Day 206: Truth is always better – Jeremiah 8 vs 8 -22

8-9 “How can you claim, ‘We are wise; the law of the Lord is with us’? In fact, the lying pen of scribes has produced falsehood. The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and snared. They have rejected the word of the Lord, so what wisdom do they really have. 10-11 Therefore, I will give their wives to other men, their fields to new occupants, for from the least to the greatest, everyone is making profit dishonestly. From prophet to priest, everyone deals falsely. They have treated the brokenness of my dear people superficially, claiming, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace. 12-13 Were they ashamed when they acted so detestably? They weren’t at all ashamed. They can no longer feel humiliation. Therefore, they will fall among the fallen. When I punish them, they will collapse,” says the Lord. “I will gather them and bring them to an end.” This is the Lord’s declaration. “There will be no grapes on the vine, no figs on the fig tree, and even the leaf will wither. Whatever I have given them will be lost to them.”

14-15 Why are we just sitting here? Gather together; let’s enter the fortified cities and perish there, for the Lord our God has destroyed us. He has given us poisoned water to drink, because we have sinned against the Lord. We hoped for peace, but there was nothing good; for a time of healing, but there was only terror. 16-17 From Dan, the snorting of horses is heard. At the sound of the neighing of mighty steeds, the whole land quakes. They come to devour the land and everything in it, the city and all its residents. “Indeed, I am about to send snakes among you, poisonous vipers that cannot be charmed. They will bite you. This is the Lord’s declaration.”

18 My joy has flown away; grief has settled on me. My heart is sick. 19-20 Listen - the cry of my dear people from a faraway land, “Is the Lord no longer in Zion, her King not within her?” Why have they angered me with their carved images, with their worthless foreign idols?” Harvest has passed, summer has ended, but we have not been saved. 21-22 I am broken by the brokenness of my dear people. I mourn; horror has taken hold of me. Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? So why has the healing of my dear people not come about? Jeremiah 8:8-22 Christian Standard Bible

The people of Jerusalem thought all would be ok because they had scribes and priests teaching them God's laws. But what did Jeremiah say the true situation was? (vs 8-9)

Their religious teachers had not taught them God's truth at all but had given them false hopes. Vs 10 -11 tell how they had promised peace to people who God was actually angry with. Were they embarrassed about being so deceitful? (vs 12-13)

They had lost all sense of shame. As long as they said what people wanted to hear and made money from it, they were happy. Sadly, we still see this today in Churches who focus on prosperity and try to make everyone feel comfortable about themselves. Jeremiah says those who follow such false teaching are doomed to disappointment. Vs 14-15 describe how those who had been deceived by their teachers ended up without any hope as they realized God's judgement was fast approaching. So was Jeremiah glad that those who had refused to heed his warning would now get what was coming to them? (vs 18-22)

On the contrary, he was heartbroken. He echoes the heart of God. (vs 19-20) A prophet who came after Jeremiah also told of God's sorrow when people die in their sins. He said: “As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live. Turn! Turn from your wickedness, O people of Israel! Why should you die?” (Ezekiel 33:11) That's why truth is always better than lies. Better that someone warns us where our sins will take us than someone who just tries to make us feel good about ourselves and treats our sins lightly. And if they warn us with tears (as Jesus did when he wept over what was going to happen to the people of Jerusalem because they wouldn't repent) then hopefully we will not reject their words. For if we do reject God's truth, the day will come when the harvest is over - and we will be unsaved.