Jeremiah 23:1 – “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” declares the LORD.
God’s indictment against the religious leaders of Judah was severe and direct. They had failed in their most basic responsibility. They didn’t care for God’s people. Instead of gathering, they scattered. Instead of protecting, they destroyed. Instead of leading toward righteousness, they drove the flock away from God Himself.
Anyone who claims to speak for God should heed this warning: “Behold, I will attend to you for your evil deeds, declares the LORD.”
Jeremiah’s heart broke over the prophets and priests of his day. By their false teachings and prophecies, they inflicted damage on God’s honor and God’s people.
They claimed divine authority while walking in lies. By prioritizing their own agendas, they strengthened the hands of evildoers, ensuring that no one turned from wickedness. The people were allowed to do what was right in their own eyes because the spiritual leaders who should have said stop remained silent.
This remains true today.
Strengthening the Hands of Evildoers
What does it mean to strengthen the hands of evildoers?
It means using God’s name to justify what God condemns. It means wrapping policies that harm the vulnerable in the language of God’s will. It means telling people that prejudices are rights, that their fear is justified, that their thirst for power is patriotism ordained by heaven.
It means standing in pulpits and declaring that God has chosen leaders who embody the fruits of the flesh as described in Scripture. Leaders who mock the poor, demonize the stranger, and weaponize the faith for political gain. It means silencing those who point to Scripture’s clear commands about justice, mercy, and humility by questioning their loyalty to the cause.
It means building platforms on the backs of the oppressed while claiming to speak for the God who commands us to defend the fatherless and plead for the widow.
The prophets of Judah did this. They told the people, “It shall be well with you,” even as those people despised the word of the LORD. They promised, “No disaster shall come upon you,” to everyone who stubbornly followed their own heart.
This is the heart of false prophecy. It holds out false hope. It tells people what they want to hear rather than what they need to hear. It fails to challenge wickedness or confront evil. Instead, they support it.
The Test
Anyone who truly stands in God’s council knows His word. They know His character. They know His judgments. And because they know these things, they will not, cannot, endorse wickedness. They cannot support evil. They cannot tell people that God approves of what He clearly condemns.
If God had sent these prophets, they would have proclaimed His words to His people and turned them from their evil ways. But God did not send them.
The ones who claim His authority while supporting wickedness are not from God. They have forgotten that God’s judgments would eventually come like a violent whirlwind. Their deceit will have eternal consequences.
So how do we test what we hear?
God’s word gives us the standard.
He has told us what is good. We are to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with our God. He commands us to defend the weak and the fatherless, to maintain the rights of the afflicted and the destitute. He tells us to love the stranger, for we were once strangers. He warns us that faith without works is dead, and that those who claim to love God while hating their brother are liars.
When teaching aligns with Scripture, it produces fruit. Humility, not arrogance. Sacrifice, not self-interest. Love for enemies, not contempt for opponents. Justice for the oppressed, not comfort for the powerful.
When teaching contradicts Scripture, it produces different fruit. It gives courage to those who prey on the weak. It sanctifies hatred with religious rhetoric. It elevates nations and leaders to the status of idols. It confuses the kingdom of God with earthly kingdoms.
The test is simple, yet demanding. Does the teaching call people to righteousness or accommodate their sin? Does it challenge wickedness or support it? Does it point to Christ or to earthly power? Does it align with what God has clearly revealed about justice, mercy, and faithfulness?
God Sees
In Jeremiah 23:23-24, God reminds us that He is always near. The God who fills the universe can see all we do. There is nothing done in secret that He doesn’t know about.
We live in a time when many who claim to speak for God do so without His authorization. They prophesy lies in His name. They speak the deceit of their own hearts. They make God’s people forget His name and His ways by substituting their own dreams and desires.
They steal God’s words, using His vocabulary while promoting their own agenda. They declare, “Thus says the LORD,” when the LORD has not spoken.
God’s response is clear and terrifying: “I see you, and I am against you.”
What a place to be. When the God of the universe declares Himself against you, no earthly power can save you. No political alliance can protect you. No crowd of supporters can shield you from His judgment.
The storm of the LORD’s wrath has gone forth. It will burst upon the head of the wicked. The anger of the LORD will not turn back until He has executed and accomplished the intents of His heart.
The Choice
When we encounter teaching that wraps evil in religious language, that claims God ordains what He condemns, that promises peace while supporting oppression, we face a choice.
We can accept it because it serves our interests. We can go along because everyone else does. We can remain silent to avoid conflict.
Or we can remember that we will all stand before God to give an account.
Before We Point Outward
Before we identify false teaching in others, we must examine ourselves.
We are all capable of hearing what we want to hear rather than what God actually says. We are all vulnerable to choosing comfort over truth.
Our salvation and eternal existence must take priority over our earthly desires and agendas. We must return to the truth. We must place God’s word above our preferences. We must be willing to recognize false teaching even when it comes from respected sources, even when it aligns with our politics, even when challenging it costs us something.
God Will Judge
Jeremiah’s message is clear. God will attend to those who scatter His flock. He will judge those who lead His people astray. He will hold accountable everyone who claims to speak for Him while promoting their own agenda.
The shepherds who scatter the flock think they can hide their corruption behind religious authority. They are wrong.
God’s judgment is certain. Choose now which side you will be on when God attends to His people.