19-21 My heart, my heart - I writhe in pain! My heart pounds within me! I cannot be still. For I have heard the blast of enemy trumpets and the roar of their battle cries. Waves of destruction roll over the land, until it lies in complete desolation. Suddenly my tents are destroyed; in a moment my shelters are crushed. How long must I see the battle flags and hear the trumpets of war? 22 “My people are foolish and do not know me,” says the Lord. “They are stupid children who have no understanding. They are clever enough at doing wrong, but they have no idea how to do right!”

23-26 I looked at the earth, and it was empty and formless. I looked at the heavens, and there was no light. I looked at the mountains and hills, and they trembled and shook. I looked, and all the people were gone. All the birds of the sky had flown away. I looked, and the fertile fields had become a wilderness. The towns lay in ruins, crushed by the Lord’s fierce anger. 27-28 This is what the Lord says: “The whole land will be ruined, but I will not destroy it completely. The earth will mourn and the heavens will be draped in black because of my decree against my people. I have made up my mind and will not change it.”

29 At the noise of charioteers and archers, the people flee in terror. They hide in the bushes and run for the mountains. All the towns have been abandoned - not a person remains! 30 What are you doing, you who have been plundered? Why do you dress up in beautiful clothing and put on gold jewellery? Why do you brighten your eyes with mascara? Your primping will do you no good The allies who were your lovers despise you and seek to kill you. 31 I hear a cry, like that of a woman in labour, the groans of a woman giving birth to her first child. It is beautiful Jerusalem gasping for breath and crying out, “Help! I’m being murdered!” Jeremiah 4:19-31 New Living Translation (English Standard Version link)

Let's hope we never have to experience the horrors of war! It may be that Jeremiah was aware of smaller cities that had already fallen to an enemy, but he saw far worse things to come. This at a time when the people in Jerusalem thought all was well and that some allies would come to their aid. (vs 30)

Verses 19-21 describe the anxiety Jeremiah felt as the trumpets and flags of the enemy drew nearer, and verses 23-26 picture the ruined cities and ravaged landscape that war brings. Even the birds had flown away! (Some of this may have been a vision that God gave to him.)

Verse 29 describes the panic of those who were fleeing for their life, and verse 31 pictures them groaning and gasping for breath as they wait for the enemy to deliver the final death blow. War is frightening and ghastly. But the question here is why was God allowing this to happen to them? Look at what God said to Jeremiah in vs 22.

It seems that the majority of the Israelites had become like children who reject their parents and turn to extremely disobedient behaviour. They had concentrated their energy and skills in chasing after things that were empty and evil. God described them as being “clever enough at doing wrong, but having no idea how to do right!” They were like teenagers who were fantastic at partying and dancing, whiz kids on computers and social media, perhaps even excellent at football or some other hobby – but who have no time at all for spiritual matters such as God, eternity and the Day of Judgement.

But that's not true only of teenagers – it is true of adults too right up to our dying years. What are we the most skilled at? Some are skilled at making money, others are experts in technology. Some are superb in sports and others are masters of a trade. And while none of these things are wrong or evil, it's a case of whether they have crushed God out of one's life. We can spend so much time chasing after what we are good at that we leave little time for finding out how God wants us to live. And when that happens, people often end up doing things that displease God. May God help us to put Jesus at the centre of our life, and in all the things we may be good at.