Jeremiah 23:20-40 - The Burden Of The Lord

Jeremiah 23:20-40, “The anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly. I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings. Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD. I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed. How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart; Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal. The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD. Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour. Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith. Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD. And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee, saying, What is the burden of the LORD? thou shalt then say unto them, What burden? I will even forsake you, saith the LORD. And as for the prophet, and the priest, and the people, that shall say, The burden of the LORD, I will even punish that man and his house. Thus shall ye say every one to his neighbour, and every one to his brother, What hath the LORD answered? and, What hath the LORD spoken? And the burden of the LORD shall ye mention no more: for every man's word shall be his burden; for ye have perverted the words of the living God, of the LORD of hosts our God. Thus shalt thou say to the prophet, What hath the LORD answered thee? and, What hath the LORD spoken? But since ye say, The burden of the LORD; therefore thus saith the LORD; Because ye say this word, The burden of the LORD, and I have sent unto you, saying, Ye shall not say, The burden of the LORD; Therefore, behold, I, even I, will utterly forget you, and I will forsake you, and the city that I gave you and your fathers, and cast you out of my presence: And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.”

This can be a challenging passage of Scripture to understand. To be honest, Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001) helped me to understand this passage in his sermon titled: 'The Burden Of The Lord.'

I've noticed several truths in this passage that I want to bring to your attention:

1. “in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly” (verse 20) - The Jews didn't understand why God was allowing them to be conquered by King Nebuchadnezzar (whom God called “my servant” in Jeremiah 27:6) and taken prisoner into captivity, but the LORD said that they would understand it all in hindsight in the future.
2. “I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied” (verse 21) - Just like today in 2026, most preachers are fake! Most men (and ALL women) who preach the Bible today are NOT doing the Lord's work, they are false prophets who wrongly divide the Word of Truth.
3. “But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.” (verse 22) - Those false prophets were encouraging God's people to sin, instead of turning them away from their sinning. There are wicked clergy everywhere today who encourage divorce, sanction women wearing pants (men's clothing), recognize homosexual marriages, allow female pastors, and other wickedness. That is one way that you can identify a false prophet, because instead of shunning sin and preaching against it, they allow and sanction sin.
4. “Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off?” (verse 23) - I love this Bible verse! God is still God in the bad times, just as He is during the good time. The LORD is still on His throne reigning over the universe.
5. “Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD.  Do not I fill heaven and earth?  saith the LORD” (verse 24) - The Jews thought God couldn't see what they were doing in secret. Dear reader, the God of the universe is also the God of your basement.

The Jews were following the false prophets, rejecting THE TRUTH spoken by God's prophet Jeremiah, who had told the Israelites to submit and surrender to Babylon that they might live. Sadly, their wicked pride caused King Zedekiah (who was worried about what his political peers thought) to disobey God. Instead of heeding God's commandments, they imprisoned Jeremiah into a miry pit of clay that almost destroyed his health and killed him. The first thing the invading Babylonians did was to recue Jeremiah and set him free.

The haughty Jews were sinfully complaining about “the burden” of the Lord. But to God it wasn't a “burden” (a bad thing), it was the right thing to do to Israel for their habitual idolatry and spiritual adultery with idols and wickedness. God had had enough! The book of Ezekiel is about Israel's sin of committing spiritual whoredom with idols. For 490 years the Jews had refused to observe the Sabbath Day, which was an important ceremonial law that symbolized salvation by resting in Jesu Christ alone. The defiant Jews were not cooperating at all.

This passage is about Israel foolishly following the false prophets instead of obeying the Word of God spoken by the prophet Jeremiah. Their bad attitudes and complaining doomed them!

2nd Corinthians 5:9-11 and Revelation 20:11-15

2nd Corinthians 5:9-11, “Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.”

Revelation 20:11-20, “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

I have never heard anyone teach this, but I liken these TWO different future judgment to Civil Court versus Criminal Court. 

At the coming Judgment Seat of Christ only for the saints, which I humbly believe will take place immediately following the Pretribulation Rapture (1st Corinthians 15:51-58), it will be a CIVIL COURT for all of the redeemed throughout history. Some professed believers such as Evangelist Sam Gipp and Pastor J. Vernon McGee (1904-1988) teach that there will be a split Rapture, and that Old Testament saints won't be resurrected and judged until after the 7-year Tribulation period. I reject that theory. I do not find any such teaching in the Scripture. The aforementioned men base their speculative theory upon Daniel 12:3. 

The Bible is very clear in 1st Thessalonians 4:16b-17 that “the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” We shall be CHANGED in the twinkling of an eye (1st Corinthians 15:52), given immortal glorified bodies fashioned like unto the LORD's resurrected body (Philippians 3:21). Oh, what a glorious day that will be. No more neck pain! Amen!

In sharp contrast, at the Great White Throne of Judgment, which takes place at the end of the 1,000 year Millennial reign of Jesus Christ from the throne of David in Jerusalem, it will be a judgment only for the damned (the unsaved) of human civilization. We learn in Revelation 20:12 that death and Hell, and the bottom of the oceans, shall give up their dead. That is, the deceased remains of everyone's physical bodies will be retrieved by God to appear at this last judgment. This will be a CRIMINAL COURT, not civil court. It's not a matter of “if” someone is guilty, but what will be their eternal sentence in the horrific Lake of Fire.

In Civil Court you're sole risk is monetary (loss of rewards); but in Criminal Court you are at risk of losing your freedom and going to prison. We read about the saint's Civil Court in 1st Corinthians 3:11-15, “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” I cherish this popular poem...

“Only one life, yes only one, Now let me say, “Thy will be done”; And when at last I’ll hear the call, I know I’ll say ’twas worth it all”; Only one life,’ twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.” —Missionary C. T. Studd

All of our earthly hobbies, shallow pursuits, secular affairs and things done for self (wood, hay and stubble) won't be rewarded in eternity. Only that which we have done in Jesus' name for the Gospel's sake and the Kingdom of God (gold, silver and precious stones) will be rewarded. Christ is extremely ethical and I believe will reward even the least efforts done for His sake and the Gospel's. Matthew 10:42, “And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.” So, even if you share my website articles with others to help them in the LORD, you will be rewarded in eternity. The reason why is because I am a servant of God. And if you help me as a fundamentalist Bible preacher, you are indirectly helping the cause of Jesus Christ. Even if you give a cup of water on a hot day, or a cup of hot chocolate on a cold winter's day, to a soulwinning Christian, it is the same as if you gave it to Jesus (Matthew 25:40).

Which judgment will you appear at dear reader? If you are reading this, it is still not too late for you to settle with God out of court. God is freely offering you a full pardon and eternal life, just for the taking, literally, but only if you will accept His only begotten Son's sacrificial death on Calvary's cross as full payment for your sins, believing that Jesus was buried, but physically resurrected from the dead three days later. This is “the gospel” by which all who BELIEVE IT are immediately, irrevocably and forever saved (1st Corinthians 15:1-6; Romans 1:16). 1st Thessalonians 4:14, “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.”

God Sometimes Uses Divine Sarcasm

In the inspired Word of God, the LORD sometimes used divine sarcasm.

1st Kings 18:25-27

Acting as God's mouthpiece, the prophet Elijah mocks those false prophets of Baal praying to a non-existent idol god…

1st Kings 18:25-27, “And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under.  And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us.  But there was no voice, nor any that answered.  And they leaped upon the altar which was made. And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.”

Isaiah 44:14-17

God describes a man using half of a tree for firewood to cook and warm himself, and then using the other half to carve a false god to wickedly worship the idol. ...

Isaiah 44:14-17, “He heweth him down cedars, and taketh the cypress and the oak, which he strengtheneth for himself among the trees of the forest: he planteth an ash, and the rain doth nourish it. Then shall it be for a man to burn: for he will take thereof, and warm himself; yea, he kindleth it, and baketh bread; yea, he maketh a god, and worshippeth it; he maketh it a graven image, and falleth down thereto. He burneth part thereof in the fire; with part thereof he eateth flesh; he roasteth roast, and is satisfied: yea, he warmeth himself, and saith, Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire: And the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his graven image: he falleth down unto it, and worshippeth it, and prayeth unto it, and saith, Deliver me; for thou art my god.”

Jeremiah 34:15-17

God proclaiming liberty for king Zedekiah, but it was liberty to the sword, pestilence and famine...

Jeremiah 34:15-17, “And ye were now turned, and had done right in my sight, in proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbour; and ye had made a covenant before me in the house which is called by my name: But ye turned and polluted my name, and caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom ye had set at liberty at their pleasure, to return, and brought them into subjection, to be unto you for servants and for handmaids. Therefore thus saith the LORD; Ye have not hearkened unto me, in proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother, and every man to his neighbour: behold, I proclaim a liberty for you, saith the LORD, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.”

God uses divine sarcasm to “cut down” human pride, stubbornness and arrogance; all to remind humans of our limited power compared to God's omniscience, omnipresence and omnipotence and our need to completely trust Him (Proverbs 3:5-7). Unlike human sarcasm, Gods sarcasm is always aimed at leading sinners away from manmade tradition toward God's eternally inspired Words (Mark 7:7-13).

There are also plenty of examples of saints using sarcasm in the Holy Bible.