Jeremiah 23:23-30 - THEIR FALSE MESSAGE IS SELF-CONTRIVED NOT GOD’S WORD

23:23 Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off? 23:24 Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.

God is everywhere; he is ”at hand“. He is with us not far off. Nothing is hidden from him, all sin is exposed to him, and he will punish every bit of it. He sees what his enemies do. God says, I am against the prophets who attempt to defeat the advance of his Gospel.

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

False preachers preach their heart not God’s. They preach the imaginary gospel of men, the deceit of their own heart. They preach that man can make himself acceptable to God through meritorious works. They are taken in a lie - they spread that lie to others using false credentials - claiming they speak for God. But God clearly declares here that they “prophesy lies in my name“.

23:26 How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart; 23:27 Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal.

WOW! Here we are shown exactly what false preachers hope to achieve.

False preachers strive to have the elect forget God’s name, to forget God’s character, to forget his perfect Holiness, to forget that he will punish every sin to maintain his Holiness. Their goal is to make the elect think that they have no need for Christ, that they can save themselves by their own works. False preachers seek to have God’s elect forsake God’s Grace, seek to have God’s elect work for salvation, seek to have God’s elect honor man’s imaginary God (Baal) rather than Christ.

23:28 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.

23:29 Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? 23:30 Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour.

What is the chaff to the wheat? Chaff is insignificant waste that is carried away on the slightest breeze never to be seen again. False preaching (preaching of free-will works-religion) is as chaff in comparison to the Gospel of Free Sovereign Grace in Christ (the wheat). God’s elect reject all teaching of free-will works-religion, reject any teaching or claim that the works of man have any merit before God, reject any teaching that God owes anything to man.

Gospel preachers preach all of Christ’s character (speak my word faithfully) leaving nothing out and mixing nothing in. Only God’s word can break the stony heart (rock) of a sinner and turn them to Christ. The preaching of God’s Word is effective to his saints. It is a fire purifying his elect and consuming his enemies. False prophets are trivial they will not deter Christ from saving the elect.

By Ray Bennetts