Jeremiah 14:14

context?

Some basic context before we go too far. At this point in Jeremiah there is a drought throughout the land. Jeremiah is coming before God asking him, for his names sake to end the suffering of his people.

God’s response to Jeremiah is a surprising one. He will not accept them because they love to wander away from him. He goes on to tell Jeremiah not pray for them in this state because he is passing judgement on them. God tells him that it is his plan to finish them off by “sword, famine and plague”...

Jeremiah is horrified. He replies to God, “but the prophets are telling your people that they wont suffer and will see peace?”

Jeremiah 14:14 CSB

14 But the Lord said to me, “These prophets are prophesying a lie in my name. I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a false vision, worthless divination, the deceit of their own minds.

What is going on here?

All scripture has but one main object, one main subject and that is God. It is a divine revelation of who God is. It is primarily about God and not us. This is the means by which God has decided to reveal himself to us.

So what is the question we should be asking here?

What does this teach us about God?”

Well, a couple things... It shows us that God is Holy and he doesn’t play games with his people. This is a warning for those that would speak on behalf of the Almighty. To those that would dare to proclaim something about who God is and specifically what he is saying, take note.

Do not say something that God is not saying!

These prophets are liars and if we read on, we will find that God will judge them with the exact thing that are saying will not come on his people.

Now before I try to make this into an application that we can take away, and help us see the warning of speaking falsehoods about God, we need to see this story in the greater story of scripture.

There is warnings in Deuteronomy about false prophets prophesying lies in the name of God. There are stories of other priests and prophets and kings that are judged by God for for being wicked and evil, for lying to his people or misleading his people.

Then when we get to Jeremiah God doesn’t even want the prophet to pray for them because they love their lies and these false prophets and evil leaders need to be judged.

But this will not be the last time this happens. As scripture continues on we see more judgment of the shepherds of God’s people in Ezekiel 34.

Ezekiel 34:1–6 ESV

1 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord God: Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? 3 You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. 4 The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them. 5 So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts. My sheep were scattered; 6 they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them.

These shepherds are suppose to feed the sheep. Now we see the word picture of God’s people being sheep and the shepherds as those who take care of those people. What did it mean to feed them. There is more than a food service happening here.

The idea of feeding the sheep has always been proclaiming truth about God. We feed the sheep as pastors now when we preach the gospel and truth about God from his word.

These evil shepherds were not feeding the sheep, they were not point God’s people to God, and instead they were being scattered and destroyed. and so God will go on to judge them for this...

Ezekiel 34:10–11 ESV

10 Thus says the Lord God, Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my sheep at their hand and put a stop to their feeding the sheep. No longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them. 11 “For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out.

God is now against these shepherds who will not feed his sheep… But there is a promise too...

Ezekiel 34:16 ESV

16 I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.

See as we look to Jeremiah 14 and see the injustice of false prophets lying to God’s people about peace coming when it is suffering that is heading their way, when scripture goes on and we see the Shepherds are evil and not feeding the sheep we understand that the Bible is building in this story towards what seems so dark.

All these evil sinful men cannot stand in the place where they are able to rightly feed the sheep and represent God to us. Until one would come and do just that.

think about these false prophets telling people lies from their own minds to God’s people and now hear what Jesus had to say after these many years of bad shepherds and lying prophets...

John 10:14–18 ESV

14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

In contrast to the lying prophets who God did not send and say things that God did not say, Jesus is sent by God and is approved by God not in just what he says but also in what he does. and we know this is true because, when he laid down his life for the sheep, he raised from the dead to prove God approval of him being our only true good shepherd.

So what does Jeremiah 14:14 teach us?

Though there have been many false prophets and evil shepherds, God did not leave us abandoned with coming to rescue us and doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.

The false prophets in Jeremiah stand in contrast to the true prophet that speaks on behalf of the father to his people. He feeds his sheep and lays down his life for them that they m ay live.

Now one final thought as this is a devotional encouragement. These false prophets who spoke out of there mind about God what was not true were going to face judgement.

There is not an office of prophet any longer in the church, but we as believers are all part of a united priesthood. In some ways we all represent God to the world. that being the case, we should take Jeremiah 14:14 as a warning to not say things about God that are not true and not to promote things with our lives that speak falsely against who God is. He is Holy and will judge sin.

If we have done this then let us repent and confess this sin. Let us know we speak truth by proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world and not some other false gospel where there is no hope.

It is in this that we as the sheep are fed, buy the gospel. So if you are asking, how would we know if the people who stand before us are speaking truth or lies, it is simple… Does what they are saying point you to Christ or some other outside source of strength?

Is there message one of, work harder and be better? IS it good advice, or good news, that someone for you in your place and paid a price for you that you couldn’t pay so that you could receive their reward eternally, no matter how much you will fail?

I would like to leave you with one final illustration of the Gospel and point us to Christ as we can then confess our sin and repent, finding hope in our good shepherd.