Jeremiah 23:31
“Behold, I am against the prophets,” says Yahweh, “who use their tongues, and say, ‘He says.’”
What does Jeremiah 23:31 mean?
God is calling out leaders and teachers who claim to speak on his behalf without actually hearing from him. These false prophets would say "God says..." to add weight and authority to their own opinions, misleading people into thinking they had divine backing when they didn't. It's a warning against spiritual manipulation, where someone's personal agenda gets dressed up as God's word. The message cuts deep even today: there's a difference between authentic faith that listens to God and the kind of religious talk that just uses God's name to push what we already wanted to say.