What does "steal My words" imply about the integrity of God's message? Setting the Scene in Jeremiah 23 “Therefore behold, I am against the prophets,” declares the LORD, “who steal My words from each other.” ( Jeremiah 23:30 ) The Lord is rebuking prophets who were copying one another’s invented or embellished messages, then stamping them with “Thus says the LORD.” They weren’t merely misguided—they were committing spiritual theft. What Does “Steal My Words” Mean? • Plagiarizing divine revelation—presenting borrowed or fabricated ideas as if God had spoken them. • Diluting the uniqueness of God’s voice by blending it with human opinion. • Misleading listeners into trusting a counterfeit, which injures both truth and souls. • Robbing God of His honor as the sole Source of authoritative revelation. Implications for the Integrity of God’s Message • God’s Word is singular, pure, and complete; it cannot be legitimately duplicated or improved (Psalm 12:6; Proverbs 30:5). • Any alteration—addition, subtraction, or imitation—constitutes an attack on its integrity. • Because Scripture is “God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16), to tamper with it is to oppose God Himself. • The Lord personally defends His Word; He vows, “I am against” those who steal it. The integrity of the message is therefore guaranteed by the integrity of the Author. How Scripture Guards Itself • Deuteronomy 4:2 — “You shall not add to or subtract from the word I command you…” • Revelation 22:18-19 — severe warnings against adding to or taking away from prophecy. • 2 Peter 1:20-21 — prophecy never originated in human will; men spoke “as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” • John 10:35 — “Scripture cannot be broken.” • Galatians 1:8 — even an angel preaching a different gospel is under a curse. • 1 Thessalonians 2:13 — believers received apostolic teaching “not as the word of men, but as the word of God.” Living in Light of This Truth • Approach the Bible with reverence, trusting every word as accurate and inviolate. • Test every teaching against Scripture’s plain meaning; refuse messages that merely echo popular opinion. • Handle the Word honestly—no embellishing stories, no trimming hard edges. • Give God the glory due His name by honoring the purity, sufficiency, and authority of what He has said. |
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