The passage

1“Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!” declares the Lord. 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. 30“Therefore,” declares the Lord, “I am against the prophets who steal from one another words supposedly from me.

Also referenced today

The shape of the message

1. Judgment on corrupt rulers responsible for the nation’s ruin
2. Promise of God’s future shepherding and a coming King in David’s line
3. Jeremiah’s lament and the spread of corruption through false prophecy
4. False peace, the condition of the human heart, and God’s repudiation of dreamers
5. God’s omnipresence and the contrast between chaff and wheat in revelation and preaching
6. Mocked warnings, coming judgment, and practical testing of messages by Scripture

Questions to hold while you listen

• Who has God placed in your care, and what would faithfulness look like in leading them in God’s path?
• Which of the four warning signs of false prophets do you most need to watch for, and why?
• Where are you tempted to accept “peace, peace” without repentance, and what would obedience look like instead?
• How does the truth that God sees all (Jer. 23:23–24; Ps. 139:7–10) change the way you evaluate leaders, teachers, and yourself?
• What practice could help you test every message by Scripture rather than by popularity (Acts 17:11)?

Notes

This week

Open the Word daily and pray, “Search me…lead me” (Ps. 139:23–24). Test the messages you hear by Scripture rather than by applause (Acts 17:11).