When Leaders Lie and People Love It — Jeremiah 23:1–40

The recording, chapter markers and searchable transcript appear here once the Sunday video is available.

In this message

Leaders are held responsible for those entrusted to their care, and God decreed harsh judgment against the leaders who led Israel astray.
False prophets gain popularity by saying “all is well,” but God repudiates peace-talk that ignores repentance and obedience.
God sees all and knows all; false prophets cannot hide what they say and do from Him.
True and false prophecy are as different as grain and straw, so God’s people must choose the nourishing Word over empty chaff.
Hope is anchored in the promised King—the Righteous Branch—who will shepherd with righteousness when He reigns.

The passage

The verses Lee stops on. Read Jeremiah 23 in full.

Jeremiah 23:1

1“Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!” declares the Lord.

The “pastors” here are not preachers. He will speak about the religious rulers later on. Here the pastors refer to the kings, the politicians, the people who are ruling, the ones who are responsible for the laws of the land. God says, “Woe be unto them”.

Jeremiah 23:5

5“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.

There is a King coming in David’s line. The king Coniah and all of his line, although they are in David’s line, shall be rejected and cut off. However, no one can destroy God’s purpose, although they may think they can. God knows what He will do. We know from the New Testament that through another line, the line of Nathan, another son of David, came a peasant by the name of Mary, a girl up in Nazareth, who bore Jesus, the Messiah, the King. When Jesus presented Himself to the world, he Said, “... Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is a at hand” (Matt. 4:17). Since you can’t have a kingdom without the king, in effect He was saying to the people, “Your King is here!” The people rejected the King but He had the last word. He said that someday the King would come back and set up that kingdom.

Jeremiah 23:30

30“Therefore,” declares the Lord, “I am against the prophets who steal from one another words supposedly from me.

The contemporary liberal theologians are casting reflections upon the Word of God, saying it is not truly the Word of God, thereby stealing it out of the hearts of the people. I would cringe if I were one of the godless college professors or godless preachers who is wrecking the faith of believers. God says that He is going to do something about it someday. God is in no hurry – don’t be deceived because God’s judgment against an evil work is not executed Speedily. That day of judgment is coming. It is in the hearts of the sons of man to do evil. They think they are getting away with it. God says, “I have eternity ahead of Me, and I am still running this show. The time will come when I judge the religious rulers.”

Jeremiah 23 holds a mirror to every age: corrupt rulers, soothing false prophets, and a people hungry for peace without repentance.

What we have seen

Those responsible to lead Israel in God’s path were the very ones responsible for Israel’s present plight, and so God had decreed harsh judgment against them.
Today I believe that God would say the same thing to the world.

Who are the “pastors” in Jeremiah 23:1, and why does God say “woe” to them?

The “pastors” in Jeremiah 23 are the governmental leaders—kings, politicians, and rulers responsible for the laws of the land—not preachers. God pronounces “woe” because those entrusted to lead the people in God’s path were instead responsible for the nation’s plight. Leaders are accountable to God for those under their care. The warning reaches beyond ancient Judah because the same pattern of corrupt leadership can recur in any age.

What does Jeremiah 23 say about leaders and accountability?

Leaders are accountable to God for the people they influence and lead. Jeremiah 23 presents judgment falling especially on rulers who used their position in ways that harmed those entrusted to them. The passage presses a personal question: whom has God placed in your care? Responsibility is not only a public issue; it reaches into homes, teams, classes, and groups where someone is leading.

Why were the false prophets so popular in Jeremiah 23?

False prophets were popular because they made the people believe that all was well. They persisted in prophesying peace, offering soothing words instead of the truth about the people’s condition. Jeremiah’s message from God was unpopular because it exposed how bad things really were. A crowd can prefer comfort over repentance, which is why popularity is not a reliable test of truth.

What are the warning signs of false prophets in Jeremiah 23?

False prophets can appear to speak God’s message while not living according to His principles. They water down God’s message to make it more palatable and often encourage listeners—sometimes subtly—to disobey God. They also tend to be arrogant and self-serving, appealing to the desires of their audience instead of being true to God’s Word. These characteristics are presented as warnings to watch for even today.

Does Jeremiah 23 teach that human rulers can bring world peace?

Jeremiah 23 rejects the idea that wicked men in power can bring true peace on earth. The passage confronts prophets who promised peace while ignoring the deeper problem of human wickedness. Isaiah 48:22 is cited to underline the point that there is no peace for the wicked. Political promises cannot overturn what God has said about the condition of the human heart.

What does Jeremiah 23:24 mean about God seeing everything?

God sees all and knows all, and false prophets are not hidden from Him. Jeremiah 23:24 is treated as a small verse that carries a grand truth: God is omnipresent and not limited like human beings. Psalm 139:7–10 is cited to show there is nowhere a person can flee from God’s presence. The point is both sobering and clarifying—nothing said or done is outside God’s awareness.

What is meant by dreams being “chaff” compared to the Word as “wheat” in Jeremiah 23?

Jon Courson’s point is that dreams are chaff compared to the wheat of the Word. If someone must choose between chasing prophecies and visions or learning the Word, he encourages choosing the Word. He also says the “flakiness” seen in Christianity is due in large part to lacking a firm footing in the Word. The best setting is where neither excludes the other, but the Word remains the nourishing center.

How does Jeremiah 23 point to Jesus as King?

Jeremiah 23 promises a King coming in David’s line, described as the Righteous Branch. The passage is tied to Jesus as the Messiah and King, who presented Himself to the world and called for repentance because the kingdom was at hand. Though the people rejected the King, the teaching is that He will have the last word and will return to set up that kingdom. Righteousness will characterise His reign in a way no ordinary political platform claims.

What should someone do when a message is mocked or feels like “sad news” in Jeremiah 23:33–40?

Mocking a hard message can be a way of avoiding the change it would require. The people rejected Jeremiah’s words because accepting them would have meant repentance and turning to God. The passage poses a probing question: have you dismissed or made fun of a message because it would require you to change your ways? Before dismissing someone who brings sad news, the call is to look carefully at your motives.

How should Christians test teaching today according to Jeremiah 23 and Acts 17:11?

Teaching should be tested by Scripture rather than by applause. Acts 17:11 is cited to support examining messages against the Word. Jeremiah 23 warns against watered-down messages that promise “peace” while encouraging disobedience. The practical aim is to be anchored to the fire of God’s Word rather than to personalities or platforms.

Where else scripture speaks

Every passage Lee reaches for. The ones he teaches from open here; the rest link out.

Passages picked up elsewhere in the series:

Genesis 19:23–24 — God Loves You Too Much To Settle, The Danger of False Security, The Fortress That Never Saw It Coming
Psalm 139:7–10 — The Justice of God’s Judgment, Jerusalem Under Siege
Acts 17:11 — Prophets in 2025?, How to Spot a False Prophet

Take this with you

Jeremiah 23 holds a mirror to every age: corrupt rulers, soothing false prophets, and a people hungry for peace without repentance.