Understanding The Term Jeremiad, No Balm.

JEREMIAD, NO BALM?

By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com

TEXT:

2 Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

We live in a day that the norm will be that there will be times when people will have no desire or stomach for the solid word of Biblical teaching. Seems we will love sugar coated, spiritual junk food that is appealing to the taste buds and love to chase the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?

WHERE ARE THE PREACHERS AND DOCTORS? THE MEDICINE THAT CURES?

Jeremiah 8:22 Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?

Why is there no healing for the wounds of my people? Why is there little to no hope? Why do we accept things the way they are? WHERE ARE THE PERSONAL REVIVALS? We hear the cry for corporate revival… Can we accept BAD ATTITUDES and SIN ARE HINDERING the healing of our land?

JEREMIAH WAS A PREACHER IN THE OLD TESTAMENT.

He served in a dark day where sin and bad attitudes became the acceptable norm. (JER-E- MY-AD)

***Let us learn a new term: JEREMIAD. (Jer-a- MY- AD) Jeremiad means a long mournful complaint, lamentations. Jeremiads have an element of doom and gloom. It will always include a message of optimism and hope if the society will listen and correct the problem.

The tone of a JEREMIAD expresses grief and distress. A real JEREMIAD PREDICTS: UNLESS THE BEHAVIOR IS CORRECTED THERE WILL BE A FALL, A COLLAPSE AND A DESTRUCTION OF THE LIFE STYLE.

Jeremiads can be written, spoken and sang. They can be about SPIRITUAL or SECULAR MATTERS. The root of the problem is almost always PRIDE and selfishness and EGOS. In seasons of ABUNDANCE and BLESSINGS there are tendencies that make people FEEL GOOD. THEY SEEK TEACHERS THAT SAY WHAT THEY WANT TO HEAR…. Society has so sought entertainment that we have developed short attention spans.

JEREMIADS ARE TRYING TO CHALLENGE PEOPLE. BY CONVICTION WE NEED TO CHANGE EVIL, SIN, BAD ATTITUDES, MEAN WORDS AND SHORTCOMINGS TO THE WAYS OF GOD.

One reason for a JEREMIADS IS TO BRING SHAME AND CORRECTION... A JEREMIAD is almost always OFFENSIVE so much that it would normally anger those that are paying attention.

OFTEN TODAY WE LOVE BIG PRICED, LUXURIOUS TOYS. MANY PEOPLE ARE DISRESPECTFUL TO AUTHORITY. The norm is anger, bad manners, disrespect for elders, lazy, braggarts, big mouthed, haters of those that are good, gripe, complaining, CRITICAL and bad attitudes. HEALING IS AVAILABLE.

2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

ARE WE HABITUAL COMPLAINERS? CAN WE HEAR THE CALL OF THE JEREMIAD? TODAY WE HEAR VERY LITTLE ABOUT REPENTANCE AND CONVICTION. WE HEAR MUCH ABOUT COMPLAINING, BEING OFFENDED AND ANGER. WHAT IS A GREAT GIFT TO GIVE A FRIEND? HOW ABOUT FORGIVENESS? Jeremiads are offensive. We tend to be UN-CORRECTABLE. My complaining and griping is not that bad…

Jude 1:16 These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.

*COMPLAIN: cycle of unhappiness or no joy, To express pain, grief, discontent; strive, quarrel, attack, a law suit, cry, lament, to express dissatisfaction, to be annoyed. Complain is a verb. Complaint is a noun.

*HABIT: a settled tendency or norm of behavior, an acquired behavior, to rule as almost an involuntary pattern, frequent repetition, prevailing disposition…

*TOLERANCE: INDULGENCE, the capacity of the body to endure and become less and less responsive and require more.

We used to hear of CONVICTION in the church. Today we hear of BEING OFFENDED on a regular basis.

COMPLAINING CAN BE IS A HABITUAL REALITY!

Numbers 21:4 And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. 5 And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread. 6 And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. 7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.