Jeremiah’s Ministry

Jeremiah was born in around 650 BC. Jeremiah’s ministry began in 627 BC and ended sometime around 582 BC with his prophecy to the Jews who fled to Egypt. In 722 BC, the Assyrian Empire conquered and destroyed the 10 northern tribes of Israel. There were only some tribes of Judah left to be destroyed. In 587 BC, the Babylonian empire conquered and destroyed the Southern kingdom of Judah and Solomon’s temple.

When Jeremiah’s prophecy was written, only a few of Israel’s and Judah’s tribes remained to be subdued and destroyed. Only the kingdom of Judah remained to be destroyed after the majority of the kingdom of Israel was destroyed. God’s wrath was on the land of Israel. Judah refused to turn back to God and continued in the ways of Israel, which resulted in Israel’s ruin. Judah did not learn from Israel’s mistakes and turn back to God.

Jeremiah lived in a time when people followed the stubbornness of their hearts and followed after the Baals as their fathers taught them. In the land, there were many false prophets. Due to years of practising idol worship or Baal worship, the hearts of the people have grown stubborn/ hard. Over time, the idols people worshipped on the outside evolved into idols in their hearts.

People’s hearts have become stubborn/hard due to the numerous idols they have in their hearts. People themselves became like idols, therefore they looked for prophets who would support/encourage their wickedness without revealing their idols/ gods. The people themselves are to fault, not the prophets. The prophets only serve and worship the idol.

People had so many idols within them. Some of them are Idol of lust, Idol of adultery, Idol of lies, etc.

To cater to these many idols, so there were many false prophets. There was a separate chapter in Jeremiah regarding false prophets to emphasise that the country was afflicted with many of them.

They are all like Sodom to Me; Jerusalem’s residents are like Gomorrah (Jeremiah 23:14)

According to God, there are as many false prophets as there were people in Sodom combined. The combined population of Sodom and Gomorrah was close to 50,000. Perhaps 10,000 people live in Sodom. Jeremiah was in a setting where a lot of prophets (at least Sodom population equivalent prophets ie around 10000 false prophets).

In Elijah’s time, Baal’s Idols were present on the outside with around 500 Baal prophets to serve the idols.

In Jeremiah’s time, many people had idols inside of them and to cater to these many idols, there were lot of prophets.

Through their dreams that they tell one another, they plan to cause My people to forget My name as their fathers forgot My name through Baal worship. (Jeremiah 23:27)

The primary goal of false prophets is to make plan to make us forget the name of the Lord.

Forget the name of the Lord means

1) Forget the ways of God

2) Forget the person of God

3) Forget the likes/dislikes of God

False prophets cause people to forget the name of their God, that is, forget about the nature and character of God.

They make us forget that God is a jealous God and hates sins and lies.

By speaking only about God’s workings, such as blessings and healings, rather than both God’s working nature and God’s nature, false prophets cause us to forget the name of God. When there is sin, God’s working nature will gradually deteriorate. Only God’s nature can support God’s working nature. Because of God’s mercy, in spite of sin in our lives, God bestows His blessings.

This aspect of God’s mercy is overused by false prophets. When people only remember God’s working nature over time, rather than God himself, they gradually forget the name of God. When God’s working nature decreases because of indwelling sins, then false prophets bring in fake miracles to draw people. Because of indwelling sins, people are misled into thinking that fake miracles are actually real works of God.

Do you now have any indwelling stubborn sins residing in your life? Indwelling sin attracts a false prophet.

And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces (Jeremiah 23:29).

In this verse, God is breaking the rock with a hammer. The indwelling, stubborn sins have hardened into a rock that requires a hammer to break. God therefore sends His word to break the indwelling sin that has caused your heart to be as hard as a rock.

Ask God to expose and break the indwelling sins that have hardened your heart.

Now we are also in times like which Jeremiah lived. There are many false prophets and many people who have stubborn, indwelling sins that have become into idols. Do pray for God to send His prophet with His word, such as Jeremiah, who will break people’s stubborn indwelling idols and sins.