Jeremiah 5:6b; 6:10b: "For their (the Israelites) rebellion is great and their backslidings many . . . . The word of the LORD is offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it."
If there ever has been a telltale sign of the spiritual condition of an individual or a nation, it is that person's or nation's responsiveness to the Word of God. Many people will claim to have a sense of spirituality, but this attestation does not necessarily mean that they are living in obedience to the One True God.
This certainly was the case with the Israelites of Jeremiah's day. They were grossly wicked, following after every wanton lust of their hearts; still, they surrounded themselves with presumed spiritual leaders that would exonerate their wickedness (5:31). Whereas these Israelites engaged in all types of evil, they justified their behavior as not only tolerable but exemplary. With a rather smug arrogance, these Israelites felt justified by their cultural criteria that they were doing just fine.
Still, there was THE ultimate standard (the Word of God) that openly denounced their debased ways; and for this reason, the people hated the Word for its indictments. Rather than heed the true dictates of the Sovereign Lord, these people would choose either to have their spiritual leaders reinterpret the Word into something that it did not say or denigrate altogether the Word to a place of insignificance in their culture. These people feasted upon their wickedness, and the last thing that they wanted was to hear a prophet proclaiming judgment for their rebellion against the Lord.
The most telling example of this mindset came with King Jehoiakim of Judah. God had summoned the prophet, Jeremiah, to write the Word of the Lord on a scroll and present it to the King with the hope of the people turning from their wicked ways. When the scroll was read to the king at his winter palace, he grabbed the scroll, cut it into pieces, and threw it into the fire to destroy these words of judgment upon him and his people. The king then wanted the prophets who brought such word before the king to be arrested; his hope was to eradicate his kingdom from any message that would question the practices of his people. The Lord called Jeremiah to write another scroll with the same words of judgment, with the added prophecy that the king's body would be "thrown out and exposed to the heat by day and the frost by night" (36:30). Even though the king believed that he had eliminated any negative word against him, the LORD would not permit His Word to go without vindication. In the end, God would bring His pronounced judgment against the people of Judah for their defiance to His Word.
There is a tremendous word for us in these passages, for we find in our nation today a similar regard for the Holy Scriptures. Specifically, we find that our countrymen despise any word of rebuke for their unrighteous ways and they surround themselves with presumed "spiritual" leaders that tell them what their itching ears want to hear (2 Timothy 4:3-4). And when the Word of Truth is proclaimed, they immediately describe it as extremism, fundamentalism, fanaticism, intolerance, or some phobia of sorts. Not only do they desire to discredit such proclamations; but in their seething anger, they attempt to push the political leaders to enact legislation to force an end to any words of admonishment for their behavior.
Of course, we know that God will not be mocked by wickedness. No matter what the unrighteous do to attempt to silence the Lord's Word, in the end He will bring destruction for those who live to satisfy their sinful natures (see Galatians 6:7-8). Now is the time for us to repent of our sin and turn to the Lord; for we know from His Word that the one who lives to please the Lord of Hosts will "reap eternal life" (Galatians 6:8).
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