Year 9, Day 67: Jeremiah 14

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Jeremiah 14 reminds us that God had brought drought and famine upon the land in hopes to get the people to pay attention to their choices and their relationship with Him.  In a nutshell, it didn’t work.  People still sought their own way out of the drought and did not turn to Him.

This leads God to a very haunting piece of advice that He gives to Jeremiah.  He tells Jeremiah to not pray for them or for their welfare.  He tells Jeremiah that although they fast, He will not listen to them.  Instead, He promises to consume them through the sword and through fire.  Judgment is coming and it has crossed the point of no return.

I can’t imagine living in a time when God said to stop praying for a certain group of people.  I can’t imagine being so distant from God that He essentially throws up His hands in exasperation and sees that the only course ahead is destruction.  Yes, I realize that the whole world will get there at some point prior to the return of Christ.  I just can’t imagine getting there.  I am such a firm believer that there is always a possibility for repentance.

That being said, I also have to acknowledge that I see through my rose-colored glasses of hope and not through clear glasses of reality.  I can’t know the future, nor can I know the hearts of people.  I can only live through hope, not reality.  Living in reality is simply depressing.

As a math teacher I get up every day and teach a people whom I hope will care.  On any given day, I know that some will.  I know that others won’t.  I know that some will be able to care every day while others won’t care a single day.  But I teach because I hope that each day will be the day that every student cares.  The reality, though, is that I don’t think I’ve ever had that day happen.  The reality is that there are always those who can’t find it within themselves to care.

It’s true for math, and its true for faith.  There are people who every day will get up and turn their back on God.  It won’t matter how much we pray, cry out, teach, educate, and invite.  There will be people who don’t care.  God sees this righteously and knows the truth.  In this truth, knowing that the uncaring population has grown well beyond the tipping point, God turns and tells Jeremiah to no longer pray for the people.  I can’t imagine living in such a day.

Following this advice, an interesting conversation between Jeremiah and God ensues.  Why is God so convinced that there is no need to pray for the people?  The people have lying prophets who are easing their mind.  The people have prophets who are telling them what they want to hear instead of what they need to hear.  When given the choice, people will always listen to what they want to hear rather than what they need to hear.  Only a mature person with a proper perspective can chose to hear what they need to hear over what they want to hear.

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