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Jeremiah 6 (ESV)
9 Thus says the Lord of hosts:
“They shall glean thoroughly as a vine
the remnant of Israel;
like a grape gatherer pass your hand again
over its branches.”
10 To whom shall I speak and give warning,
that they may hear?
Behold, their ears are uncircumcised,
they cannot listen;
behold, the word of the Lord is to them an object of scorn;
they take no pleasure in it.
11 Therefore I am full of the wrath of the Lord;
I am weary of holding it in.
“Pour it out upon the children in the street,
and upon the gatherings of young men, also;
both husband and wife shall be taken,
the elderly and the very aged.
12 Their houses shall be turned over to others,
their fields and wives together,
for I will stretch out my hand
against the inhabitants of the land,”
declares the Lord.
13 “For from the least to the greatest of them,
everyone is greedy for unjust gain;
and from prophet to priest,
everyone deals falsely.
14 They have healed the wound of my people lightly,
saying, ‘Peace, peace,’
when there is no peace.
15 Were they ashamed when they committed abomination?
No, they were not at all ashamed;
they did not know how to blush.
Therefore they shall fall among those who fall;
at the time that I punish them, they shall be overthrown,”
says the Lord.
REFLECTION:
The “remnant of Israel” mentioned here does not refer to the righteous people left behind, but the people who survived the first assault in Jerusalem. Babylon is like a grape picker who wants to capture all the talents from the countries they defeated. Babylon has invaded Judah three times, and finally devoured the whole country and destroyed the temple (see 2 Kings 24-25). Jeremiah was filled with grief and anger, because the people turned a deaf ear to his message. At that time, the Judahites no longer paid much attention to the spiritual corruption, and it seemed more or less like the spiritual situation in today’s materialistic society. Like the people in Jeremiah’s day, people nowadays do not obey God’s commands, are shameless, and do whatever they want. If Jeremiah was born in today’s world, would he have the same lament? Burying one’s head in the sand, acting deceitfully, and thinking that they are at peace, this is the response of the Judahites after hearing Jeremiah’s warning. How do we respond to the warning from God today? Denying the facts does not change the facts, and what God has said must be fulfilled. Denying sin cannot wipe away sin. The only way out is to confess to God that you have sinned against Him, and ask Him for forgiveness.
PRAYER:
Come to God in awe, and ask God to enlighten the gloom of your heart, so that you can understand whether you have greedy thoughts in your heart, whether you have deceitful acts in your daily activities. If you have, confess your sins to God, repent, and ask Him to cleanse and strengthen your heart, making you more sensitive to sin and desire for God.
HYMN:
Reign In Us – youtu.be/RXF6Dg6H0ds
