15 and not see that situation, progressing right down the line as it did in Jerusalem. And how are we to react? This verse:
16 Thus says the LORD of hosts: "Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD. [Jer 23:16 ESV]
We need to be careful with this, we need to know who is real and who is false. We need to pay a LOT more attention to those in power - not accepting everything they say, but instead testing every single word. Look at the identifying characteristics of the bad ones:
17 They say continually to those who despise the word of the LORD, 'It shall be well with you'; and to everyone who stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, 'No disaster shall come upon you.'" [Jer 23:17 ESV]
They DO NOT CONDEMN, and in fact they cater to, support, and promote those that are very obviously not followers of God. When the religious authority "blesses" those who live by sin, endorse sin, promote sin, then you are not to listen to that religious authority. Pelosi and Biden - pro-abortion, right up to birth. And the Catholic church won't condemn them, won't excommunicate them, won't even censure them publicly. Yeah, it is true about the Catholics, and we see this because they are so public. But make no mistake, other religions, other leaders, are doing the very same thing. It is foolish to assume this prophecy applies only to the papists.
vs 16-22 continue in this same vein. God indicts the prophets because they speak from themselves and not from Him, and instead of revealing sins and encouraging repentance, they say all is well, that God is not angry, and that no disaster is coming. They are giving the people assurance that what Jeremiah is saying is the lie, and that they should be listened to instead of him. Here is an interesting verse:
20 The anger of the LORD will not turn back until he has executed and accomplished the intents of his heart. In the latter days you will understand it clearly. [Jer 23:20 ESV] In the latter days, it will be understood clearly. This is that same theme that says the closer a prophecy gets to fulfillment, the more clear it is what is happening and why. Revelation will get more clear as we get nearer to its fulfillment.
23 "Am I a God at hand, declares the LORD, and not a God far away? 24 Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD. [Jer 23:23-24 ESV]
This is always truth. Believing this makes it very hard to sin on purpose. He is right there, watching. Would you dare to do drugs in front of your Mom or Dad? I mean if they were right there looking you in the eye? Would you, could you be so defiant? Or do you at least have to be in a situation where you can pretend they don't know, they don't see you, and that they won't find out? We shouldn't kid ourselves. There is no place so secret and invisible that God isn't there waiting for us when we arrive. FB.
in vss 23-32, God continues to declare the prophets of that time and place liars, deceivers, and dishonest by any measure. God makes it clear that these prophets who say what they want and attribute it to God are far worse than the prophets who worshiped Baal.
I don't see this as characteristic of present day US. Our politicians have lost their minds, and much of our populace has turned away from God and gone their own way. But I don't hear pronouncements from religious authorities that say the politicians are correct. I don't here preachers saying all is well. I don't hear that, and I don't hear about that. I guess you could make a case for Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnesses, Islam, etc being contrary to God's word, but none of these talk about how great things are in the world. So we have not yet come to this point...I don't think. Will this be part of it? Can we say that until we see false teaching abound by evil pretenders that we still have a chance? That these show up only very near the day when God says "don't even pray for these people, because it is too late for intervention"?
vss 33-40 are still more of God's indictment of the false prophets, and also of the people who repeat after them. The people are mocking Jeremiah - and so mocking God - by saying things like "So, Jeremiah, what horrible prognostication do you bring us today???" They laugh at him, and at God. So God tells Jeremiah to just mock them right back, "What word? That God will abandon you." Nothing complicated here. God is no longer trying to inform, to persuade, or to "recall" these people. All that is done, so all they need to know is that God's wrath is imminent and unpreventable. God tells them NOT to prophesy in His name at all. The consequences of ignoring this command are summarized here:
40 And I will bring upon you everlasting reproach and perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.'" [Jer 23:40 ESV]
2024 - Everlasting and perpetual? So...is that about the Aaronic priesthood, or the Levitical, or both? And if they are to be shamed forever wouldn't that mean the priesthood during the Millennial must come from a different line? I think Ezekiel talks about that, and from where those priests will come? Or...maybe it's like the king. There was never again a king in Jerusalem until the Messiah arrived. He is King AND Priest. High priest in fact. So Israel has no further need of a high priest, they have one forever after the order of Melchizedek. So...will they be Temple workers and not priests? Need to really pay attention in Ezekiel to exactly whom those future priests will be.