Jeremiah 5:30-31 – Being God's good role models

Bear in mind that while the ministry of Jeremiah was mainly to the people of Judah, he was also seen addressing the house of Israel as well. His messages were mainly directed to the house of Judah, but at times he also addressed the house of Israel. Although Israel and Judah became separate kingdoms after the reign of Solomon, they both share the same root. They were descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. When God delivered them from their bondage of Egypt, they were made His covenant people. In Jeremiah 5:1-29, five reasons were given for the inevitability of God’s judgment on them. They were: morally corrupt (verses 1-6), spiritually and sexually impure (verses 7-10), callous in their unbelief (verses 11-18), religiously they had  apostatized (verses 19-24), and there was widespread social injustice (25-29).  

In Jeremiah 5:30-31, we are given the sixth reason why God’s judgment was inevitable on Judah. It was because of the failure of the prophets and priests. These people who were given the responsibility of pointing and guiding the people of God in the right direction were failing in their duties. The prophets were prophesying falsely while the priests were acting irresponsibly on their own authority.  However, what they were doing was not helped by the people encouraging and goading them on. Though the prophets and priests were acting out of line, the people loved what they were doing. They reveled in the false prophecies and the irresponsible actions of the priest. Everyone was contributing to the eventual outcome of the nation. The prophets, the priests, and the people were all liable. They were setting themselves up to face God and His unavoidable judgment.

 

The sixth reason why God had to judge Judah shows us that it is needful for believers endowed with God’s gift to build the community must act responsibly. Failure to act responsibly only contributes to the deterioration of God’s community. False messages and actions not in line with God’s word will encourage reckless and foolish behaviors. Hence whether we are leaders or members we must act responsibly. Second Timothy 2:15 must be a guide to our service to God. Paul said that we must do our best to present ourselves as approved workmen of God, that need not be ashamed but rightly dividing the word of truth. We need to cultivate a passion for the Lord, a passion for excellence, and a passion for the Word.