December 23 Daily Discovery
December 23 Daily Discovery
Read Jeremiah Chapter 6
When the Word of the Lord Becomes a Reproach
Thus saith the Lord of hosts, They shall throughly glean the remnant of Israel as a vine: turn back thine hand as a grapegatherer into the baskets.
To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the Lord is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it.
Therefore I am full of the fury of the Lord; I am weary with holding in: I will pour it out upon the children abroad, and upon the assembly of young men together: for even the husband with the wife shall be taken, the aged with him that is full of days.
And their houses shall be turned unto others, with their fields and wives together: for I will stretch out my hand upon the inhabitants of the land, saith the Lord.
For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.
They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.
Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the Lord.
Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.
~ Jer. 6:9-16
No one would listen.
Proverbs 28:9 says when we turn away from hearing God's Word, that even our prayers become an abomination to God.
When we refuse to listen to God, He will not listen to us.
God deals with us as children. When our children are disobedient and rebellious, we don't tend to grant their requests, either.
Jeremiah was a faithful preacher, but the people were not faithful hearers.
They were covetous.
The people had fallen into idolatry. Their acts of idolatry were overt. Scan over the previous five chapters and this is easily confirmed. (Jer. 2:8-13)
Covetousness is simply another hidden form of idolatry. To be covetous is to always want more stuff or things.
When your desires are not being satisfied through your relationship with the Lord, you will start looking for some other ways to fill the emptiness in your heart. Most people try to fill this lack with things, but they can never satisfy.
In the New Testament, we are told that covetousness IS idolatry. (Eph. 5:5; Col. 3:5-6) When a person is covetous, he is an idolater. He is not bowing down to images, but to things. He is relying on things to bring him peace and joy and satisfaction in place of the Lord.
Their ministers were corrupt.
The prophets and the priests were falsely proclaiming with their false assurances of peace. (Jer. 6:14)
This is yet another reason that we need to cultivate the habit of the Bereans. (Acts 17:11)
If the people were reading God's Word themselves and believing it, they would have known that they were going to be judged by God for their sins.
They had no shame for their sins.
They had become so hardened by sin that they could no longer feel shame or embarrassment over their sins. (Jer. 6:15)
Shame would lead to Godly sorrow which would lead to repentance which would have allowed them to be judged by God. (2 Cor. 7:10)
The reason God was correcting them through giving them over to their enemies was to bring them back to Himself.
It was God's mercy that caused him to raise up prophets to "warn them from God". (Ezek 3:17-19)
If they had listened to the prophet and repented from their sins, their captivity would have been avoided.
They refused to obey God's Word.
God pled for them to return to Him, but they stubbornly refused. (Jer. 6:16)
Chastisement was all the Father was left with as a tool of correction.
And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;
And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.
~ Heb. 12:5-13
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