Wake Up From Being Blinded by the Darkness of Sin
Scripture Passage: Jeremiah 5:20-31 (NASB)
20 “Declare this in the house of Jacob
And proclaim it in Judah, saying,
21 ‘Now 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 the Lord.
‘Do you not tremble in My presence?
For I have placed the sand as a boundary for the sea,
An eternal limit, and it will not cross over it.
Though the waves toss, they cannot prevail;
Though they roar, they will not cross over it.
23 But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart;
They have turned aside and departed.
24 They do not say in their heart,
“Let us now fear the Lord our God,
Who gives rain in its season,
Both the autumn rain and the spring rain,
Who keeps for us
The appointed weeks of the harvest.”
25 Your wrongdoings have turned these away,
And your sins have kept good away from you.
26 For wicked people are found among My people,
They watch like fowlers lying in wait;
They set a trap,
They catch people.
27 Like a cage full of birds,
So their houses are full of deceit;
Therefore they have become great and rich.
28 They are fat, they are sleek,
They also excel in deeds of wickedness;
They do not plead the cause,
The cause of the orphan, so that they may be successful;
And they do not defend the rights of the poor.
29 Shall I not punish them for these things?’ declares the Lord,
‘Or shall I not avenge Myself
On a nation such as this?’
30 “An appalling and horrible thing
Has happened in the land:
31 The prophets prophesy falsely,
And the priests rule on their own authority;
And My people love it this way!
But what will you do when the end comes?
SUMMARY
Jeremiah sees so many faults in the people of Judah, and he speaks boldly of what the Lord has spoken to him to them. The sins made them fall away from the Lord, that they do not see with their own eyes nor they do not hear with their own ears. The effect of their sins are so thick that they cannot even see the wrongdoings they are committing against the Lord. They do not even fear the Lord, and Jeremiah warns them that the consequences of their heavy sins would be huge.
MEDITATION AND REFLECTION
How corrupt do you have to not even have regretful feelings towards the wrongdoings you commit? When the blessings and promises that God prepared in our journey are so amazing in your eyes, how easily can we trap ourselves into self-dignity and fall into multi layered sins. I would have to be in that situation. I do not want to imagine God to be the wrath of God. I want a loving relationship with God who provides me with all the things that I need because I am lacking in every way to serve Him. What Jeremiah told the people of Judah is a pretty intense and serious message from God. We are surrounded by too much information in every corner of our life that we tend to pick the ones we like and stick with them. But do we have clear discernment on whether our decisions are based on God's vision and calling?
APPLICATION
I would never want to be in a position where God's messenger comes to me with harsh words regarding my faith and behavior. How can I continue to keep my eyes and ears open to hear the clear voice and vision from God? The only way to do it is to continually go back to the words of God.
The situation of the pandemic this season really gave me many opportunities to seek for quiet places to meditate and read the Bible closely. I am thankful that God has given the time to do it, and I will continue to have an intimate relationship with Him.
PRAYER
Dear God, thank you for being so patient with me. It took me all these years to get back to your Word, but thank you for giving me the desire to know you more. I pray that I will always stay awake no matter what circumstances I face. Please give me the courage to stay still to follow you, Lord. In Jesus' name, Amen.
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