Jeremiah 5:20-31, Stubborn and Rebellious Hearts

He has been convicted of rape, boasted of molesting women, cheated on the declared value of his properties, tried to get state officials to “find” him a specific amount of extra votes, encouraged an insurrection, continues to declare the vote against him rigged, made unfounded accusations against allies, has bromances with foreign dictators, and when people he at one time appointed to work for him disagree with him or run against him has only hateful and disrespectful words for them, and evangelical voters can’t get enough of him, seeing him as a hero and God’s gift. They bear an unfortunate resemblance to Judah.

²⁰ “Announce this in the house of Jacob and proclaim it in Judah: ²¹ Hear this, you foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear: ²² Do you not fear me?” declares Yahweh. “Do you not tremble in my presence? I placed the sand as a boundary for the sea, an everlasting barrier it cannot cross. The waves may roar, but they cannot prevail; they cannot cross it.

²³ But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; they have turned aside and gone away. ²⁴ They do not say in their hearts, ‘Let us fear Yahweh our God, who gives autumn and spring rains in season, who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.’ ²⁵ Your wrongdoings have kept these away; your sins have deprived you of good.

²⁶ “Among my people are the wicked, who lurk like men who snare birds and like those who set traps to catch people. ²⁷ Like a cage full of birds, their houses are full of deceit; they have become rich and powerful ²⁸ and have grown fat and sleek. Their evil deeds have no limit; they do not seek justice. They do not promote the case of the fatherless to win it; they do not defend the rights of the needy. ²⁹ Will I not punish them for this?” declares Yahweh. “Will I not avenge myself on such a nation as this?

³⁰ “A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land: ³¹ The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way. But what will you do when the end comes? (Jeremiah 5:20-31)

If they were blind and deaf they would have an excuse, but they do not regard the boundaries Yahweh set for them, and in their stubborn and rebellious hearts they turn away from Him, the One who has given them all they needed to succeed. If they wonder why nothing is going well for them, they have their answer.

They harbor in their midst scavengers who take advantage of the poor and the fatherless. These people have become rich on the backs of the less fortunate. And when they seem to promote justice, it is only in pretense. God will punish them for this.

Worst of all, the people who should know better, the ones who should be leading the pack in right living, the prophets and the priests, are lying and exerting their own authority, and God’s people cannot get enough of it. When the end comes, they will be up a creek with no paddle.

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Discussion Questions:

1. How does a people get in a state where they honor that which is wrong?
2. What part does God have, if any, in our country’s financial and political success?
3. Why do you think Christians have become so averse to some calls for justice?
4. Do people who do morally wrong things deserve to be treated unjustly?