Jeremiah 49:1-33
2 Kings 24:5-7
2 Chronicles 36:6-8
2 Kings 24:8, 9
2 Chronicles 36:9
Jeremiah 22:24-23:32
King Nebuchadnezzar came to Jerusalem for a second time and captured
it (597 BC). He dethroned Jehoiakim, King of Judah, and exiled him to Babylon.
Nebuchadnezzar also took with him treasures from the Temple and placed them in
his palace. Meanwhile, Jehoiachin was placed on the throne of Judah; he was
eighteen years old and, basically, Nebuchadnezzar’s puppet.
All of these things took place because of the people’s sin against
God. They were wicked idolaters, lovers of evil, who had broken their covenant
with Him. Jeremiah and others had warned the people that this would happen;
their reality gave credence to Jeremiah’s words, who also had warnings for
surrounding locations like Ammon, Edom, Damascus, Kedar, and Hazor.
Jeremiah also prophesied about the Messiah. “For the time is coming,”
says the Lord, “when I will place a righteous Branch on King David’s throne. He
will be a King who rules with wisdom. He will do what is just and right
throughout the land, and this is His name — ‘The Lord is Our Righteousness.’ In
that day, Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety” (23:5, 6). Of course, Jesus
is that righteous branch who comes to save His people, although He will not
rule the earth until His second coming.
Finally, Jeremiah had some harsh words for the other prophets of his
day. They were not true prophets but false prophets, men who told the king and
people what they wanted to hear, that everything was going to be okay. “My
heart is broken because of the false prophets... They do evil and abuse their
power. These people are as wicked as the people of Sodom and Gomorrah were...
Do not listen to them when they prophesy to you, filling you with futile hopes.
They are making up everything they say. They do not speak for the Lord” (23:9-17).
Daily Reflection
Sadly, there are many false prophets in the Church today. They claim
to speak for the Lord but their messages contradict His Word and the true
Gospel of Christ. Instead of preaching the truth, they
preach what the people want to hear, filling their minds with futile hopes of health
and wealth and a religion of works.
These men and women will not be held guiltless for their actions. What
is worse than someone who claims to speak on behalf of the Lord, only to lead
the people of God astray? They have angered Him and will pay for their
deception. They are not serving the God of heaven but His enemy, the
god of this world.
Even worse than the reality of these false prophets or teachers is
that there are millions of undiscerning people who not only listen to them but
believe them. Why do you think that is?
With so many preachers and teachers, with so many websites, TV shows,
radio shows, and podcasts, with so many books and blogs, how can you protect
yourself against the deceptions of false teaching?
“There is a difference between chaff and wheat. Does not My word burn
like fire? Is it not like a mighty hammer that smashes rock to pieces?”
BiAY.org | Day 223 — 142 Days to Go
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