They have treated the wound of my people carelessly,
saying, "Peace, peace," when there is no peace.
Jeremiah 6:14
Part of my job -- indeed part of my privilege -- is dealing with a lot of "wound[ed] people." Frequently they cry, "there is no peace."
Why is there no peace? Because of sin ... and people. And those two together and we get too many scoundrels. Indeed at the center of Jeremiah 6 is a list of scoundrels and sandals that leave the prophet crying, "11 I am filled with the Lord's fury, and I am tired of holding it in!"
In just the two verses surrounding today's verse, listen to Jeremiah's scandalous list:
- 13 everyone is greedy for unjust gain;
- 13 everyone deals falsely,
- 15 they act shamefully,
- 15 they commit abomination,
- 15 [worse,] they [act shamefully and abominably] are not ashamed
- 15 [indeed] they do not know how to blush.
Add one more thing ... At that heart of today's lesson is the scandal of presenting false hope.
When anyone proclaims false gods, false religions, and false philosophies, they are scandalously presentling false hopes. They proclaim that they know a way to find peace, but they're leading others away from the Prince of Peace. And ultimately, this is worse than "careless"; this is blasphemy.
The truth is, there is hope and there is peace. It comes through God the Father and Christ his Son. And it's a healing -- as we talked about yesterday -- of the heart.
Now ... many people that I counsel with say that "there is no peace." Why? Because their hearts are battered and bruised, and peace seems elusive. They're dealing with lies.
There is light. That's the message of Christmas.
There is peace. That's why God sent his son to earth -- the Prince of Peace.
In Christ's Love,
a guy who tries to treat
the wounds of God's people
carefully ... and truthfully
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