Jeremiah 23:26

 Jeremiah 23:26 says, How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart;  God asked how long the hearts of the prophets would be ruled by lies.  They were prophesying what they wanted to be true and not the truth of God.  We must never proclaim what we want to be true as God's word if we are Christians.  Verse twenty-seven adds, Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal.  God said that even as the prophets spoke in His name that they were causing the people to forget about Who He really is and causing the people to worship Baal instead.  Verse twenty eight states, The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD:  God called on the prophet to share the word of God faithfully, and so must we today.  Verse twenty-nine asks, Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?  God asked if His word was not like fire that purified everything or like a hammer that broke lies into pieces.  Verse thirty declares, Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour.  Verse thirty-one adds, Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith.  Verse thirty-two concludes, Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD.  God made it very clear that He was against the false prophets who were leading the people of Judah away from Him.  These false prophets were claiming that what they were saying was the word of God.  We better be very careful that we do not claim to be speaking in God's name if we are only sharing what we believe and not what God's word teaches us.  Verse thirty-three says,  And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee, saying, What is the burden of the LORD? thou shalt then say unto them, What burden? I will even forsake you, saith the LORD.  The false priests and prophets would make light of the word of God if it caused a burden to the people.  They were proclaiming prosperity, but God was warning of the coming doom through Jeremiah.  Verse thirty-four adds, And as for the prophet, and the priest, and the people, that shall say, The burden of the LORD, I will even punish that man and his house.  God said that those who made light of His word as being a burden would soon find out how wrong they were.  Many people today who speak in God's name may one day find out that what they professed was really not God's word.  Verse thirty-five states, Thus shall ye say every one to his neighbour, and every one to his brother, What hath the LORD answered? and, What hath the LORD spoken?  People would be questioning what God had spoken.  Verse thirty-six adds, And the burden of the LORD shall ye mention no more: for every man’s word shall be his burden; for ye have perverted the words of the living God, of the LORD of hosts our God.  God said that the people would be judged by their own words since they did not follow God's law, but saw it only as a burden.  Verse thirty-seven declares, Thus shalt thou say to the prophet, What hath the LORD answered thee? and, What hath the LORD spoken?  God told Jeremiah to ask the prophets what God had said to them.  If we are speaking in God's name, we better make sure that what we are saying is God's word.  Verse thirty-eight adds, But since ye say, The burden of the LORD; therefore thus saith the LORD; Because ye say this word, The burden of the LORD, and I have sent unto you, saying, Ye shall not say, The burden of the LORD;  God told Jeremiah to tell the prophets and priest to no longer claim to speak for Him, since they were not relying on Him to give them the words to speak.  Verse thirty-nine proclaims, Therefore, behold, I, even I, will utterly forget you, and I will forsake you, and the city that I gave you and your fathers, and cast you out of my presence:  Verse forty adds, And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.  God  said that He was going to hold them accountable for what they said, and He still will today.