What is the meaning of Jeremiah 23:18? Stood in the council of the LORD Jeremiah asks, “But which of them has stood in the council of the LORD…?” (Jeremiah 23:18). • “Stood” points to personal presence—only those God invites may enter His heavenly court. • True prophets, like Micaiah who “saw the LORD sitting on His throne” (1 Kings 22:19), receive revelation face-to-face. • Job was challenged: “Have you listened in the council of God?” (Job 15:8), underscoring that mere human insight cannot replace divine disclosure. • Amos affirms, “Surely the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing His counsel to His servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7). • The question exposes false prophets in Jeremiah’s day who claimed authority without ever standing before God. To see and hear His word “…to see and hear His word?” (Jeremiah 23:18). • Revelation involves perception (“see”) and reception (“hear”). Isaiah “saw the Lord sitting on a throne” and heard, “Holy, holy, holy” (Isaiah 6:1-3). • Moses “saw the form of the LORD” and heard Him clearly (Numbers 12:8). • John’s Revelation begins with a vision and a voice (Revelation 1:12-13). • Hebrews reminds us, “In the past God spoke to our fathers through the prophets” (Hebrews 1:1), validating that God still communicates, though never contradicting written Scripture. • By stressing both seeing and hearing, Jeremiah insists that authentic proclamation flows from firsthand encounter, not imagination or consensus. Given heed to His word and obeyed it “Who has given heed to His word and obeyed it?” (Jeremiah 23:18). • Listening is incomplete without obedience; James says, “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only” (James 1:22). • Jesus declared, “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it” (Luke 11:28). • Obedience authenticates the messenger: Samuel’s “Speak, for Your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:10) led to faithful action. • God’s Word is not advisory; it is binding truth (Psalm 119:89). • The false prophets of Jeremiah 23 ignored this, speaking visions “from their own minds” (Jeremiah 23:16) and encouraging rebellion. True servants submit themselves first, then call others to the same submission. summary Jeremiah 23:18 contrasts false prophets with genuine servants of God. Authentic messengers stand in God’s council, truly see and hear His revelation, and prove it by wholehearted obedience. The verse invites us to value Scripture’s divine origin, measure every message by it, and live out what God has spoken. |
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