ROOTED - Saturday, May 9, 2026

Jeremiah 23:16-17, 31-32 26:8-9

16 Thus says the Lord of
hosts: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to
you, filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own
minds, not from the mouth of the Lord. 17 They
say continually to those who despise the word of the Lord, ‘It shall
be well with you’; and to everyone who stubbornly follows his own heart,
they say, ‘No disaster shall come upon you.’”

31 Behold, I am against the prophets, declares the Lord, who use
their tongues and declare, ‘declares the Lord.’ 32 Behold,
I am against those who prophesy lying dreams, declares the Lord, and who
tell them and lead my people astray by their lies and their recklessness,
when I did not send them or charge them. So they do not profit this people
at all, declares the Lord.

8 And when Jeremiah had finished speaking all that
the Lord had commanded him to speak to all the people, then the
priests and the prophets and all the people laid hold of him, saying, “You
shall die! 9 Why have you prophesied in the name of
the Lord, saying, ‘This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city
shall be desolate, without inhabitant’?” And all the people gathered
around Jeremiah in the house of the Lord.

Reflection: Truth-Telling Prophet (note yesterday’s Rooted)

Written By:
Pastor Jesse Caro

God had had enough of the prophets telling lies about him,
neglecting to preach the whole counsel of God… claiming that the Lord had
promised prosperity. In the face of this overwhelming false witness, Jeremiah
speaks the truth. Interesting isn’t it how truth contrasts so starkly with
lies!! And Jeremiah’s word stood in resounding contrast to the easy-listening
message of the false prophets. When the people hear the truth, they reject it
and seek to have Jeremiah killed. In chapter 26, he pleads his case and calls
for the people to repent. He closes his defense, saying, “in truth the Lord
sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears.”

Make no mistake: the man of God, the preacher and prophet, must be
bold in saying what God has told him to say. The Christian message is often
hard to hear, offensive, and not palatable. It is offensive and can cause
people to bristle. Here and there the message God calls the man of God to speak
can put the prophet in the crosshairs of the people. A true and honest prophet,
the faithful messenger of God, stands firm with the conviction of knowing “this
is what God wants me to say.” It is a blessed thing when the people have ears
to hear these hard messages! In Sunday’s reading (tomorrow) we read the famous
passage, “I know the plans I have for you, plans for your welfare.” These words
are not the message of the false prophet, though they may sound like it. They
are not pink or fuzzy. These words represent the whole truth. Israel is now in Babylonian
exile, a just judgment of God on them for their rebellion. In exile they
repent, and out of that repentance comes the blessing of God, even as they
suffer the consequences of their past. This is the whole truth, unlike that of
the lying prophets.

Prayer

Lord,
thank you for your grace, and especially for the brave ministers in our lives
that tell us what we need to hear.