Jeremiah 5:20-229 “Make this announcement to Israel, and say this to Judah: Listen, you foolish and senseless people, with eyes that do not see and ears that do not hear. Have you no respect for me? Why don’t you tremble in my presence? I, the Lord, define the ocean’s sandy shoreline as an everlasting boundary that the waters cannot cross. The waves may toss and roar, but they can never pass the boundaries I set. But my people have stubborn and rebellious hearts. They have turned away and abandoned me. They do not say from the heart, ‘Let us live in awe of the Lord our God, for he gives us rain each spring and fall, assuring us of a harvest when the time is right.’ Your wickedness has deprived you of these wonderful blessings. Your sin has robbed you of all these good things. Among my people are wicked men who lie in wait for victims like a hunter hiding in a blind. They continually set traps to catch people. Like a cage filled with birds, their homes are filled with evil plots. And now they are great and rich. They are fat and sleek, and there is no limit to their wicked deeds. They refuse to provide justice to orphans and deny the rights of the poor. Should I not punish them for this?” says the Lord.
And yet, they would blame me for all that is wrong in this world. They would deny truth about why your world is what it is: their sin. Their perversion of my Word. Their blatant service of self. Their violence against others. Their taking advantage of those who cannot defend themselves. Or, more senseless yet, they would deny my existence. In both instances, the desired result is that they are their own gods. And this, as always, is the root sin of man – trying to be me. Trying to be sovereign over all. Trying to emulate my power, my knowledge, my wisdom, my position. You do not acknowledge who I am – and who you are. So, you do not respect me. You do not live as my creation – you try to live as creator. You are worse than a toddler battling for independence – for a toddler has yet to reach the ability to think critically. A toddler has not yet come to full knowledge and understanding of the world around him. A toddler cannot be faulted for a lack of discernment, a lack of knowledge, a lack of wisdom. The same cannot be said about you. You choose ignorance. You choose arrogance. You choose lives of blatant disobedience. You choose to separate yourselves completely from me – even while saying you are my children. Away from me until you repent. And if you do not, the destruction of your world and your people will surely continue. My protective covering is over my true children, not those in blatant rebellion.
Amanuensis 