Beware of False Teachers - Jeremiah 1-5

Jeremiah 3:14-15 (ESV)

Return, O faithless children,

declares the LORD;

for I am your master;

I will take you, one from a city and two from a family,

and I will bring you to Zion.

“‘And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.

The above passage comes from a section in Jeremiah where God begins to talk about restoration. He is already told Jeremiah to write about destruction. Now he pivots to restoration.

As we read, we notice that not everyone will be restored. Even though all will be taken into captivity, only a few will returned.  This is true of all apostasy. As the masses move away, only a few will come back repenting.  

When they come back, God makes a wonderful promise. He is going to give them shepherds (teachers)who will teach them. This is actually part of the problem that got them into destruction. It was those who were supposed to be their teachers who led them astray.  Notice what Jeremiah will eventually write:

Jeremiah 23:1-2 (ESV)

“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” declares the LORD. Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who care for my people: “You have scattered my flock and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for your evil deeds, declares the LORD.

Although those teachers led them astray, now, in the above prophecy, teachers will lead them back to God.  God uses men to lead his people back to Himself.  They do this by teaching the truth of God‘s word.

We will know if we are being led astray as we listen to teachers and how they handle God‘s word. The nation of Israel failed to discern that their teachers were teaching falsehoods. Peter warned of the same thing for the church:

2 Peter 3:1-4 (ESV)

This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.”

Beware of false teachers!