Day 229

Brokenhearted Prophet

Read: Jeremiah 8-10

Sometimes a prophet could see the future so clearly that he could speak of it as though it already had taken place. The false prophets are especially to blame because they keep telling the people everything will be all right when it will not be. We must, above all, preach about the love of God, but if we never mention his wrath we are false prophets. In some churches sin and punishment are never mentioned; this omission distorts the Word of God.

In spite of their evil, Jeremiah loves the people so much that he weeps continually because he sees that they are closing their ears to the message God has given to him to proclaim to them. Do we really love people so much that their sin causes us to cry, or do we look down our self-righteous noses at them? Jeremiah would like to just walk out on the people (9:2), but he cannot because he has too strong a sense of duty. So he continues to plead and plead with them, but it is in vain. Let us be just as faithful in continuing to proclaim God’s Word to the world, even if we see little results.

Jeremiah ridicules idolatry in the hope that this will open the eyes of the people. “Their idols are like scarecrows . . . They have to be carried, for they cannot walk” (10:5). Millions of people who worship idols need to hear the gospel.

PRAYER
Father, may all who preach be true prophets, preaching about your love and your wrath. In Jesus’ name. Amen.