Sound Familiar??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #465

I’m going to do something today that I seldom do on my posts, I’m going to post a passage and then simply make a comment or two and let you take it in.

“Woe be unto the pastors

that destroy and scatter

the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD.

2 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.

3 And I will gather the remnant of my flock

out of all countries whither I have driven them,

and will bring them again to their folds;

and they shall be fruitful and increase.

4 And I will set up shepherds over them

which shall feed them:

and they shall fear no more,

nor be dismayed,

neither shall they be lacking,

saith the LORD.

5 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

in the earth.

6 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.

7 Therefore, behold, the days come,

saith the LORD,

that they shall no more say,

The LORD liveth, which brought up

the children of Israel

out of the land of Egypt;

8 But, The LORD liveth,

which brought up

and which led the seed

of the house of Israel out of

the north country,

and from all countries whither

I had driven them;

and they shall dwell in their own land.

9 Mine heart within me is broken

because of the prophets;

all my bones shake;

I am like a drunken man,

and like a man whom wine hath overcome,

because of the LORD,

and because of the words of his holiness.

10 For the land is full of adulterers;

for because of swearing the land mourneth;

the pleasant places of the wilderness

are dried up,

and their course is evil,

and their force is not right.

11 For both prophet and priest are profane;

yea, in my house have I found their wickedness,

saith the LORD.

12 Wherefore their way shall be unto them

as slippery ways in the darkness:

they shall be driven on,

and fall therein:

for I will bring evil upon them,

even the year of their visitation,

saith the LORD.

13 And I have seen folly in the prophets

of Samaria;

they prophesied in Baal,

and caused my people Israel to err.

14 I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem

an horrible thing:

they commit adultery,

and walk in lies:

they strengthen also the hands of evildoers,

that none doth return from his wickedness:

they are all of them unto me as Sodom,

and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah.

15 Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts

concerning the prophets;

Behold, I will feed them with wormwood,

and make them drink the water of gall:

for from the prophets of Jerusalem

is profaneness gone forth

into all the land.

16 Thus saith the LORD of hosts,

Hearken not unto the words of the prophets

that prophesy unto you:

they make you vain:

they speak a vision of their own heart,

and not out of the mouth of the LORD.

17 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.

18 For who hath stood

in the counsel of the LORD,

and hath perceived

and heard his word?

who hath marked his word,

and heard it?

19 Behold, a whirlwind of the LORD is gone forth

in fury,

even a grievous whirlwind:

 it shall fall grievously

upon the head of the wicked.

20 The anger of the LORD shall not return,

until he have executed,

and till he have performed

the thoughts of his heart:

in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly.

21 I have not sent these prophets,

yet they ran:

I have not spoken to them,

yet they prophesied.

22 But if they had stood in my counsel,

and had caused my people to hear my words,

then they should have turned them

 from their evil way,

and from the evil of their doings.

23 Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD,

and not a God afar off?

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.

25 I have heard what the prophets said,

that prophesy lies in my name, saying,

I have dreamed, I have dreamed.

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;

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.

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.

29 Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD;

and like a hammer

that breaketh the rock in pieces?

30 Therefore, behold,

I am against the prophets, saith the LORD,

that steal my words every one

from his neighbour.

31 Behold, I am against the prophets,

saith the LORD,

that use their tongues,

and say, He saith.

32 Behold, I am against them

that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD,

and do tell them,

and cause my people to err by their lies,

and by their lightness;

yet I sent them not,

nor commanded them:

therefore they shall not profit

this people at all, saith the LORD.

33 And when this people,

or the prophet,

or a priest, shall ask thee, saying,

What is the burden of the LORD?

thou shalt then say unto them,

What burden?

I will even forsake you, saith the LORD.

34 And as for the prophet,

and the priest,

and the people,

that shall say,

The burden of the LORD,

I will even punish that man

and his house.

35 Thus shall ye say every one to his neighbour,

and every one to his brother,

What hath the LORD answered?

and, What hath the LORD spoken?

36 And the burden of the LORD

shall ye mention no more:

for every man’s word shall be his burden;

 for ye have perverted

the words of the living God,

 of the LORD of hosts our God.

37 Thus shalt thou say to the prophet,

What hath the LORD answered thee?

and, What hath the LORD spoken?

38 But since ye say,

The burden of the LORD;

therefore thus saith the LORD;

Because ye say this word,

The burden of the LORD,

and I have sent unto you, saying,

Ye shall not say,

The burden of the LORD;

39 Therefore, behold,

I, even I,

will utterly forget you,

and I will forsake you, and the city

that I gave you and your fathers,

and cast you out of my presence:

40 And I will bring an everlasting reproach

upon you,

and a perpetual shame,

which shall not be forgotten.” Jeremiah 23:1-40

I want to simply share some clarification for insight, and I pray that we will hear God speaking to my heart and yours!  The terms ‘prophet’ and ‘priest’ would equate to our pastors, elders, leaders, evangelists—those who claim to speak for God and from God’s Word (which praise God we have in written form today!). The people spoken of here is referring to Israel, but it surely applies to our Christian community today—we are a people set on our own way, just as Israel was.  A few questions to consider; who are you listening to?  Have you checked what you hear with God’s Word.  If other’s words don’t agree with God’s Word—take heed; just because someone claims some special knowledge, take their words to God’s Word.  It’s your choice, but choose wisely, there is a test, and it may be soon.  And if you have a good Bible preaching pastor, pray for him, encourage him and as you have opportunity support him in his service and ministry (and don’t forget his family who serves with him!)!

Amen and Amen!!!