15 “Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets,
‘Behold, I am going to feed them wormwood
And make them drink poisonous water,
For from the prophets of Jerusalem
Pollution has gone forth into all the land.’”16 Thus says the Lord of hosts,
“Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you.
They are leading you into futility;
They speak a vision of their own [e]imagination,
Not from the mouth of the Lord.
17 “They keep saying to those who despise Me,
‘The Lord has said, “You will have peace”’;
And as for everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart,
They say, ‘Calamity will not come upon you.’
18 “But who has stood in the council of the Lord,
That he should see and hear His word?
Who has given heed to [f]His word and listened?
19 “Behold, the storm of the Lord has gone forth in wrath,
Even a whirling tempest;
It will swirl down on the head of the wicked.
20 “The anger of the Lord will not turn back
Until He has performed and carried out the purposes of His heart;
In the last days you will clearly understand it.
21 “I did not send these prophets,
But they ran.
I did not speak to them,
But they prophesied.
22 “But if they had stood in My council,
Then they would have announced My words to My people,
And would have turned them back from their evil way
And from the evil of their deeds.23 “Am I a God who is near,” declares the Lord,
“And not a God far off?
24 “Can a man hide himself in hiding places
So I do not see him?” declares the Lord.
“Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the Lord.
This section focuses especially on the prophets who misled the people–and who were still probably trying to mislead them. They said everything would be fine, there was no judgment coming. Now why would a prophet do such a foolish thing? Because they themselves were participants in the evil deeds of the day, and they also were hoping no judgment would come.
Yet as this passage sums things up, had they only stood in God’s council, they would have known two very important things. One, they would have known to do what was right, and live justly. And second, they would have announced God’s words the God’s people instead of making up their own foolish pronouncements.
However, they might have said, “Look, that’s all well and good, but do we really have to travel to God’s council? That’s so far away!” God clears things up in short order for them, “Am I a God who is near and not a God far off?” To which the rhetorical answer is, “Yes, He is a God who is near…” There was no need for long journeys, or fancy prayers. All that was needed was a humble and contrite heart.
More accurately, as David wrote, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.” As God told them before, He didn’t desire burnt offerings and the like. Rather, God wanted hearts who were turned/tuned to Him. Unfortunately, brokenness was not something these prophets were willing to experience on their own. So instead they would experience it as a result of God’s judgment poured out upon them and all the land.
All that said, lets go back to that one all important fact, “He is a God who is near.” There is a lot of brokenness in our world as it is. But if we’re not broken already, maybe we need to be, in order to let go of our own ways. Regardless, none of us is far from God. If it feels like He is far away, its likely we have forgotten how near He is–not always I suppose, but likely.
No matter our feelings, or the state of our heart, God is near, wherever we go, at all times. He fills the heavens and the earth, so there is no place where He is not there. That’s an incredible comfort when things are going sideways, and we would do very well to remember it even if things are going swimmingly-swimming is hard work, so I don’t know why that’s supposed to mean easy…
Wherever you are today, talk to Him, listen for Him, know that He is with you. Sorry to say, but even if you don’t want Him there, God won’t leave you alone by yourself. He cannot, for His love is too great to abandon you–to your own devices, or the devices of others who would take advantage of you. Coming back around, don’t ignore Him another day, but know that He desires to be involved in your life, and is waiting for your invitation, always near.