Lessons From Jeremiah – Part 23 – The Religious Classes Were Superficial And Acted Corruptly – Challenges – Greedy And False Series

LESSONS FROM JEREMIAH – PART 23 – THE RELIGIOUS CLASSES WERE SUPERFICIAL AND ACTED CORRUPTLY – CHALLENGES – GREEDY AND FALSE

PART 23 - Jeremiah 6:13-15

CHAPTER 6

[A]. GOD LISTS SOME OF THE REASONS FOR THE COMING DESTRUCTION IN JUDAH

{{Jeremiah 6:13 “for from the least of them even to the greatest of them, everyone is GREEDY FOR GAIN, and from the prophet even to the priest, everyone deals falsely. Jeremiah 6:14 They have HEALED THE BROKENNESS OF MY PEOPLE SUPERFICIALLY, saying, ‘PEACE, PEACE,’ BUT THERE IS NO PEACE. Jeremiah 6:15 Were they ashamed because of the abomination they have done? They were not even ashamed at all. They did not even know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall. At the time that I punish them, they shall be cast down,” says the LORD.”}}

VERSE 12 was the outcome of the judgement issuing from God’s outstretched hand, but verses 13 to 15 provide some of the reasons for that judgement. Verse 11 covered the ages of those who would end in destruction, from the youngest even to the oldest, and this passage covers the extent of the wickedness of that range, from the least even to the greatest. From the most insignificant member of society to those in high places and those in political and spiritual leadership, every one of them is greedy. The greed was for personal advancement in the gaining of wealth and desires. It is an awful situation for when money becomes the god of a nation, materialism and all associated evils are present.

(a). VERSE 13

The taking of bribes, corruption, cheating and perjury, dishonesty, extortion, false promises and even murder, threatening and stealing are widespread. We are not unaware of these conditions in our capitalistic societies and we are familiar sometimes with the corrupt dealings of sporting organisations such as FIFA in 2015 when it was exposed, businessmen and politicians who are greedy for gain. Every time a State or National budget is delivered the first thing most people think is how that will affect their wealth and cost of living. People accumulate money and goods and material possessions, and in certain places, especially the United States, a person is measured on his financial standing and his notoriety or celebrity status. All that is so artificial.

Greedy for gain, not just monetary gain, but the gain of publicity, and power, and celebrity and status recognition. All the possessions of Tutankhamen that were placed with his mummy in his tomb for the afterlife, were still there when it was opened about a century ago. We take nothing out of this world. A man’s life is not measured by the extent of his possessions in this world, but how he stands in relation to the treasure he has accumulated in heaven. What shall a man do if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? What can he give in exchange for his own soul? He may gain great treasures through greed but he goes to a Christless eternity. Greed for gain is a horrible thing and drives a person onward to destruction. Beware also of greed for fame, food, position of place (status), power, and influence.

“and from the prophet even to the priest, everyone deals falsely,” is a gross indictment on the spiritual leadership of Judah. I think without exception, if a group of people, or a nation, has corruption in spiritual places, then one can conclude the whole of society is corruptly wicked. Judah had become detestable in the sight of God. {{Hosea 4:7-9 “The more they multiplied, the more they sinned against Me. I will change their glory into shame. They feed on the sin of My people and direct their desire toward their iniquity. It will be, like people, like priest, so I will punish them for their ways and repay them for their deeds.”}} The prophet and priest (and all society it is understood) dealt falsely.

How can a man lie and distort and act corruptly when he is supposed to be doing God’s service? How can you serve God and cheat and live as a wicked person? Does not even one’s conscience scream out? There is no fear of God before their eyes. They do not understand the awesome God, or that God is just, or that God is a rewarder of iniquity. What God does in Jeremiah is to expose all sections of society showing how wicked they are, and leaving no option except repentance or destruction, just those two. It is the same all through history – it is repentance or destruction. Faithful servants of the Lord preach and warn but how many listen?

We don’t have lack of evidence in religious places to see corruption. In the Christian church so named, down the centuries and especially in the Middle Ages the corruption in the church was extremely grave and I won’t enumerate any of it because it is freely available. It still happens. If you really want to look into this more, look at the whole story of Cardinal Pell from Australia who was exposing the utter vice and corruption among the Cardinals at the Vatican. Look how he was framed. I won’t say more.