Jeremiah 26:12

 Jeremiah 26:12 says, Then spake Jeremiah unto all the princes and to all the people, saying, The LORD sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that ye have heard.  Jeremiah said that God had sent him to prophesy against the house, or temple, and the city.  Jeremiah said that it was God's word that he spoke.  We as follower of Christ should always make sure that it is God's word that we speak, especially when we say that we are speaking for Him.  Verse thirteen adds, Therefore now amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the LORD your God; and the LORD will repent him of the evil that he hath pronounced against you.  Jeremiah called on the people to mend their ways and to return to God.  We must do likewise if we ae out of  the will of God.  Verse fourteen declares, As for me, behold, I am in your hand: do with me as seemeth good and meet unto you.  Jeremiah said that he was in their hand and to do with him as they thought good, but God's word was still God's word.  They were ready to kill Jeremiah, and he told them to do so if the must.  We need that same kind of faith today.  Verse fifteen adds, But know ye for certain, that if ye put me to death, ye shall surely bring innocent blood upon yourselves, and upon this city, and upon the inhabitants thereof: for of a truth the LORD hath sent me unto you to speak all these words in your ears.  Jeremiah also warned them that if the killed him that they would have innocent blood on their hands, because he had only spoken the truth of God as God had commanded him to.  Verse sixteen states, Then said the princes and all the people unto the priests and to the prophets; This man is not worthy to die: for he hath spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God.  The princes and the people told the priests and prophets who claimed to represent God that Jeremiah had done nothing to deserve to be put to death.  They said that he had only spoken to them in the name of God.  We are not called on to put anyone to death who speaks in God's name if we do not agree with what they are saying.  We instead need to point out why we disagree with them under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Verse seventeen declares, Then rose up certain of the elders of the land, and spake to all the assembly of the people, saying, Then verse eighteen adds, Micah the Morasthite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and spake to all the people of Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Zion shall be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest.  Certain of the elders reminded the people of another man, Micah, who had spoken against the people in God's name during the reign of Hezekiah, saying that Jerusalem would be destroyed.  Verse nineteen asks, Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him at all to death? did he not fear the LORD, and besought the LORD, and the LORD repented him of the evil which he had pronounced against them? Thus might we procure great evil against our souls.  They asked if Hezekiah put this Micah to death or listened to him and repented, and asked God's forgiveness.  If a man of God speaks out against something we are doing today and calls on us to repent, when he is truly speaking the word of God, we do not need to be angry with him.  We simply need to repent of our sins and ask God to forgive us.  Verse twenty adds, And there was also a man that prophesied in the name of the LORD, Urijah the son of Shemaiah of Kirjathjearim, who prophesied against this city and against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah:  These elders reminded the priests and prophets of another man, Urijah, who did the same thing.  Jeremiah was not the first prophet to prophesy that Jerusalem was going to be destroyed if the people did not repent.  Verse twenty-one says, And when Jehoiakim the king, with all his mighty men, and all the princes, heard his words, the king sought to put him to death: but when Urijah heard it, he was afraid, and fled, and went into Egypt;  These elders said that when Jehoiakim and the elders heard the words of Urijah that they sought to kill him, but that he fled to Egypt.  Urijah failed to stand by his faith in God.  Even if we are put to death for our faith, we cannot afford to falter in it.  Verse twenty-two adds, And Jehoiakim the king sent men into Egypt, namely, Elnathan the son of Achbor, and certain men with him into Egypt.  Verse twenty-three continues, And they fetched forth Urijah out of Egypt, and brought him unto Jehoiakim the king; who slew him with the sword, and cast his dead body into the graves of the common people.  Jehoiakim sent men to Egypt to bring Urijah back and killed him. Jehoiakim may have silenced God's prophet, but he did not alter God's word.  Verse twenty-four concludes, Nevertheless the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, that they should not give him into the hand of the people to put him to death.  Jeremiah stood firm in his commitment to God, and he was delivered from being put to death.  If we stand firm in our fait to God, we are already delivered from spiritual death and into everlasting life with God. no matter what happens to us in this life.

Jeremiah 26:1

Jeremiah 26:1 says, In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word from the LORD, saying,  Verse two adds, Thus saith the LORD; Stand in the court of the LORD’s house, and speak unto all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the LORD’s house, all the words that I command thee to speak unto them; diminish not a word:  During the reign of Jehoiakim, God's word came once more to Jeremiah.  He was told to stand in the temple and declare God's word to all that came to worship, and to not diminish His word.  We today as followers if Christ need to stand and proclaim His word wherever He directs us to, and we certainly should never diminish His word.  Verse three declares, If so be they will hearken, and turn every man from his evil way, that I may repent me of the evil, which I purpose to do unto them because of the evil of their doings.  God said that if they repented of their evil that He might not do the things that He had proposed to do to them.  The only hope that sinners have is to listen to God's call to salvation and repent of their evil ways and accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.  Verse four states,  And thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD; If ye will not hearken to me, to walk in my law, which I have set before you,  Verse five adds, To hearken to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I sent unto you, both rising up early, and sending them, but ye have not hearkened;  God said that He had sent prophets to them, who rose up early to speak to them, and was about to give them a warning if they did not listen to them.  God will send us plenty of people to call us to Him, and it is up to us if we listen or not.  Verse six continues, Then will I make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth.  This would be the result of not listen to God's prophets and obeying His word.  The temple would be destroyed.  If we do not listen to God's word today and do not accept His salvation, then our fate will be even worse.  We will go away to everlasting punishment.  Verse seven states, So the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the LORD.  All the priests and the people heard Jeremiah speak these words.  Jeremiah did what God told him to do, then it was up to the people to do what God called on them to do, beginning with the priests.  Today, we who are followers of Christ need to listen to God's word and do what He calls us to do, especially the preachers who are to proclaim His word.  Not that any Christian is less responsible, but the preachers are called for the specific purpose of proclaiming God's word to the congregation of believers and those that need to come to Christ as well.  Verse eight says, Now it came to pass, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the LORD had commanded him to speak unto all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people took him, saying, Thou shalt surely die.  After speaking God's word, Jeremiah had the people declare that he should die.  No matter what people may threaten to do to us today, we must faithfully declare God's word.  Verse nine asks, Why hast thou prophesied in the name of the LORD, saying, This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate without an inhabitant? And all the people were gathered against Jeremiah in the house of the LORD.  These priests and those gathered together in God's house in His name asked Jeremiah why he prophesied the things that he did.  They should have known if they were truly listening to God.  They then gathered at Jeremiah's house.  Verse ten adds, When the princes of Judah heard these things, then they came up from the king’s house unto the house of the LORD, and sat down in the entry of the new gate of the LORD’s house.  Then verse eleven concludes, Then spake the priests and the prophets unto the princes and to all the people, saying, This man is worthy to die; for he hath prophesied against this city, as ye have heard with your ears.  All the priests and prophets said that Jeremiah was worthy of death.  They claimed to represent God, but they didn't.  We need to make sure that what we proclaim to the people today in the name of God is indeed His word.

Jeremiah 25:27

Jeremiah 25:27 says, Therefore thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Drink ye, and be drunken, and spue, and fall, and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you.  God's judgment called on the people of Judah to fall, because they had turned from Him.  Verse twenty-eight states, And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at thine hand to drink, then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ye shall certainly drink.  Jeremiah was to offer the cup of wine to all the rulers, and if they refused to drink it, he was to tell them that God said that they would indeed drink it.  The cup represented the coming judgment, and even if the rulers did not want to accept the fact that it was coming, it was coming nonetheless.  Whether we believe it or not, God's word will always be fulfilled.  Verse twenty-nine declares, For, lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished: for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the LORD of hosts.  God said that He was bringing judgment on Jerusalem, and asked if the rest of the people of Judah thought that they would escape His judgment.  If those who follow idolatry are punished, those who teach them to do so should not expect to escape it.  Verse thirty proclaims, Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The LORD shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth.  God had been patient with His people as they turned away from Him, but now His judgment was at hand.  God may not immediately deal with us if we stray away from His word, but we will ultimately be held accountable.  Even if we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we are not free to do whatever we desire to do, but must look to the Holy Spirit for guidance.  Verse thirty-one adds, A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the LORD hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the LORD.  God said this judgment was going to come on all the nations who were ruled by wickedness.  Verse thirty-two declares, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth.  God said that the coming judgment would be like a great whirlwind, which destroys everything in its path even if you do not hear it coming.  Verse thirty-three adds, And the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground.  God said that those killed during this time would not be mourned nor buried.  When Christ returns, those who have not accepted Him as Savior and Lord will likewise find themselves without any hope.  Verse thirty-four states, Howl, ye shepherds, and cry; and wallow yourselves in the ashes, ye principal of the flock: for the days of your slaughter and of your dispersions are accomplished; and ye shall fall like a pleasant vessel.  God warned that even those who were looked on with the greatest honor would fall.  How we are viewed by the world is not important, but how we are viewed by God is the all important question.  Verse thirty-five adds, And the shepherds shall have no way to flee, nor the principal of the flock to escape.  God said that there would be no way of escape for the shepherds or the flock.  Those who were supposed to be the spiritual leaders of the people of Judah would fall with the rest of the people.  Verse thirty-six continues, A voice of the cry of the shepherds, and an howling of the principal of the flock, shall be heard: for the LORD hath spoiled their pasture.  God said the cry of the shepherds would be heard, because He had spoiled their pasture.  Verse thirty-seven states, And the peaceable habitations are cut down because of the fierce anger of the LORD.  God said there would be no place of peace for them.  We may declare everything good in life today, but if we are not living in accordance with God's word, then we will find no place of real peace.  Verse thirty-eight concludes, He hath forsaken his covert, as the lion: for their land is desolate because of the fierceness of the oppressor, and because of his fierce anger.  God said that He was no longer going to protect the people of Judah because they had turned away from Him.  God's judgment will always be based on our failing to live up to our relationship with Him, and not be just because God has tuned His back on us while we were being obedient to Him. 

Jeremiah 25:12

 Jeremiah 25:12 says,  And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations.  God said that after seventy years that He would punish the king of Babylon.  Matthew Henry says there is some debate when the seventy years actually began, but there is no doubt that the time of captivity was limited.  We do not know when Christ will return, but we know that the time of Satan ruling over the world is limited.  Verse thirteen states, And I will bring upon that land all my words which I have pronounced against it, even all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah hath prophesied against all the nations.  God said after the seventy years had passed, that what Jeremiah had prophesied and even written down would come to pass.  We can depend on God's word being fulfilled.  Verse fourteen adds, For many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of them also: and I will recompense them according to their deeds, and according to the works of their own hands.  God said that He would recompense, or pay, those who had oppressed Judah for their sins.  There is coming a day when every person will be judged for his or her sins, and the only hope that anyone can have is by forgiveness through faith in Jesus Christ.  Verse fifteen declares, For thus saith the LORD God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it.  God again used a common thing, the wine cup, to represent His point.  Verse sixteen adds, And they shall drink, and be moved, and be mad, because of the sword that I will send among them.  God said that these rulers would drink of the wine and become mad because God was going to move among them.  This wine cup represented the wrath of God.  Verse seventeen states, Then took I the cup at the LORD’s hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom the LORD had sent me:  Jeremiah said he took the cup and made all the nations that God sent Him to drink from it.  Jeremiah may have been viewed as a poor prophet, but he was to go to the kings and pronounce God's judgment.  No matter how the world views us, if God sends us to declare His word, we have all the authority and power of God behind us.  Verse eighteen adds, To wit, Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, and the kings thereof, and the princes thereof, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, an hissing, and a curse; as it is this day;  God said that He would make a desolation of Judah, Jerusalem and the surrounding nations.  Verse nineteen continues, Pharaoh king of Egypt, and his servants, and his princes, and all his people;   God begins to list some of the other nations that were going to fall, starting with Judah.  Verse twenty states, And all the mingled people, and all the kings of the land of Uz, and all the kings of the land of the Philistines, and Ashkelon, and Azzah, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod,  Verse twenty-one says, Edom, and Moab, and the children of Ammon,  Then verse twenty-two adds, And all the kings of Tyrus, and all the kings of Zidon, and the kings of the isles which are beyond the sea,  Verse twenty-three adds, Dedan, and Tema, and Buz, and all that are in the utmost corners,  Verse twenty-four states, And all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mingled people that dwell in the desert,  Verse twenty-five adds, And all the kings of Zimri, and all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of the Medes,  Verse twenty-six concludes, And all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another, and all the kingdoms of the world, which are upon the face of the earth: and the king of Sheshach shall drink after them.  These nations would be cut down like a drunk man falls.  They would be helpless to stop the fall, because God had pronounced His judgment on them.  

Jeremiah 25:1

 Jeremiah 25:1 says, The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, that was the first year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon;  Durig the fourth year of the reign of Jehoiakin, Nebuchadrezzar began his first year of reigning alone.  God's word came to Jeremiah at this time concerning the people of Judah.  No matter who is in power, God's word will still come to His people.  Verse two adds, The which Jeremiah the prophet spake unto all the people of Judah, and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying,  Jeremiah spoke God's word to the people of Judah and Jerusalem, just as we must speak God's word to the world today.  Verse three declares, From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, even unto this day, that is the three and twentieth year, the word of the LORD hath come unto me, and I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye have not hearkened.  Jeremiah said that he had been proclaiming God's word for years and that the people had not listened to him.  We may proclaim God's word all of our life and still have most of the people not listen to us, but that does not relieve us of the responsibility of proclaiming it.  Verse four adds, And the LORD hath sent unto you all his servants the prophets, rising early and sending them; but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear.  Jeremiah said that he wasn't alone in proclaiming God's word, but that God had sent other prophets that they did not listen to as well.  God works through all His people who will obey Him to get His message of redemption out.  Verse five continues, They said, Turn ye again now every one from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that the LORD hath given unto you and to your fathers for ever and ever:  Jeremiah said that all these prophets called on the people of Judah to turn from their evil ways and to follow God once more.  We must proclaim the same message today, calling on people to turn from their evil life and come to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.  Verse six states, And go not after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, and provoke me not to anger with the works of your hands; and I will do you no hurt.  Jeremiah said that the people of Judah had been warned for years to quit following after other gods, just as we must today, especially if we claim to be God's people.  Verse seven declares, Yet ye have not hearkened unto me, saith the LORD; that ye might provoke me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt.  Jeremiah said that God said that they would not listen to Him, even though they were called His people.  We cannot be God's people if we do not listen to Him and expect everything to continue to be okay as many who were called God's prophets were proclaiming in that day.  Verse eight proclaims, Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Because ye have not heard my words,  Verse nine adds, Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations.  When God says therefore, we need to beware.  God said that because of the disobedience that He was going to use the king of Babylon to punish them, and that they would become a people who were an astonishment to the world because of their failure.  Verse ten continues, Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the candle.  God said that He was going to remove from the people of Judah all the things that normally brought joy, and when God's judgment comes one day, we can be certain that those who have not accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord will find no joy in their everlasting destination.  Verse eleven concludes, And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.  God said that the people of Judah would serve the king of Babylon for seventy years.  Those who do not accept God's word today will have a much longer time of suffering.  It will be an everlasting punishment.

Jeremiah 24:1

 Jeremiah 24:1 says, The LORD shewed me, and, behold, two baskets of figs were set before the temple of the LORD, after that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, with the carpenters and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon.  This occurred after  the people of Judah and Jerusalem were carried away in captivity to Babylon.  Matthew Henry says that those who went away into captivity did so for their good, and that those who remained behind were still hardened in their heart against God and would eventually go away in captivity to their harm.  It was not the captivity but the attitude of the heart that was going to matter.  God showed Jeremiah two baskets of figs, again an everyday item.  Verse two adds, One basket had very good figs, even like the figs that are first ripe: and the other basket had very naughty figs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad.  One of the baskets contained good figs and the other bad figs that could not be eaten.  Verse three declares, Then said the LORD unto me, What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the evil, very evil, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil.  God asked Jeremiah what he saw, and he said a basket of good figs and a basket of bad.  If we are just looking at things physically, we may miss God's message because we have not looked at them through faith.  We should not be waiting for God to speak to us with trumpets and horns, but we should be attuned to the Holy Spirit so that we can hear God speak to us through the ordinary things of life.  Verse four states, Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,  Then verse five adds, Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for their good.  Here God told Jeremiah that those who were sent away into captivity were like the good figs, and that He did it for their own good.  Verse six continues, For I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land: and I will build them, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and not pluck them up.  God told Jeremiah that He was still with those who had been carried away into captivity and who still had faith in Him, and that He would bring them into the land again and build them up once more.  We cannot judge God's blessings by our physical situation.  Even if we are taken away captive or even if we die for our faith, we are still secure in God's hand if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse seven concludes, And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.  God said that the hearts of these people would be devoted to Him.  We should never attempt to judge the faithfulness of an individual by their physical or material situation.  Verse eight proclaims, And as the evil figs, which cannot be eaten, they are so evil; surely thus saith the LORD, So will I give Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the residue of Jerusalem, that remain in this land, and them that dwell in the land of Egypt:  God said that the bad figs represented Zedekiah and the rest of the rulers of Judah who had yet to go into captivity but who soon would.  They may have felt that they were in a better position than those who had been taken away, but God said this was not so.  Verse nine adds, And I will deliver them to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth for their hurt, to be a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse, in all places whither I shall drive them.  God said that the king and the rulers would serve as a reminder of what happens when those who claim to be His people are His in name only.  They had failed to live in the covenant relationship to God and had even claimed that God was behind all that they did.  We must be very careful to never attribute God's will to things that we simply want to happen for our own earthly good.  Verse ten concludes, And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, among them, till they be consumed from off the land that I gave unto them and to their fathers.  God said that these people were going to be destroyed off the land that He gave to their fathers.  Ultimately, every person will be judged by their relationship with God through accepting Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.  Material status will never be a factor.

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.