Trusting the Wrong Thing

They have lied about the LORD,

And said, “It is not He.

Neither will evil come upon us,

Nor shall we see sword or famine.

And the prophets become wind,

For the word is not in them.

Thus shall it be done to them.”

Therefore thus says the LORD God of hosts:

“Because you speak this word,

Behold, I will make My words in your mouth fire,

And this people wood,

And it shall devour them.

Behold, I will bring a nation against you from afar,

O house of Israel,” says the LORD.

“It is a mighty nation,

It is an ancient nation,

A nation whose language you do not know,

Nor can you understand what they say.

Their quiver is like an open tomb;

They are all mighty men.

And they shall eat up your harvest and your bread,

Which your sons and daughters should eat.

They shall eat up your flocks and your herds;

They shall eat up your vines and your fig trees;

They shall destroy your fortified cities,

In which you trust, with the sword. (Jeremiah 5:12-17)

Even smart people can be conned. The people of Israel were ordinary people, no less intelligent than anyone else. Nevertheless, the words of the prophets were not the sorts of words they wanted to hear and so instead of heeding God, they listened to words that matched what they wanted God to be saying. Speaking the truth to power is usually a waste of time. But God told Jeremiah that he was with him , even though the Israelites dismissed the prophet’s words as nothing but wind.

God’s words could not help but have their effect simply because they were true. Regardless of whether the people believed them, they happened. When the Babylonians set fire to Jerusalem, the truth of God’s prophesy was obvious. Of course, believing at that moment of destruction was believing too late.

The truth hurts, because reality can be sharp and prickly. But reality is really all we have. Building our hopes on the pretty lies we prefer is ultimately disastrous.

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