Everybody likes to hear positive and happy things. It is sure preferable than hearing bad news. However, what if the positive things that you hear is not true? What if the bad news you hear is correct, but the positive report is false, is a lie? Sometimes if you hear the true bad news, you can act upon it, and do something about it so that it might turn out better. If you are believing a false positive report, though, thinking everything is just fine, you are deceived, and you might fall unexpectedly into something really bad, all because you didn’t know the truth. In today’s Scripture passage from the Old Testament Book of Jeremiah, the prophet warns the people of Judah about a situation like this.
As one reads and studies the Old Testament, we see how the people of Israel and Judah repeatedly turned away from the worship of Yahweh, and instead followed after the false gods of the pagan people around them. There were occasional, brief times when they would heed the prophets who sought to call them back to Yahweh, only to later to turn again to the pagan idols. God had always promised that if the Israelites truly obeyed and followed Him and His Word, He would bless them. They did not keep their part, but they still expected God to keep His part.
As our passage opens, the prophet Jeremiah is confessing the sins of the nation (vs. 7-9). He asks God to have mercy on the people for the sake of His own reputation. Jeremiah prays that God not be indifferent, like a stranger or an overnight guest might be. The people would not repent or change their ways, and God could not turn a blind eye to their sinfulness and pagan worship. He responds that He must judge the people for their persistent and chronic sinfulness (vs. 10-12). God tells Jeremiah to not bother to pray for them, since they will not turn from their wicked ways.
In the meantime, there were many preachers who told the people what they wanted to hear (vs. 14-18). They preached false messages to them, telling the people that God would not bring any judgment on them. Nobody wanted to hear Jeremiah’s message of repentance and God’s holiness, righteousness, and judgment. They preferred a message that God loves them, they were okay, and everything is fine.
We find the same thing today. People flock to a preacher that only preach messages that make their congregations feel good about themselves and say nothing about sin and their need to repent. They don’t want to face their sinfulness. They prefer to believe that God is only love and completely okay with them, that there is no need for repentance, ignoring His pure holiness and righteousness, and coming judgment. They prefer a preacher that gives messages that have as much spiritual nutrition as cotton candy does. Their messages taste good, feel good, but are in reality a bunch of fluffy nothing. The people of Judah in Jeremiah’s time, and many today, have followed and listened to false prophets, who told them what they wanted to hear, and did not follow God’s Word. God warned that these false prophets and those who follow them will be judged.
When people’s backs are up against a wall, often they will cry to God, but they do not repent of their sins or truly turn to Him. God rejects their pleas because they only want a quick rescue, not a change in their lives. Jeremiah warned the people of coming judgment if they did not truly repent and faithfully return to God. The false prophets said everything was fine and God would never judge them. The people condemned Jeremiah and accepted the false preachers. They even persecuted Jeremiah, and he was put in prison. However, what happened? Jeremiah’s message was correct. The country was overrun by the Babylonians, Jerusalem was destroyed, and the people taken into captivity.
Jeremiah’s message was bad news. The false prophets seemed positive, but their message was not true. Had the people taken the bad news like a nasty tasting but needed medicine, they would have been better off. There are times we need to heed the more difficult and unpleasant messages from God’s Word, such as sin and repentance. Let’s follow all of God’s Word.
No comments:
Post a Comment