What is the meaning of Jeremiah 23:33? Now when this people or a prophet or priest asks you The Lord addresses every layer of society—ordinary citizens, prophets, and priests—because all have drifted from His truth (Jeremiah 5:31; 8:10). • Prophets and priests, meant to guard the word (Malachi 2:7), are instead corrupt, echoing the people’s rebellion (Jeremiah 6:13). • Their question is not humble inquiry but cynical banter, like the scoffers Peter later warns about (2 Peter 3:3–4). • God still sends Jeremiah, showing His patience and desire that none should perish (2 Chronicles 24:19; 2 Peter 3:9). ‘What is the burden of the LORD?’ “Burden” (massa) is a prophetic term for an oracle of judgment (Isaiah 13:1; Nahum 1:1). • The people twist the term, treating God’s word as an annoying weight rather than life-giving truth (Isaiah 30:9-11; Micah 2:6). • Their flippant tone mirrors the attitude Jesus faced when some called His teaching “a hard saying” (John 6:60). • By making light of the warning, they invite the very judgment the “burden” foretells (Jeremiah 23:16-17). you are to say to them, ‘What burden? God has Jeremiah answer with holy sarcasm: “What burden?”—as if to say, “You don’t really want My word, so I withdraw it” (Amos 8:11-12). • When truth is repeatedly rejected, the Lord may fall silent (1 Samuel 3:1; Ezekiel 3:26-27). • The absence of revelation is itself judgment, leaving people to walk in darkness (Proverbs 29:18; Romans 1:24-25). • This moment anticipates Paul’s charge to Timothy to “preach the word” even when people prefer myths (2 Timothy 4:3-4). I will forsake you, declares the LORD.’ The ultimate burden is not a message but abandonment by God (Deuteronomy 31:17; Hosea 9:12). • Judah’s refusal to heed warnings will lead to exile (Jeremiah 12:7; 23:39-40). • Forsakenness is the dreadful opposite of the covenant promise “I will never leave you” (Hebrews 13:5). • Yet even judgment points to the gospel: Christ was “forsaken” on the cross (Matthew 27:46) so that repentant sinners might never be (2 Corinthians 5:21). summary Jeremiah 23:33 exposes a heart that mocks God’s warnings. When people, leaders included, treat His word as a nuisance, He responds by taking that word away and announcing abandonment. The passage calls us to cherish Scripture, receive its hard truths, and cling to the Savior who was forsaken in our place so that we can forever enjoy God’s faithful presence. |
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