Scripture Reading : Jeremiah 23
Theme : The Righteous Davidic King
Righteous Branch (1-9).
Since Coniah is the last king from the royal line, a new king is needed. The promised righteous Branch, Jesus, is that king. He is the hope of Israel, and the world. They cannot put their hope of a glorious future in any king, but king Jesus. Only Jesus can usher in the Messianic Kingdom and make them dwell securely (v.6).
Lying Prophets (10-40).
The rest of the chapter is about false prophets. Besides for kings, these false prophets are one of the main reasons why Israel has strayed from God. Jeremiah speaks of false prophets more than anyone in the OT. These false prophets claim to be God’s messengers, but they lead people away from God. Instead of encouraging people to worship God, they encourage people to worship idols like Baal and to worship evil, sexual immorality, and lies. Their sins are extremely serious. In the end, God’s judgement will be very, very severe on them because their sins are very treacherous. They will not enter the Messianic Kingdom, but will enter into one of the most severe punishments in hell (2 Pet. 2:17).
Praying the Scripture
Today’s Christendom is full of lying prophets, especially from the charismatic camp. Many of them prophesy under false reverence in order to obtain their lust for pride and authority. They often say God revealed a special revelation to them so people must do this or that. Their prophecies directly contradict the Bible. Falsely prophesying on behalf of God is a very, very serious sin. So serious that it deserves death under the Mosaic Law (Deut. 13:5). God certainly interacts with us through His Spirit and through the Bible by convicting us (John 16:8), but the offices of apostles and prophets have ceased (Eph. 2:20). Those who prophesy wildly and contradict the Bible are false prophets like the false prophets of Jeremiah’s days. They will be rejected by God. Pray that you will avoid and call out these lying prophets and warn people not to associate with them because they are deadly viruses that will kill people’s souls.
经文：耶利米书23
主题：公义的大卫之王
公义的苗裔（1-9）。
哥尼雅是王室家族的最后一个君王，因此一位新王需要被立。被应许的公义苗裔耶稣就是那一位。祂是以色列及全世界的盼望。除了主耶稣，人是不能将拥有荣耀未来的盼望寄托于另一个君王身上。唯独主耶稣能开创弥赛亚国度，使人能在此安然居住（6节）。
说谎言的先知（10-40）。
这一章经文其余的部分是关于假先知的。除了不义之王，这些假先知是导致以色列偏离神的主要原因之一。在旧约中，耶利米对假先知的事讲得比任何先知还多。这些假先知自称是神的使者，却引导百姓离弃神。他们鼓动百姓敬拜如巴力一样的偶像，也崇拜邪恶、奸淫与虚妄，而不是鼓励百姓敬畏神。他们的罪恶深重。最终，他们奸诈的罪必然招致神严厉的惩罚。他们将不能进入弥赛亚国度，却会面临地狱里中最严厉的刑罚（彼后2:17）。
用经文祷告
现今的基督教界充满了说谎言的先知，尤其是灵恩派的阵营。为了满足人对名声和权利的欲望，他们伪装敬虔宣讲预言。他们常说神向他们有特别的启示，藉此操纵信徒的生活。他们的预言直接与圣经抵触。藉神之名作假预言是极其严重的罪行；按摩西律法，这是死罪（申13:5）。神固然藉圣灵与我们交通，并通过圣经叫我们知罪（约16:8），但是使徒与先知的职份已经停止（弗2:20）。那些胡乱抵触圣经作预言的是假先知，就象耶利米时期的假先知一；他们会被神拒绝。祷告你会远离这些虚妄的先知，并向人指出他们，慎告人不要与之为伍，因为他们如致命性的病毒杀害人的灵魂。
