30 “An astonishing and horrible thing has been committed in the land: 31 The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own power; and My people love to have it so. But what will you do in the end?” (Jeremiah 5:30-31)

 

When you read the words “an astonishing and horrible thing has been committed in the land” what do you think of? Being five chapters into the book of Jeremiah, and having read of a number of horrible and astonishing things, there are quite a few examples that might come to mind.

Here’s a brief sampling:

  • The people of Judah “burned incense to other gods, and worshiped the works of their own hands” (Jer. 1:16b).
  • The people of Judah said to a tree ‘You are my father’ and to a stone ‘You gave birth to me’ (Jer. 2:27).
  • Judah returned in pretense but not in heart (Jer. 3:10).
  • Their minds were filled with well-trenched evil thoughts (Jer. 4:14).
  • “Everyone neighed after his neighbor’s wife” (Jer. 5:8b).

And as astonishing and horrible as those things were, Jeremiah’s examination, which reflected God’s assessment, honed in on three different things. We’ll take them in the order that Jeremiah listed them.

The prophets prophesy falsely. This was the first thing that Jeremiah mentioned. It was astonishing and horrible to think that people were running to and from Judah with messages that they said came from God that, in actuality, were diametrically opposed to God and reflective of their own imaginations. Such people were putting words in God’s mouth, and that act was astonishing and horrible. Sadly, but not surprisingly, there are plenty of people going around today doing the same thing. It’s not as astonishing when people do such a thing in the name of a false god but when people do such a thing in the name of Christ, similar to how to these prophets portrayed themselves to be servants of Yahweh, it is astonishing and horrible. Each time someone twists the Scriptures or gives someone ‘a prophetic word from God’ that never came from God, such an offense is not a peccadillo or a minor misstep, it is astonishing and horrible.

And the priests rule by their own power. The priests were not servant-leaders, or loving shepherds, or examples to the flock of Israel; rather, they were power brokers who ruled by edict. The priests were ruling like the Gentiles, even as Jesus said: “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them” (Mt. 20:25). It shouldn’t have been that way among the priesthood in Judah, even as Jesus told His disciples, “It shall not be so among you… ” (vs.26a). The collective priesthood of believers, comprised of those who have leadership responsibilities in the local church and those who are under that leadership, are to be a collective body of self-sacrificing servants, exercising their gifts and extending love in the service of the Lord and for the glory of His name.

And My people love to have it so. This was particularly astonishing. Yes, it’s astonishing that prophets prophesy falsely and, yes, it’s astonishing that people in spiritual leadership would flex their own authoritative muscle instead of washing someone’s feet, but how astonishing and horrible is it that there were (and are) so many professing people of God who love to have it so? People who flock to stadiums, TV screens, and computer screens to hear their beloved false prophet lie to them. People who look up to bully-pulpits as though sheering the flock is ‘telling it how it is.’ It is an astonishing and horrible thing that such error-peddlers would have such large followings – it was then and it is now.

The message to each group is a simple and sober one: “But what will you do in the end?” Ear tingling might feel good for a season – but a false gospel and carefully hidden truth will lead to destruction in the end. Tyrannical leadership may offer an appearance of strength – but a false shepherd will not lead the sheep to the good shepherd in whom the flock find salvation. People may love false prophets and pseudo shepherds but in the end the combination of the two is a dangerous recipe for an inevitable spiritual disaster of judgment in the end.

These words are sobering words. What, then, could be the application for us presuming that we do not fit into any of the three aforementioned categories? First, let’s be sure that we find astonishing and horrible what God finds astonishing and horrible. Let’s not say, ‘Well, that’s just the way it is’ or ‘Nobody’s perfect’, rather, let’s say, ‘I agree, Lord, these things are astonishing and horrible, and they ought not to be.’ And with that, secondly, let’s us pray and live in a way antithetical to those described in these verses. Let us be purveyors of truth who take the interpretation of God’s word seriously; let us be committed servants who seek to place others above ourselves; and let us seek to love God’s truth, hate when it is twisted, and stay humble and grace-dependent in the exercise of both biblical loving and hating (cf. Rom. 12:9).