Jeremiah 23:9-14 – It is needful to heed God’s uncomfortable words.

In Jeremiah 23:9-10, Jeremiah expressed his deep distress. His heart was broken and reeling with deep anguish. He felt like a drunken man who had a cup of wine too many. He knew the heart of God and the holy message and had been proclaiming the truth of God entrusted to him. He had pointed out God’s impending judgment for the people’s unfaithfulness. His message, however, went unheeded. Preferring the comfortable words of the false prophets, the people continued in their unfaithfulness ignoring the coming judgment that God would send their way. Here what verse 10 described their condition:

For the land is full of adulterers;
For the land mourns because of the curse.
The pastures of the wilderness have dried up.
Their course also is evil
And their might is not right.

Going further, Jeremiah pointed out that both prophet and priest were polluted resulting in wickedness being found even in God’s house. In the temple, idolatry and immoral living were blatantly encouraged. This was the key reason why the judgment of God had started and what would follow would be worse. It was bad enough in the north, the prophets in Samaria prophesied for Baal and even engaged and encouraged Baal worship, the religious leaders in Jerusalem were equally bad if not worse.  Verse 14 summed up what happened in Jerusalem saying:

“Also among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing:
The committing of adultery and walking in falsehood;
And they strengthen the hands of evildoers,
So that no one has turned back from his wickedness.
All of them have become to Me like Sodom,
And her inhabitants like Gomorrah.

Many believers are reluctant to accept hard truths. They would rather listen to soft and comfortable words, even if they are bordering on untruth. When we prefer that, there is the possibility of missing out on the needful message God wants us to hear. It is good to know that we can find rest in the Lord and that He wants to bless us. But it is just as needful if not more to hear the uncomfortable call of God “to take up our cross deny ourselves and follow after Him.”