Jeremiah, 23
23. "Am I a God at hand, says the LORD, and not a God afar off?
23. "Am I a God at hand, says the LORD, and not a God afar off?
Jeremiah chapter presents a series of prophecies against the religious leaders of Judah, who had deviated from the way of the Lord and led the people to move away from true worship. The chapter also talks about God's promise to send a righteous leader to rule his people. Below are five verses related to the topics covered in Jeremiah 23:
Isaiah 55:6: "Seek the Lord as long as one can find, invoke Him while it is near." This verse emphasizes the importance of seeking the Lord while he can still be found before it is too late. Judah's religious leaders neglected this search and led the people to follow false gods.
Ezekiel 34:2: "Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Shouldn't shepherd shepherds apart the sheep?" This verse condemns leaders who care only with their own interests and do not take care of the people entrusted to them. This criticism is similar to what Jeremiah does to the religious leaders of Judah.
Micah 3:11: "His heads judge gifts, his priests teach from interest, and his prophets guess for money; and they still lean against the Lord, saying, Is not the Lord among us? No evil shall come to us." This verse denounces the corruption of religious leaders who sell themselves for money and do not care about the true worship of God.
Zechariah 9:9: "Rejoice a lot, O daughter of Zion; exulta, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold, your king comes to you; He is righteous and brings salvation; humble and rides on a donkey, over a donkey , son of a donkey. " This verse talks about the promise of a righteous leader who will come to govern the people. This promise is similar to what Jeremiah does in Jeremiah 23:5-6.
Matthew 23:23: "Woe to you, scribes, and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because the tithe of mint, dill and cumin, and have the most important in law, justice, mercy, and Faith, but these things should do, without omitting those. " This verse condemns religious leaders who care about the external formalities of religion, but do not care about the most important things, such as justice and mercy. This is similar to Jeremiah's criticism of Judah's leaders in Jeremiah 23:11-12.
“Para que se preocupar com o caminho pelo qual Jesus quer que você chegue à pátria celeste – pelo deserto ou pelo campo – quando tanto por um como por outro se chegará da mesma forma à beatitude eterna?” São Padre Pio de Pietrelcina