Sermon: Three Questions that Deserve Consideration
Scripture Lesson: Jeremiah 5:25-31 “Your wickedness has deprived you of these wonderful blessings. Your sin has robbed you of all these good things. “Among my people are wicked men who lie in wait for victims like a hunter hiding in a blind. They continually set traps to catch people. Like a cage filled with birds, their homes are filled with evil plots. And now they are great and rich. They are fat and sleek, and there is no limit to their wicked deeds. They refuse to provide justice to orphans and deny the rights of the poor. Should I not punish them for this?” says the Lord. “Should I not avenge myself against such a nation? A horrible and shocking thing has happened in this land, the prophets give false prophecies, and the priests rule with an iron hand. Worse yet, my people like it that way! But what will you do when the end comes?”
Introduction: Three Questions that Require an Answer, “Should I not punish them for this?” “Should I not avenge myself against such a nation.” But what will you do when the end comes?” Jeremiah 5:25-31 is a summary of the sins of Judah, which include systemic injustice, corrupt leadership, and a deafening spiritual blindness to their actions. The passage states that the people's sin and disobedience are the reason for withheld blessings. Abuse and oppression were the order of the day. The powerful oppress the weak. Jeremiah describes this horrifying scenario where God’s prophets and priests spread lies and God’s people readily accepted lies over truth. Jeremiah concludes with God's warning of impending judgment for their failure to repent.
God tells the people that their own "iniquities" (sins) are the reason for the withholding of good things, such as the necessary rains and fruitful seasons. Brotherly love had been forgotten and the wicked men who act like hunters, using their power and wealth to oppress the poor and fatherless. God asks if He should not punish such a nation. Then this text describes a "horrible and shocking thing" happening in the land: prophets lie, priests rule by their own power, and the people, who should hold them accountable, "love it this way". Jeremiah questions what they will do when the final judgment arrives. God’s judgment will surely come because they have embraced a corrupt and unrighteous system that cannot stand.
Believers are encouraged to embrace the truth and speak the truth to one another in love. Truth is important because it builds trust and is fundamental to strong relationships and functional societies. It enables personal growth and self-awareness by allowing individuals to see reality clearly, learn from mistakes, and make informed decisions. On a societal level, truth is the basis for cooperation, justice, and progress, while a lack of it can lead to conflict and division.
There are several scriptures that describe God's people preferring falsehood over truth, often as a result of a hardened heart or a rejection of God's way. Jeremiah 9:3: "They bend their tongues like bows; lies and not truth have grown strong in the land, for they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not know me, declares the LORD."
Hosea seems to agree with Jeremiah when he said, Hosea 4:1-2: "Hear the word of the LORD, O children of Israel, for the LORD has a case against the land: 'There is no truth or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land! Cursing, lying, murder, stealing, and adultery have broken out; blood touches blood." This departure from the truth can be found in every generation. Paul said in Romans: "They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator..." Then 2Thessalonians 2:11-12: "For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion, so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness."
John 8:44: Jesus tells his opponents, "He [the devil] was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies." This is often used to describe people who follow him.
When God's people prefer falsehood over truth, it can be because they reject sound teaching for what they want to hear, have a pleasure in unrighteousness, or are influenced by a "strong delusion" to believe a lie. This happens when they choose to "chase after myths" and are unwilling to accept what is true and wholesome. This choice is described in scripture as a willful preference for evil and deceit. People may reject sound teaching and instead seek out teachers who will tell them whatever their desires want to hear. This is often a choice to follow personal desires over objective truth.
When people choose to believe a lie, it may be because their state of mind. A state of mind where individuals believe a lie is described in scripture as a "strong delusion" sent by God for those who "had pleasure in unrighteousness".
It is not normal for sound-minded people to chase after myths. Yet when people reject the truth, they embrace falsehood and chased after myths. They prefer evil over good. The Scripture says they prefer loving "evil more than good" and "lying rather than speaking the truth". This is deliberate deception. It can be an active, deliberate choice to misrepresent facts, twist things, or project untrue images to mislead others. Yet there are consequences of misplaced trust and consequences for misrepresenting God and ignoring his warnings. Jeremiah asks three questions from God that require consideration, “Should I not punish them for this?” “Should I not avenge myself against such a nation.” But what will you do when the end comes?” Look around, have you noticed that God blessings are disappearing?
1. God’s blessings are Disappearing. “Your wickedness has deprived you of many wonderful blessings. Your sin has robbed you of all these good things God intended for you.” The consequences of misplaced trust can be seen in the noticeable disappearance of God’s wonderful blessing. Judah received no rain, no productivity and no increase. Lack is everywhere! God said, your sin and wickedness have robbed you!
2. God’s Justice has been Dishonored. “They refuse to provide justice to orphans and deny the rights of the poor. Should I not punish them for this?” says the Lord.” When good things disappear, justice and fair play follow. Not only was injustice everywhere, but God’s people also were active participates in the unjust activities. The safeguards were removed and system that should have protected people injured them. Law enforcement was criminalized, and abuse was multiplied in the land.
3. God’s People and Land are Unrecognizable. “A horrible and shocking thing has happened in this land, the prophets give false prophecies, and the priests rule with an iron hand. Worse yet, my people like it that way! But what will you do when the end comes?”
The land of milk and honey, God’s blessed Promised Land was almost unrecognizable. The prophets no longer spoke for God, the priest used force and pressure to rule the people and worst of all, the people would have it so. It is no unusual thing for priest to error, or the people stray, but the Prophets always would raise up God’s standard. If the prophet errored, the priest would hold them accountable. Even if the prophet lied, and the priest strayed, the people would hold them accountable. Now every rail of accountability has been removed, and the people would have it so! God said, “A horrible and shocking thing has happened in this land, the prophets give false prophecies, and the priests rule with an iron hand. Worse yet, my people like it that way! But what will you do when the end comes?”
Jeremiah 5:30-31 means that an "appalling and horrible thing" had happened in the land: false prophets were delivering misleading messages, and corrupt priests were ruling based on their own authority, with the people happily accepting this deception. The verses function as a serious warning from the prophet Jeremiah, urging his people to consider the disastrous consequences of this spiritual and moral corruption when they face ultimate judgment. The core message is a critique of religious and political leaders who ignore God's law and a condemnation of a people who love to be deceived.
The prophets were prophesying lies, likely telling people they were prosperous and not in danger, which made them feel secure despite their sin. The priests were ruling based on their own authority and power, not God's law, setting aside the teachings of God's covenant. The people were complacent but not guiltless. The people "love it so," meaning they were pleased with the lies and the freedom from accountability offered by their leaders, preferring it over the truth.
4. God’s three questions deserve an answer. “Should I not punish them for this?” “Should I not avenge myself against such a nation.” But what will you do when the end comes?” This passage ends with rhetorical questions and obvious answer Yes! Wickedness requires just punishment, the righteousness of God deserves his vengeance, and every person will be held accountable for their sin. "But what will you do at the end?" This forces the people (and the reader) to confront the inevitable judgment that will come when these false assurances are proven wrong. The verses are seen as a timeless warning against spiritual deception and the dangers of following leaders or teachings that lead people away from truth. There are consequences of misplaced trust. Misplaced trust, whether in false idols, human leaders, wealth, or alliances, can lead to consequences like fruitlessness, spiritual desolation, impending judgment, and eventual downfall. The Bible warns that such misplaced trust results in disappointment because all lies will crumbled, everything built on lies are ultimately temporary and powerless to sustained. Unlike God, whose word is truth and who cannot lie. God alone is the only trustworthy foundation to build your life, He alone provides security and salvation. He is the only one that can prepare us for the coming judgment. Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage with great patience and teaching. For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will multiply teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear what they want to hear.
What Will You Do? So, what are you going to do about it? All around us are the foolish and senseless, the fat and sleek, and the lying prophets. And if truth be known they are closer than we think. There are a crowd that is willing to go along to get a long! God’s people must be different. So, as Jeremiah asks at the end of chapter 5: “What will you do at the end of it?” Or, put another way, what will happen to you when the end finally comes? After years of preaching to generation that refused to hear and where unwilling to change, he asked, “What will you do at the end of it?” Jeremiah understood that everything depends on how we respond to God’s warning.
I pray that we will not be like the foolish and senseless people but will instead understand, repent and believe the gospel and give God all of the fear and reverence he deserves. I pray that we will not ignore the prophet’s plead to do justice and show mercy. We will instead be advocates for the fatherless, widows, for the unborn, for the poor and needy. And I pray that we will not be like the lying prophets refusing to believe that God will in fact punish sin, but will instead heed the warnings, embrace the righteousness of Christ, and encourage others to do so, too. These three questions must not be ignored, they require consideration. Knowing God’s character, holiness and righteous standard, “Should God not punish them for this?” “Should God not avenge Himself against such a nation.” But what will you do when the end comes?” Let’s heed God’s warning and seek the Lord while he may be found. Amen.
