Jeremiah 23:35-40 — Deep Dive Study

Overview

When we casually slap God's name onto our own opinions and desires, we do not just mislead others—we drift away from His presence and swap His...

Jeremiah 23:35-40 — Stop Putting Words in God's Mouth

The Verse

35 "You will say everyone to his neighbor, and everyone to his brother, ‘What has the LORD answered?’ and, ‘What has the LORD said?’ 36 You will mention the message from the LORD no more, for every man’s own word has become his message; for you have perverted the words of the living God, of the LORD of Armies, our God. 37 You will say to the prophet, ‘What has the LORD answered you?’ and, ‘What has the LORD spoken?’ 38 Although you say, ‘The message from the LORD,’ therefore the LORD says: ‘Because you say this word, “The message from the LORD,” and I have sent to you, telling you not to say,…

The Passage in a Sentence

When we casually slap God's name onto our own opinions and desires, we do not just mislead others—we drift away from His presence and swap His life-giving truth for a crushing burden of our own making.

� Historical & Literary Context

Jeremiah wrote this letter during the dark, final decades of the southern kingdom of Judah, leading up to the Babylonian exile around 586 BC. He is often called the "weeping prophet" because God gave him the heartbreaking task of announcing judgment to a nation that had completely abandoned its covenant with Yahweh (Jeremiah 1:1-3). The people of Jerusalem were living in deep rebellion, yet they kept up a busy schedule of religious rituals and spiritual-sounding conversations. The literary style of Jeremiah is a rich, intense mixture of poetic laments, historical accounts, and direct, fiery…

� Original Language Deep Dive

To understand why God was so deeply offended by the language of the people, we have to look closely at the original Hebrew words they were using. The prophets of Judah were playing a dangerous game with their speech, and the Hebrew text exposes their true motives. Key Word Breakdown: מַשָּׂא (ma.Sa') — lemma מַשָּׂא; H4853B. This word is translated as "message" or "oracle" in our English Bibles, but in ancient Hebrew, it carries a double meaning that is crucial to the passage. It comes from a root word that means "to lift up," referring to a heavy physical load or a burden that a donkey would…

Theological Significance

This passage connects directly to the grand story of Scripture, which moves from Creation to the Fall, through Redemption, and finally to Restoration. In the beginning, God used His word to bring life, order, and beauty out of nothingness (Genesis 1:3). His words are inherently powerful, holy, and creative. The Fall began when the serpent tempted humanity to twist and question those very words, asking, "Did God really say...?" (Genesis 3:1). In Jeremiah 23, we see the tragic results of that fallen nature: human beings trying to master God's word rather than submit to it. By using God's name…

Key Insights

The Danger of Spiritual-Sounding Clichés: The people of Judah used the phrase "the message of the LORD" as a cheap catchphrase to make their conversations sound holy. This warns us that talking like a believer is meaningless if we are actually ignoring God's clear commands in our daily lives. The Trap of Self-Made Messages: In verse 36, God says "every man’s own word has become his message." It is incredibly easy to mistake our own gut feelings, political opinions, or personal desires for the voice of the Holy Spirit, which is why we must always test our thoughts against the Bible. The Living…

� A Picture of This Truth

Imagine a master architect who designs a massive, state-of-the-art suspension bridge, complete with detailed, non-negotiable blueprints for the weight-bearing steel cables. A group of local builders, wanting to save time and money, decide to use cheaper, thinner ropes instead of steel. To ease the public's anxiety, the builders print the architect's official logo and signature directly onto the cheap ropes, telling everyone, "This is the architect's certified design." For a while, the bridge stands, and the builders look clever. But when the autumn storms roll in and the heavy trucks cross,…