A Deaf People, a Faithful God

20          Declare this in the house of Jacob;
proclaim it in Judah:
            21          “Hear this, O foolish and senseless people,
who have eyes, but see not,
who have ears, but hear not.
            22          Do you not fear me? declares the Lord.
Do you not tremble before me?
                        I placed the sand as the boundary for the sea,
a perpetual barrier that it cannot pass;
                        though the waves toss, they cannot prevail;
though they roar, they cannot pass over it.
            23          But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart;
they have turned aside and gone away.
            24          They do not say in their hearts,
‘Let us fear the Lord our God,
                        who gives the rain in its season,
the autumn rain and the spring rain,
                        and keeps for us
the weeks appointed for the harvest.’
            25          Your iniquities have turned these away,
and your sins have kept good from you.
            26          For wicked men are found among my people;
they lurk like fowlers lying in wait.
                        They set a trap;
they catch men.
            27          Like a cage full of birds,
their houses are full of deceit;
                        therefore they have become great and rich;
            28          they have grown fat and sleek.
                        They know no bounds in deeds of evil;
they judge not with justice
                        the cause of the fatherless, to make it prosper,
and they do not defend the rights of the needy.
            29          Shall I not punish them for these things?
declares the Lord,
and shall I not avenge myself
on a nation such as this?”
            30          An appalling and horrible thing
has happened in the land:
            31          the prophets prophesy falsely,
and the priests rule at their direction;
                        my people love to have it so,
but what will you do when the end comes?
Jeremiah 5:20-31
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A Deaf People, a Faithful God
The prophet’s charge exposes a stubborn heart: eyes that see but will not fear the Lord, ears that hear yet refuse His Word. This section condemns leaders who proclaim peace while tolerating lies, and people who prefer deception to repentance. Such willful blindness invites judgment, yet the Lord’s aim is not ruin but return. We recognize ourselves here. By nature we resist the God who sets the bounds of the sea and the limits of our pride. Still, the Lord does not abandon the faithless. He sends a greater Prophet who bears our rebellion. At the cross of Christ, God’s justice and mercy meet: sin is judged, sinners are spared. Therefore, repent and believe. Pray for pastors who speak truth without flattery, and for hearts that tremble at God’s Word. The Lord who wounds also heals; He gathers a people who delight in His voice.