25 “I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy falsely in My name, saying, ‘I had a dream, I had a dream!’ 26 How long? Is there anything in the hearts of the prophets who prophesy falsehood, even these prophets of the deception of their own heart, 27 who intend to make My people forget My name by their dreams which they relate to one another, just as their fathers forgot My name because of Baal? 28 The prophet who has a dream may relate his dream, but let him who has My word speak My word in truth. What does straw have in common with grain?” declares the Lord. 29 “Is not My word like fire?” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer which shatters a rock? 30 Therefore behold, I am against the prophets,” declares the Lord, “who steal My words from each other. 31 Behold, I am against the prophets,” declares the Lord, “who use their tongues and declare, ‘The Lord declares.’ 32 Behold, I am against those who have prophesied false dreams,” declares the Lord, “and related them and led My people astray by their falsehoods and reckless boasting; yet I did not send them or command them, nor do they furnish this people the slightest benefit,” declares the Lord.
33 “Now when this people or the prophet or a priest asks you saying, ‘What is the [g]oracle of the Lord?’ then you shall say to them, ‘What [h]oracle?’ The Lord declares, ‘I will abandon you.’ 34 Then as for the prophet or the priest or the people who say, ‘The oracle of the Lord,’ I will bring punishment upon that man and his household. 35 Thus will each of you say to his neighbor and to his brother, ‘What has the Lord answered?’ or, ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ 36 For you will no longer remember the oracle of the Lord, because every man’s own word will become the oracle, and you have perverted the words of the living God, the Lord of hosts, our God. 37 Thus you will say to that prophet, ‘What has the Lord answered you?’ and, ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ 38 For if you say, ‘The oracle of the Lord!’ surely thus says the Lord, ‘Because you said this word, “The oracle of the Lord!” I have also sent to you, saying, “You shall not say, ‘The oracle of the Lord!’”’ 39 Therefore behold, I will surely forget you and cast you away from My presence, along with the city which I gave you and your fathers. 40 I will put an everlasting reproach on you and an everlasting humiliation which will not be forgotten.”
Throughout this latter part of chapter 23, we see God speaking further against the false prophets of Judah. In v. 28 we see false prophets who had dreams and related those dreams as if they were God’s word. Instead, God says, “let him who has My word speak My word in truth.” God thus implies that their “dreams” are not the truth, and in v. 32, in relating their dreams they “led God’s people astray by their falsehoods and reckless boasting.”
In our youth Bible study, we’ve been taking a close look at God’s truth, and how our culture has twisted “truth” to mean anything we want to believe. It has become just like these false prophets who relate their own ideas as if they were the truth. The fact of the matter is, real truth doesn’t change just because we believe or don’t believe, and we ought not to confuse belief with truth.
Some might rightly say, “what then has the Lord spoken?” just as we see in v. 37. We have, of course, the Word of God written down in our Bibles, but we ought also to listen for His voice. It’s something I think many of us struggle with, because our internal dialog is so busy, or we have so many distractions, we simply can’t hear. Therefore, we don’t know what God is trying to tell us, and we are easily led astray.
I was reading a book the other day where folks kept telling the main character to listen to their heart. And once upon a time, I thought that was decent advice, but God’s Word tells a different story. In fact, we only have to go back a few chapters (17:9) to find this classic verse, “The heart is more deceitful than all else, and is desperately sick…”
We need, also desperately, to hear God’s voice, sometimes that is directly through the written Word. But we also need to stop talking sometimes so we can practice hearing Him. I know I don’t do it enough, and it is difficult to find space for that, but I need it, we all need it. So again, stop, whatever you are doing, saying, thinking, stop. Be alone with God and listen, wait and listen.