Jeremiah 23:9-40

Jeremiah's Diatribe Against The Prophets, Headed As ‘Concerning The Prophets' (Jeremiah 23:9).

Having set right the vision of the future, Jeremiah now turns on those who had been distorting that vision in one way or another, the prophetic guild. Like the current ‘sons of David' they too were inadequate. These were men who claimed to speak ‘the word of YHWH' in the Name of YHWH in His very house (the Temple), but spoke all manner of falsehood and ungodliness in that Name. It was not that they did not conceive of themselves as genuine. Indeed we will soon learn of at least two who were prepared to die horrible deaths at the hands of Nebuchadrezzar because of their prophecies of his coming downfall (Jeremiah 29:21), but we also learn at the same time learn that they spoke lies and their lives were dishonourable (Jeremiah 29:23).

It is immediately made apparent how difficult Jeremiah is finding his task to be (Jeremiah 23:9). In order partly to understand that we have to appreciate two things, and the first is the ‘holiness' seen as connected with ‘prophets'. In spite of the boldness of various prophets through the ages in the face of arrogant kings of Israel/Judah the number who were actually killed by the authorities were comparatively few. We see them coming boldly into the presence of the most of evil kings and walking away unscathed (it was not Ahab who sought to kill Elijah, but Jezebel, who was not rooted in Yahwism). And the reason why this was so was because they were seen as relatively sacrosanct as ‘the prophets of YHWH'. It was considered that to attack them would be to directly attack YHWH. Like the vessels in the sanctuary they were ‘holy, set apart to YHWH' and therefore untouchable except by those appointed by YHWH.

In our own day we see Jeremiah's opponents as ‘false prophets', but we must remember that to the people of Jeremiah's day they were ‘the prophets of YHWH' to whom they went for ‘a word from YHWH', and it was Jeremiah who was questionable.. The other prophets were seen as YHWH's mouthpiece and totally untouchable. They were ‘holy', that is they directly represented YHWH, and therefore to attack them was to attack YHWH. Even kings walked warily when they dealt with such men. Thus when Jeremiah took them on he knew that he was taking his whole life and reputation in his hands with this spirited attack upon them. And that is why he saw his words spoken against the prophets as especially ‘holy'. To deal with such ‘holy' men required special holiness.

His invective can be divided up into four subsections in which there is an intermingling of Jeremiah's prophetic words with the actual words of YHWH:

1. Jeremiah 23:9 in which Jeremiah explains how difficult he is finding it to proclaim YHWH's holy words against the prophets, even to the point of shivering and quaking. But he then outlines what the consequences of their prophesying will be on the land (Jeremiah 23:10). YHWH Himself then steps in and declares what the consequences will be on the prophets themselves (Jeremiah 23:12). Note the twofold emphasis on the sure and certain ‘word of YHWH' (neum YHWH).

2. Jeremiah 23:13 in which YHWH calumniates the prophets (Jeremiah 23:13) and questions what they teach (Jeremiah 23:16), explaining again what the results of their prophesying will be (Jeremiah 23:19) and emphasising that they were not sent or enlightened by Himself (Jeremiah 23:16). They had not stood in the Council of YHWH (Jeremiah 23:18; Jeremiah 23:22).

3. je r23:21-32 in which YHWH rejects the testimony of the false prophets and reveals Himself as the all-knowing One (Jeremiah 23:23), condemning the Temple prophets as false dreamers who cause the people to err in contrast with those who have the true word of YHWH which is like a fire and a hammer which breaks the rock in pieces (Jeremiah 23:25).

4. Jeremiah 23:33 in which YHWH tells Jeremiah that he himself must no longer have a burden for the people (Jeremiah 23:33) and then forbids the false prophets, on pain of severe punishment, from falsely claiming that they have a similar burden from Him, (the kind of burden that the genuine prophets had had in the past - Isaiah 13:1 and often; Nahum 1:1; Habakkuk 1:1),.