Read
14I am the Lord God All-Powerful.
Jeremiah, I will tell you
exactly what to say.
Your words will be a fire;
Israel and Judah
will be the fuel.
15People of Israel,
I have made my decision.
An army from a distant country
will attack you.
I've chosen an ancient nation,
and you won't understand
their language.
16All of them are warriors,
and their arrows bring death.
17This nation will eat your crops
and livestock;
they will leave no fruit
on your vines or fig trees.
And although you feel safe
behind thick walls,
your towns will be destroyed
and your children killed.
Israel Refused
18The Lord said:
Jeremiah, the enemy army won't kill everyone in Judah. 19And the people who survive will ask, “Why did the Lord our God do such terrible things to us?” Then tell them:
I am the Lord,
but you abandoned me
and worshiped other gods
in your own land.
Now you will be slaves
in a foreign country.
20Tell these things to each other,
you people of Judah,
you descendants of Jacob.
21 You fools! Why don't you listen
when I speak?
Why can't you understand
22 that you should worship me
with fear and trembling?
I'm the one who made the shore
to hold back the ocean.
Waves may crash on the beach,
but they can come no farther.
23You stubborn people have rebelled
and turned your backs on me.
24You refuse to say,
“Let's worship the Lord!
He's the one who sends rain
in spring and autumn
and gives us a good harvest.”
25That's why I cannot bless you!
* 26A hunter traps birds
and puts them in a cage,
but some of you trap humans
and make them your slaves.
27You are evil, and you lie and cheat
to make yourselves rich.
You are powerful
28and prosperous,
but you refuse to help the poor
get the justice they deserve.
29You need to be punished,
and so I will take revenge.
30Look at the terrible things
going on in this country.
I am shocked!
31Prophets give their messages
in the name of a false god,
my priests don't want
to serve me,
and you—my own people—
like it this way!
But on the day of disaster,
where will you turn for help?
Reflect
Every year, millions of women, men and children around the world are victims of human trafficking, mostly bought and sold as commodities into prostitution and forced labour.
This exploitative trade criss-crosses the planet and is a very lucrative business. The International Labour Office estimates that human trafficking generates $150 billion in illegal profits every year, of which 79% comes from sexual exploitation, primarily girls and women sold into prostitution. An additional 18% are in forced manual labour. Images of sweat shops in Asia and unsafe construction sites in the Gulf States loom in our mind.
The prophet Jeremiah writes: (5:26-29) A hunter traps birds and puts them in a cage, but some of you trap humans and make them your slaves. You are evil, and you lie and cheat to make yourselves rich. You are powerful and prosperous, but you refuse to help the poor get the justice they deserve. You need to be punished, and so I will take revenge.
Canadian singer/songwriter Bruce Cockburn wrote a song in 2001 called “Put It In Your Heart” in which we hear these lyrics:
“Terrible deeds done in the name of tunnel vision and fear of change
surely are expressions of a soul that’s turned its back on love.”
Yahweh levels a particularly strong indictment on those who grow rich by exploiting the poor and vulnerable. By turning their back on love, by refusing to help the poor find justice, the rich merit God’s anger and wrath. They deserve to be punished. Today, almost 2,700 years later, we are living in a time of mind-boggling growth of wealth among the richest people of the world. People – especially the poor and vulnerable – are still being exploited. Are we doing anything about it? Is the church acting as beacons and advocates?
Jeremiah is stunned to see how every facet of life is tainted by the greed and evil of Israel. Its land has been scorched, its crops are decimated. Neighbouring rulers have overrun its centres of power and pilfered the land. The whole of society became addicted to evil and a price must be paid. But sadly, Jeremiah states, “my priests don’t want to serve me, and you – my people – like it this way” (vs 31)
May it not be so in our generation.
Respond
Lord God, we have not always heard the voice of the weak and the vulnerable. But you have called us to be advocates and peace-makers, especially for the poor and weak. Give us ears to hear their cries and a heart that is soft to their needs. In your strength, may we be agents of shalom in our broken world. Amen.
Terry Smith
Terry was Executive Director of Canadian Baptist Ministries, the national and global development and outreach arm of Canadian Baptist churches. He and his wife, Heather worked in France for 20 years, with inner-city youth, in urban church planting, inter-faith programs with Muslims in the francophone world, theological education and leadership development. He has co-authored Going Global (2011) with Gary Nelson and Gord King and wrote Wordeed, An Integral Mission Primer (2012). Terry has also written on evangelism, gospel and culture, urban mission and missiology. In addition to his work at CBM, he has taught at seminaries in Canada and around the world. Terry and Heather, live in Toronto, Canada. They have three adult children, Meghan, Caitlyn & Nathaniel.