How foolish was it for ancient Judah to ignore God’s message? How foolish is it for us? Let’s look at Jeremiah 8.
Will even the bones of deceased leaders of Judah be dishonored because of their idolatry?
“At that time,” declares the Lord, “they will bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, the bones of its leaders, the bones of the priests, the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem from their graves. They will spread them out to the sun, the moon, and to all the heavenly lights, which they have loved, which they have served, which they have followed, which they have sought, and which they have worshiped. They will not be gathered nor buried; they will be like dung on the face of the ground. And death will be chosen rather than life by all the remnant that remains of this evil family, that remains in all the places to which I have driven them,” declares the Lord of armies. (Jer 8:1-3 NASB)
Why do people fall away from God? What do they cling to instead of repenting?
“Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: “‘When people fall down, do they not get up? When someone turns away, do they not return? Why then have these people turned away? Why does Jerusalem always turn away? They cling to deceit; they refuse to return. I have listened attentively, but they do not say what is right. None of them repent of their wickedness, saying, “What have I done?” Each pursues their own course like a horse charging into battle. Even the stork in the sky knows her appointed seasons, and the dove, the swift and the thrush observe the time of their migration. But my people do not know the requirements of the Lord. (Jer 8:4-7 NIV)
Is covetous materialism a form of idolatry? Do they even know how to blush? Do the people proclaim peace when there is none?
“How can you say, ‘We are wise, And the law of the Lord is with us’? Look, the false pen of the scribe certainly works falsehood. The wise men are ashamed, They are dismayed and taken. Behold, they have rejected the word of the Lord; So what wisdom do they have? Therefore I will give their wives to others, And their fields to those who will inherit them; Because from the least even to the greatest Everyone is given to covetousness; From the prophet even to the priest Everyone deals falsely.
For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of My people slightly, Saying, ‘Peace, peace!’ When there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No! They were not at all ashamed, Nor did they know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; In the time of their punishment They shall be cast down,” says the Lord. (Jer 8:8-12 NKJV)
What happens to the blessings God gave to a people who became unfaithful?
I will surely consume them. There will be no more harvests of figs and grapes. Their fruit trees will all die. Whatever I gave them will soon be gone. I, the Lord, have spoken!’
“Then the people will say, ‘Why should we wait here to die? Come, let’s go to the fortified towns and die there. For the Lord our God has decreed our destruction and has given us a cup of poison to drink because we sinned against the Lord. We hoped for peace, but no peace came. We hoped for a time of healing, but found only terror.’ ” (Jer 8:13-15 NLT)
Do the people in the north begin to hear the snorting of enemy battle horses, an impending punishment of the Lord?
“The snorting of his horses is heard from Dan. The whole land trembles at the sound of the neighing of his strong ones; for they have come, and have devoured the land and all that is in it, the city and those who dwell therein. For, behold, I will send serpents, adders among you, which will not be charmed; and they will bite you,” says Yahweh. (Jer 8:16-17 WEB)
Because of their sins, worshiping useless foreign idols, will healing come or only grief?
No healing, only grief; my heart is broken. Listen to the weeping of my people all across the land: “Isn’t the Lord in Zion? Is her king no longer there?” Why then did they anger me with their images, with pointless foreign gods? “The harvest is past, the summer has ended, yet we aren’t saved.” Because my people are crushed, I am crushed; darkness and despair overwhelm me. (Jer 8:18-21 CEB)
Do both God and His prophet mourn over the nation’s wound, and lack of a healing balm?
Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored? (Jer 8:22 ESV)
Is God’s message still spurned by moderns as it was in ancient Judah?
The message about the cross doesn't make any sense to lost people. But for those of us who are being saved, it is God's power at work. As God says in the Scriptures, “I will destroy the wisdom of all who claim to be wise. I will confuse those who think they know so much.” What happened to those wise people? What happened to those experts in the Scriptures? What happened to the ones who think they have all the answers? Didn't God show that the wisdom of this world is foolish? (1 Cor 1:18-20 CEV)
How foolish was it for ancient Judah to ignore God’s message? How foolish is it for us? You decide!
