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Daily Devotions

Jeremiah

Jeremiah 
Day 
Day 306

"But if they are prophets"

Text: Jeremiah 27:18

MINISTRY TO THE PRIESTS AND THE PEOPLE

Jeremiah went on to speak to another two groups of people. These were the priests and the people. They were severely influenced by the false prophets.

“Also I spoke to the priests and to all this people, saying,
‘Thus says the LORD:
‘Do not listen to the words of your prophets who prophesy to you, saying,
‘Behold, the vessels of the LORD’s house
will now shortly be brought back from Babylon’;
for they prophesy a lie to you.
Do not listen to them; serve the king of Babylon, and live!
Why should this city be laid waste?
But if they are prophets, and if the word of the LORD is with them,
let them now make intercession to the LORD of hosts,
that the vessels which are left in the house of the LORD,
in the house of the king of Judah, and at Jerusalem, do not go to Babylon.””
Jeremiah 27:16-18

1. “Also I spoke to the priests and to all this people, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD: ‘Do not listen to the words of your prophets who prophesy to you, saying, ‘Behold, the vessels of the LORD’s house will now shortly be brought back from Babylon’; for they prophesy a lie to you””

a) “Thus says the LORD”

i) Jeremiah appealed to the name of the LORD.

ii) He invoked the authoritative name of God as he spoke to the priests and the people.

b) The words of the false prophets.

i) They promised that the holy vessels of the Temple would be brought back.

ii) These holy vessels had been taken by the Babylonians when they overcame
Zedekiah’s army.

iii) These artefacts would be returned soon.

c) Jeremiah declared that this promise of the false prophets was nothing but a blatant lie.

d) Why would the Babylonians return these Temple vessels?

2. “Do not listen to them; serve the king of Babylon, and live! Why should this city be laid waste?”

a) These false prophets knew the priests desired these Temple vessels.

b) They promise that if they rebelled with the help of other nations, they could regain the Temple vessels.

c) Jeremiah warned that if they rebelled the Babylonians would level the city of Jerusalem to the ground.

d) If they live under the Babylonian rulers, they would live!

3. “But if they are prophets, and if the word of the LORD is with them, let them now make intercession to the LORD of hosts, that the vessels which are left in the house of the LORD, in the house of the king of Judah, and at Jerusalem, do not go to Babylon.”
a) A challenge to the prophets:

i) If they are true prophets.

ii) If the word of God was with them.

iii) Let them pray to the LORD of hosts.

b) The thing to pray for:

i) That the vessels be in the Temple.

ii) That the vessels be in the house of the king of Judah and at Jerusalem.

iii) These vessels would not be taken to Babylon!

c) The false prophets have no standing before the LORD of hosts.

i) They are not people given to prayer.

ii) Their chants of prayer would have no power at all.