Jeremiah 23:23-29 (NRSV)
Read Jeremiah 23:23-29 on biblegateway.com
Verse 23Am I a God near by, says the Lord, and not a God far off? Verse 24Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them? says the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? says the Lord. Verse 25I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in my name, saying, "I have dreamed, I have dreamed!" Verse 26How long? Will the hearts of the prophets ever turn back-those who prophesy lies, and who prophesy the deceit of their own heart? Verse 27They plan to make my people forget my name by their dreams that they tell one another, just as their ancestors forgot my name for Baal. Verse 28Let the prophet who has a dream tell the dream, but let the one who has my word speak my word faithfully. What has straw in common with wheat? says the Lord. Verse 29Is not my word like fire, says the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?
Devotion
God says his word is like fire and a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces. For this whole week we are called to reflect on what this means for our lives. Jeremiah preached God’s word to a people who did not want to hear it. They wanted to hear easy words, gracious words. But God’s word is not only a gracious thing. God also does a strange thing with his word. It is an alien thing that seems to contradict the real purpose of his word. It judges in order to save. It breaks hearts in order to create a new heart. It does this by calling a thing what it really is rather than deny its reality. What words do we treasure in our hearts in order to deny the truth of our sin and our need for forgiveness?
Prayer
Lord God, speak your own word into our hearts. Cut through our self-deception. Show us the arrogance of trusting in our own word. And by means of your gracious word of forgiveness, teach our hearts to cling to you. Amen.