Day 160: What we all have in common – Jeremiah 5 vs 1 – 6

1 “Run up and down every street in Jerusalem,” says the Lord. “Look high and low; search throughout the city! If you can find even one just and honest person, I will not destroy the city. 2-3 But even when they are under oath, saying, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’ they are still telling lies!” Lord, you are searching for honesty. You struck your people, but they paid no attention. You crushed them, but they refused to be corrected. They are determined, with faces set like stone; they have refused to repent.

4-5 Then I said, “But what can we expect from the poor? They are ignorant. They don’t know the ways of the Lord. They don’t understand God’s laws. So I will go and speak to their leaders. Surely they know the ways of the Lord and understand God’s laws.” But the leaders, too, as one man, had thrown off God’s yoke and broken his chains. 6 So now a lion from the forest will attack them; a wolf from the desert will pounce on them. A leopard will lurk near their towns, tearing apart any who dare to venture out. For their rebellion is great, and their sins are many. Jeremiah 5:1-6 New Living Translation (English Standard Version link)

God had called Jeremiah to be His spokesman to the nation, and the message God gave him was of coming judgement for their sinful ways. In case Jeremiah had any doubts about whether the people deserved to be punished, God gave him a challenge. What was it? (vs 1)

If Jeremiah could find even one man one who believed in justice and truth, God would spare the nation. But what did Jeremiah discover? (vs 2-3)

He couldn't find anyone like that at all. In fact, people even used God's name to cover their lies. It's like someone who says 'I swear to God that what I'm telling you is true', when you know they are lying. And even though God had let the nation suffer some setbacks to discipline them, they had simply become more defiant and were not at all sorry for their dishonest ways.

Jeremiah then thought: “Hang on, maybe it's just lower class people who are liars and thieves. Perhaps the upper class people will be more decent” (Yes, 'class distinction' is not a new thing in the world!) But what did he find? (vs 4-5)

The elite were just as riddled with dishonesty as the rest of society. The Princes and Preachers in Jerusalem sinned just as much as the paupers. And so it was that God assures Jeremiah that judgment was certain to fall on them because “their rebellion was great, and their sins were many.”

There's a lot we can learn from this incident. We see that God looks for truth in people. He desires that we deal in honest and fair ways with one another. It's not only things like pornography, drugs, child smuggling and murder that makes us guilty in God's eyes – it's also things like cheating, lying and exploiting others. And it's even worse when religious people behave like that.

We see also that sin is common to us all. Being famous or wealthy doesn’t make us good people. And being poor is not a virtue. Psalm 14:2-3 says: “The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.”

That's why Jesus Christ is so special. In Hebrews 4:15 we read that “He was tempted in every way that we are, but he did not sin.” And on at least two occasions the followers of Jesus heard a voice from heaven saying of him “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Jesus Christ was the only man who lived the perfect sinless life that can turn away God's righteous judgement. What the rest of us all have in common is our sins. But what we also have in common is a Saviour who says “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.” (John 11:25) He will save people from every class of society if they repent of their sin, and put their hope for forgiveness into has hands.