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 can certainly speak to people in dreams and has done so before. But most of the time our dreams—the waking ones even more than the sleeping ones—are projections of our own desires. In Jeremiah's day, as in our own, there was plenty of religion available eager to declare "Amen!" to whatever people were already wishing for. These voices sounded religious, but it was really a program to forget God's name.
Like those people, we too dream of a god who can only bless; yet God's Word reveals the One who judges in righteousness. We dream of rising above others; yet God's Word calls us to fellowship with the lowliest and least. We dream of prosperity for ourselves and our nation; yet God’s Word promises abundant life for all the earth.
God's Word shatters our little dreams like a hammer to rock. Why? So that we might know the truth and be set free.
Prayer
Lord God, many of my dreams are like straw, though I have placed great stock in them. Save me from my dreams by your commandments and promises, and teach me always to stand in council with you so that I can tell the truth from the lies. Amen.