False Shepherds

Read Jeremiah 23:9-22

Jeremiah resumes his attack on the leaders of the nation, but this time he turns his attention to the prophets and the priests. It is their turn to be subjected to God's wrath, and the charge against them is twofold.

1. Corrupt lives (v.9-15). Instead of setting an example to the ordinary men and women, the religious leaders became ungodly. They gave way to greed, impurity, dishonesty, and every kind of sin. In Samaria, perhaps, such things were to be expected, but surely not in Jerusalem! There is a saying, "Like priest like people." It means that the standards of ordinary Christians will never be higher than those practiced and maintained by the spiritual leaders of the country. This is true today.

2. False doctrine (v.16-22). They did not preach what God told them to preach, but instead gave their own opinions and ideas, colored by what they imagined the people wanted to hear. Such preaching, carrying no authority and proceeding from sinful hearts and minds, could not but be fatally misleading. It was denounced in the most scathing terms by Jeremiah.

We all teach to a greater or lesser extent, not least in our families and personal relationships. Only the life which loves God's Word as well as speaks it is truly effective in the work of the Kingdom.

Prayer: O Lord, save me from speaking about You without seeking Your guidance or without living under Your law. Amen.