What is the meaning of Jeremiah 23:30? Therefore behold • The opening “Therefore” links back to verses 25–29, showing God’s verdict flows from the evidence just presented: lying dreams, straw-like messages, empty boasts. (cf. Jeremiah 23:16–17; Matthew 7:15–20) • “Behold” signals urgency—God wants His people to stop, look, and listen. Similar divine calls for attention appear in Isaiah 65:6 and Revelation 21:5, underscoring that when the Lord says “behold,” something decisive is at hand. declares the LORD • These words underscore that the statement carries the weight of divine authority, not Jeremiah’s personal opinion (Jeremiah 1:4–9; Amos 3:8). • Because “all Scripture is God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16), every syllable of the indictment is true and binding. The phrase reminds readers that rejecting the message is equivalent to rejecting God Himself (1 Thessalonians 2:13). I am against the prophets • God positions Himself as the adversary of counterfeit spokesmen—an alarming reversal of what prophets should be, namely, His representatives and intercessors (Exodus 7:1–2; Jeremiah 15:19). • Similar pronouncements appear in Ezekiel 13:8–9: “I am against you, declares the Lord GOD.” When the Almighty opposes someone, defeat is certain (James 4:6). • The Lord’s stance exposes the lie that sincerity or popularity can shield a teacher from judgment (Matthew 7:22–23). who steal from one another words they attribute to Me • “Steal” reveals moral corruption: they plagiarize each other’s imaginations and pass them off as fresh revelation. This is spiritual theft, robbing God of honor and people of truth (Jeremiah 8:10–11). • The offense is compounded because the borrowed phrases are labeled “Thus says the LORD,” forging God’s signature on human opinion (Deuteronomy 18:20; Galatians 1:8). • The practice creates an echo chamber of error, suppressing genuine prophecy and lulling listeners into false security (2 Timothy 4:3–4; Micah 2:11). • God later warns that such prophets cause His name to be “remembered no more” (Jeremiah 23:27), showing how counterfeit revelation erodes covenant faithfulness. summary Jeremiah 23:30 is God’s forceful declaration that He personally opposes prophets who recycle one another’s fabricated messages and stamp them with His name. The verse calls believers to discernment, reminding us that God alone authorizes true prophecy, guards His Word, and will judge every distortion of it. |
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