What is the meaning of Jeremiah 23:17? They keep saying The verse opens by spotlighting a chorus of voices—prophets who repeatedly broadcast a message that does not originate with God. • These speakers are relentless; the verb picture is ongoing (Jeremiah 14:13-14). • Their persistence masks the fact that they have “run” though God has not sent them (Jeremiah 23:21). • In the New Testament, a similar pattern surfaces when people “accumulate teachers to suit their own desires” (2 Timothy 4:3-4). The lesson: mere repetition or popularity never authenticates a spiritual message; only God’s revelation does. to those who despise Me The audience is not neutral or ignorant; they “despise” the Lord. • Despising God shows up in refusing His word (Proverbs 13:13) and scorning His correction (Hebrews 12:5). • Isaiah 30:9-11 documents the same heart: people say, “Stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel.” • The false prophets cater to that hostility, confirming sinners in their rebellion rather than calling them to repentance. Despising God is lethal, yet deceptive teaching can make it feel respectable. “The LORD says that you will have peace,” Here is the counterfeit promise: peace without repentance. • Peace in Scripture is the fruit of obedience (Leviticus 26:3-6) and ultimately of Christ (John 14:27). • Jeremiah 6:14 exposes this lie: “They dress the wound of My people with very little care, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace.” • Ezekiel 13:10 tracks the same theme—whitewashed walls of false security that collapse under divine storm. By hijacking God’s name, these prophets offer tranquility while leaving the deadly cancer of sin untouched. and to everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart The verse re-focuses on lifestyle: people are “walking” in obstinate self-will. • Stubbornness appears earlier in Jeremiah 7:24—“They followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts.” • Romans 2:5 warns that stubborn hearts are “storing up wrath” for themselves. • Notice “everyone”: the deception spreads broadly, offering the same soothing message to all who refuse correction. Stubbornness makes a person an easy mark for lies that affirm independence from God. “No harm will come to you.” The final slogan outright denies judgment. • Amos 9:10 echoes it: “Disaster will not overtake or meet us.” • 2 Peter 3:4 forecasts a similar scoff in the last days: “Where is the promise of His coming?” • Yet Jeremiah’s context announces Babylonian invasion (Jeremiah 25:8-11); harm is imminent because holiness demands justice. The message exposes its fraud precisely where it contradicts God’s declared warnings. summary Jeremiah 23:17 unmasks a cycle: false prophets keep repeating soothing words to people who despise God, endorsing their stubborn lifestyles with assurances of peace and safety. Scripture affirms the exact opposite: real peace flows from submission to God, and unrepentant sin invites certain judgment. The verse calls believers to test every message against the whole counsel of God and to refuse any promise of blessing that bypasses repentance and obedience. |
    |