Submitting to God's Word
7/8/26 Bible Thought (Jeremiah 5-6)
Main Idea: We cannot be indifferent to God’s Word but must take what He says seriously.
A Look at the Text:
The spiritual condition of Judah was bleak.
God invited them to run through the streets of Jerusalem to see if but one righteous person could be found (Jer. 5:1). Generations earlier, the patriarch Abraham had interceded for the city of Sodom based upon God finding just fifty righteous persons in the city, eventually taking the number down to ten (see Gen. 18:22-33). The Lord agreed that for the sake of ten, he would spare the city, but not enough were found.
Fast forward to Jeremiah’s day: the situation was so dire that they were looking for even just one person who did justice and sought truth! The city where God Himself chose to put His name was utterly vacant of people who truly served Him.
They might have given Him lip-service (Jer. 5:2), but none gave Him life-service. The people utterly refused to repent (Jer. 5:3).
The reason? Essentially, they didn’t take God at His Word. They didn’t believe God was going to do anything about their wickedness (Jer. 5:12). The people didn’t fear God (Jer. 5:22). Both prophet and priest promised “Peace, peace” (Jer. 6:14) when God had not spoken. They believed that everything was okay when judgment loomed on the horizon.
For from the least to the greatest of them,
everyone is greedy for unjust gain;
and from prophet to priest,
everyone deals falsely.
14 They have healed the wound of my people lightly,
saying, ‘Peace, peace,’
when there is no peace (Jer. 6:13-14).
They had refused to pay attention to Yahweh’s words and had disdained His law (Jer. 6:19). As such, destruction would come.
If they sought the ancient paths and obeyed God’s Word (Jer. 6:16), things could turn out differently. But they weren’t interested in hearing the truth.
Bringing it Home:
For some reason, Judah refused to learn from Israel’s failings. Though seeing Samaria as a heap of ashes, they thought they were the exception to God’s righteous wrath. In short order, they would find out that God takes sin seriously and that His warnings were to be heeded.
In the modern age, people disdain the idea of absolute truth. The concept that God has spoken is laughed at. People scoff at the claim that God puts on their lives. But a time will come when scoffing will be no more.
The transcendent, almighty God who told the sea where to stop (Jer. 5:22) also gives instructions to us. We learn in His Word how we can find forgiveness for our sins before it is too late and how we must live before Him. While creation itself obeys His voice, very frequently the creature does not.
The sea doesn’t trespass His command, but people do every day. Let us rest assured that His Word doesn’t return void (Isa. 55:11). God never fails to uphold His promise. As such, we should take His Word seriously. We should look for the ancient paths, the narrow gate (Matt. 7:13-14) through which believers have come for millennia.
Challenge:
When I open God’s Word or hear it preached, do I want to hear God speak? Or do I simply want to hear what I want to hear?