©Michael Player
Chapter 9:4-11 (ESV) - Let everyone beware of his neighbor,
and put no trust in any brother,
for every brother is a deceiver,
and every neighbor goes about as a slanderer.
Everyone deceives his neighbor,
and no one speaks the truth;
they have taught their tongue to speak lies;
they weary themselves committing iniquity.
Heaping oppression upon oppression, and deceit upon deceit,
they refuse to know me, declares the LORD.
Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts:
“Behold, I will refine them and test them,
for what else can I do, because of my people?
Their tongue is a deadly arrow;
it speaks deceitfully;
with his mouth each speaks peace to his neighbor,
but in his heart he plans an ambush for him.
Shall I not punish them for these things? declares the LORD,
and shall I not avenge myself
on a nation such as this?
“I will take up weeping and wailing for the mountains,
and a lamentation for the pastures of the wilderness,
because they are laid waste so that no one passes through,
and the lowing of cattle is not heard;
both the birds of the air and the beasts
have fled and are gone.
I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins,
a lair of jackals,
and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation,
without inhabitant.”
Question to consider: Why would the message of these false prophets create an environment where every brother is a deceiver?
In today’s passage, the LORD expounded on His description of the tongues of the people of Judah being a bow and of falsehood growing strong in the land instead of truth. The message of the false prophets declaring peace in Judah when they were in fact at enmity with the LORD was like a cancer infecting all of Judah. Instead of preaching the righteousness of the LORD and calling people to repent, they affirmed them in their sin.
People like to think that man is basically good at heart and only makes “mistakes” in their attempts at keeping the Law. In this worldview, there is a category for those who are evil, but there are few who would actually put themselves in that category. Even mass murderers tend to deceive themselves into thinking they aren’t bad people. They find a way to justify their sin and believe their good deeds outweigh their bad ones. Because we so easily justify our sin, we need a reminder of God’s Law to show us our need for repentance, and God’s mercy to restore us to a right relationship with Him. At the time in which Jeremiah preached the word of the LORD, Christ had not yet come, but the people still received mercy for their sins through repentance and faith that the LORD would accept their sacrifice for sin. The sacrifice was unacceptable if not given in faith, and the false prophets gave assurance that the people were at peace with God regardless of their sin. The result was that the people wearied themselves committing iniquity.
The LORD brought discipline in an effort to refine their faith, but instead of turning back to Him with circumcised hearts, they continued to act against their neighbor and ignored the commands of God. While Jeremiah took to weeping for his people who were going to receive God’s ultimate judgment, the LORD saved His lamentation and wailing for the wilderness and mountains, and the animals that inhabited them, for they did not deserve the destruction that was coming upon them. They deserved to thrive, but would instead be made uninhabitable because of the sins of Judah.
Dear heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your Son to be the physical image of Your righteousness and mercy. Please help us to see our sin and need for the work that Christ has done for us so that we may find rest for our souls. Amen.