Jeremiah 4-6
Original Post:  August 15, 2014


Three things caught my eye in chapters 5-6 that I would like to comment on:

1.  Beginning in verse 30 of chapter 5 it talks about how the priests have ruled by their own authority.   I think this very thing happens today.   The Bible speaks clearly about many things that our religious leaders have tempered.   For instance;  alternative lifestyles.  The Bible clearly says that we are not to engage in alternative lifestyles, however today we have ministers who not only say that it's okay, they engage in the behavior themselves, and profess to be godly.   This is only one example, but there are others.    It's not my intent to beat up on the LGBT crowd, I consider that in some ways our leaders have misled them.   They haven't been given a clear and accurate picture of what the Bible says.   In any case, this particular post has nothing to do with LGBT, it's about leaders who have not remained connected to the Lord.   Since none of us is perfect, and all of us are subject to succumbing to temptation, we should keep an eye on each other.   It reminds we of the old adage of the hot coals.   If a hot coal is removed from the other hot coals, it cools more quickly...but if it remains with the others they keep each other hot, and burn for much longer. Even though our leaders are "in charge of us" they also need to be "kept  hot".  We should pray with them and for them, and make sure they don't deviate in their teaching from the written Word.   And should they decide to walk a different path, they should be removed, and publicly, so that those who are trying to decide what is right and what is wrong will be able to understand where the church stands.   We shouldn't quietly dismiss leaders, sweeping their deviations under the rug in hopes that the people will remain true.  The people should know that the direction the leader has gone was unacceptable, and why it was such.   It might be more work, but I think it will produce a better disciple.
Verse 31 says "and the people love it this way".   Sure they do.  Who wouldn't love getting whatever they want with a promise of eternal life and happiness attached?   Who wouldn't sign up for a religion that you can "yourself"?   That's the kind of thing that was going on in Jeremiah's day, and I see it happening today as well.

2.  Chapter 6 beginning with verse 13.   The religious leaders are greedy, which by very design ensures a diluted proclamation of the message.   Greed corrupts the message.   If the messenger is greedy, then they will alter the message in order to gain.  The two cannot exist together.   Since the messengers (priests) were greedy, they told the people that there weren't any problems with the way they lived.  They proclaimed "peace" with God, when God was actually very angry with them.   In some way you have to feel sorry for the people, who were led astray by their priests and prophets.   Again, I'm not trying to absolve them of guilt, they should have known better.   But let's allow the message to be as clear as it can possibly be.    Jeremiah isn't very popular after the reign of Josiah...that's because he wasn't saying what the people wanted to hear.

3.  I really love this one.    I'm going to quote it here because I want to remember it.

"Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls."

The good way is the doctrine of salvation according to the Bible.   It is the path of righteousness, the path of holy living.   It is the path of denial, sacrifice and surrender.   The path of prayer and proclamation.  The path of worship, study and fellowship.  It is the path that hundreds of thousands of disciples have walked in generations before us.  They didn't all believe exactly the same thing about the minor details of scripture, but they all agreed on the key points and basic principles.    That's the good way, the old way, the trusted and true way.  The Bible calls it the narrow way, because not everyone finds it.    It isn't lost because it's so hard to find, it's lost because we aren't looking for it.    God promises that we will find the Way, and Him, if we search for Him.   If we ask Him, the door will be opened.    Each of us stands at a crossroads in our lives at some point.  Choose to follow Jesus Christ, or take a different path.   ASK for the ancient path.  ASK for the good way.   Don't choose on your own wisdom.   There are many followers that can point you in the right direction.    Most people on the path have made mistakes and chosen unwisely before.  They can help you find the right path, and avoid some errors.

God bless you today!     Here's a quick challenge...are you ready?    If you have read the post, ask me if I have memorized this passage from 6:16.  That way, I'll know someone out there is reading this  :) and I will have a greater motivation to commit this passage to memory.

I'm getting ready!

PR