Jeremiah 5:10-13 – Taking God at His Word

The judgment that would come upon Judah would be certain. In Jeremiah 5:1-9, we see two reasons why God’s judgment would fall on her. She had been morally corrupt and spiritually impure. Now in verses 10-13, we see another reason why the judgment was needful. Judah refused to believe in what God said He would do. That itself was a treacherous act of unbelief.

Judah was God’s vineyard and for her unbelief, God directed the enemies like pruners into the vineyard to remove all the worthless branches. While the judgment would be ruthless, the destruction would not be total. God would place a limit on what the enemy could do.   

Judah and Israel were alike. They both had acted treacherously with their covenant Lord. Acting in unbelief they refused to take God at His word. They turned a deaf ear to the prophets and refused to believe the words God had sent through them. Refusing to believe the prophets, they unwittingly were deceiving themselves. Acting in self-denial, they treated the messages of the prophets as mere winds that blow past. They refused to believe that God would bring judgment upon them.  

 

In Ezekiel 12:25, God makes no bones about the certainty of His words. He said to His people, “For I the Lord will speak, and whatever word I speak will be performed. It will no longer be delayed…, I will speak the word and perform it.” However, Pride and unbelief are two things that could stumble believers. Like Judah, pride and unbelief can also prevent us from taking God at His word. We must watch out for these harmful elements in our journey with God. When He warns, they are for the purpose of having us evaluate our actions and make the needful alignment. Be careful that we are not derailed by pride and unbelief. Learn to live a life of congruence. Tread gingerly before God in our spiritual journey. Discern every moment and trust the Word of God absolutely.