Here we see that the sheep are scattered by false shepherds, but God also says that He will scatter them, Jeremiah 23:1.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘There shall a curse fall on the kings, princes, priests, and prophets, who, by their vicious conduct and example, have brought desolation upon the people.’
These false shepherds had scattered the flock and hadn’t cared for the people and so, God says, ‘you have driven them into captivity, you are responsible,’ Jeremiah 23:2. Responsibility brings accountability, James 3:1.
This is the prophecy that the ‘righteous remnant’ will return from Babylon to Judah, Jeremiah 23:3 / Isaiah 1:9 / Isaiah 37:4 / Micah 4:7 / Micah 7:18. There is hope for the future as God will bring the remnant back, Isaiah 7:3 / Isaiah 10:21, and new shepherds will be appointed who will do the job properly, Jeremiah 23:4.
In the previous chapter, we read that the reigns of Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah have all been failures because they all did evil in the sight of the Lord and they didn’t commit to practice justice and righteousness, Jeremiah 22:2-3.
Here God says He raises up for David a righteous Branch, a king whose reign will act wisely and execute justice and righteousness for the people, Jeremiah 23:5-6 / 2 Samuel 7:12-16.
The most important thing in this chapter is the glorious prophecy of Jesus Christ in Jeremiah 23:5-6. A king is promised the righteous branch, Jeremiah 23:5, and He will be called The LORD Our Righteous Saviour, Jeremiah 23:6.
This is mentioned again in Jeremiah 38:15, and also in Isaiah 6:13 / Isaiah 11:1-5 / Isaiah 11:10-11. This is, of course, Messianic. The New Testament tells us that this is so.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The real Jew is not one who has his circumcision in the flesh, but in the spirit. The real Israel are true believers in Christ Jesus, and the genuine Jerusalem is the Church of the first-born, and made free, with all her children, from the bondage of sin, Satan, death, and hell. All these exist only in the days of the Messiah. All that went before were the types or significators of these glorious Gospel excellencies.’
This is, without doubt, the promise of the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ. These words cannot possibly refer to anyone else. Who else, of all the people who have ever been born, could be called ‘The Lord our Righteousness’? Jeremiah 23:6.
God says the days are coming, when His people will no longer speak of the God who brought His people out of Egypt, but they will speak of the God who brought His people out of the countries of the world where the sheep had been scattered, Jeremiah 23:7-8 / John 10:14-18 / 2 Corinthians 5:20-21.
The first three words of Jeremiah 23:9 say this, ‘Concerning the prophets,’ Jeremiah 23:9. You could call this the title for the rest of the chapter. The prophets and the priests have made Jeremiah so heartbroken and angry that He shakes with anger, Jeremiah 23:9.
The land is full of adulterers, and because of the curse, the land lies parched, and the pastures in the wilderness are withered Jeremiah 23:10. The prophets follow evil and abuse their power, Jeremiah 23:10. They are godless and even practice wickedness in God’s temple, Jeremiah 23:11, but they are going to pay for it, Jeremiah 23:12.
God saw a repulsive thing among the prophets of Samaria, they prophesied by Baal and led His people astray, Jeremiah 23:13. God saw among the prophets of Jerusalem something horrible, they commit adultery and live a lie Jeremiah 23:14. They are sinning and encouraging others to commit sins in God’s name, Jeremiah 23:14.
The mention of Sodom and Gomorrah is pretty significant, Jeremiah 23:14 / Genesis 19. Ezekiel also, in Ezekiel 16, said that the people had become ‘worse’ than Sodom and Gomorrah.
In a nutshell, these verses say that the evil prophets who are spreading ungodliness through the land will suffer the judgment of God, Jeremiah 23:15. God is going to make them eat bitter food and drink poisoned water, Jeremiah 23:15.
These false prophets preached thoughts from their own heart, Jeremiah 23:16. They called Jeremiah a liar, and their message was, ‘We are the prophets of God and God has told us that Jerusalem is safe,’ Jeremiah 23:17.
They promised peace and no harm would come to God’s people when there was no peace and harm would come, Jeremiah 23:17. They also promised prosperity for the people, not punishment.
False prophets and teachers often promise only good things. Today’s false preachers know all about grace, love, mercy, and forgiveness, but they know nothing about the obedience of God’s Word.
Two questions are asked: Which of them has stood in the council of the LORD to see or to hear his word? Who has listened and heard his word? Jeremiah 23:18. The answer to both questions is none of them.
As a result of this, God, in His wrath, is coming in the form of a storm and whirlwind, and He is going to destroy the wicked, Jeremiah 23:19. God is going to judge them, and afterwards they will understand why more clearly, Jeremiah 23:20 / Jeremiah 30:23-24.
God says, again, ‘I haven’t sent these false prophets’, Jeremiah 23:21. These false prophets delivered their messages ‘in the name of God.’ They claimed to be speaking for God, Jeremiah 23:21.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘They never received the word at my mouth, yet they went, publishing their own deceits, and pretending them to be revelations from God. The churches which have legal emoluments are ever in danger of being overrun and ruined by worldly and self-interested priests.’
If they had listened to God and His counsel, they would have repented, and things would have been very different indeed, Jeremiah 23:22. God’s Word would have turned the people from their evil ways and from their evil deeds, Jeremiah 23:22.
This is a warning to the false prophets; they can’t hide from God, Jeremiah 23:23-24 / Psalm 139:7-12. God has heard all of their lies; He’s heard them declaring I had a dream! I had a dream!’ Jeremiah 23:25 / Hebrews 1:2.
They are clearly lying and claiming they have visions and dreams. God asks, how long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions of their own minds? Jeremiah 23:26.
They think the dreams they tell one another will make His people forget God’s name, just as their ancestors forgot His name through Baal worship, Jeremiah 23:27.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Dreams were anciently reputed as a species of inspiration, Numbers 12:6 / 1 Samuel 28:6 / Joel 3:1 / Daniel 7:1. In the Book of Genesis we find many examples; and although many mistook the workings of their own vain imaginations in sleep for revelations from God, yet he has often revealed himself in this way: but such dreams were easily distinguished from the others.’
The false prophets will tell a dream, which is merely a dream, and not the Word of God, Jeremiah 23:28. God asks what has straw to do with grain? Jeremiah 23:28. In other words, straw has no food value, but God’s Word is like grain because it will help us grow.
The word of God will consume the lies of men, Jeremiah 23:29 / Luke 24:32 / Hebrews 4:12. The word of God will smash to pieces the false dreams of those who are led about by their own fantasies, Jeremiah 23:29 / 2 Corinthians 10:4-6.
Those who claim that ‘God spoke to them’ are actually counterfeiting the word of God, Jeremiah 23:30. They claim to speak a word from God when actually they are relying on the imagination of their own minds, Jeremiah 23:31.
These are false prophets who, God didn’t send, fashion themselves after a pretence of religiosity in order to gain a following of people, Jeremiah 23:31 / 2 Corinthians 11:12-15.
The people were mocking Jeremiah by saying, What is the message today then, Jeremiah 23:33, to which Jeremiah would reply, You are, God is going to forsake you’. Note the KJV uses the word ‘burden’.
Coffman, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Many of the prophecies of Jeremiah began with the words, ‘The burden of the Jehovah.’ We know that the people didn’t believe Jeremiah’s prophecies, so they called him the burden of God.’
Whenever they saw him, they said, ‘What’s your burden today then?
God believed this to be scandalous behaviour and so, He says, He will punish them and their household,’ Jeremiah 23:34. They keep asking what is the LORD’s answer? or what has the LORD spoken? Jeremiah 23:35.
God tells them to stop asking about the message of the Lord because they are making their own words out to be God’s word. They are distorting the words of the living God, Jeremiah 23:36.
Constable, in his commentary, says the following concerning Jeremiah 23:36-38.
‘When someone asked a false prophet what message he had received from the Lord, and the false prophet responded, ‘An oracle from Yahweh,’ he was lying. He should not claim to have an oracle from Yahweh when he did not have one. God commanded that this phrase should no longer be used because the false prophets had perverted His words, Jeremiah 23:25-32.’
Because of this, God is going to forget them and cast them out of His presence along with the city He gave to them and their ancestors, Jeremiah 23:39. He is going to bring upon them everlasting disgrace, everlasting shame that will not be forgotten, Jeremiah 23:40.