“When men fall, do they not rise again?
If one turns away, does he not return?
Why then has this people turned away
in perpetual backsliding?
They hold fast to deceit;
they refuse to return.
I have paid attention and listened,
but they have not spoken rightly;
no man relents of his evil,
saying, ‘What have I done?’
Everyone turns to his own course,
like a horse plunging headlong into battle…
My people know not
the rules of the Lord.
“How can you say, ‘We are wise,
and the law of the Lord is with us’?
But behold, the lying pen of the scribes
has made it into a lie.
The wise men… have rejected the word of the Lord,
so what wisdom is in them?..
From the least to the greatest
everyone is greedy for unjust gain;
from prophet to priest,
everyone deals falsely.
They have healed the wound of my people lightly,
saying, ‘Peace, peace,’
when there is no peace.
Were they ashamed when they committed abomination?
No, they were not at all ashamed;
they did not know how to blush.
Therefore they shall fall among the fallen..,
says the Lord.
When I would gather them, declares the Lord,
there are no grapes on the vine,
nor figs on the fig tree;
even the leaves are withered,
and what I gave them has passed away from them...
“The Lord our God… has given us poisoned water to drink,
because we have sinned against the Lord.” Jeremiah 8:4-15
Rejecting the Word is a costly and causal choice, effecting great calamity and judgment on individuals and nations. Man is quick to blame people, circumstances, and institutional failures for difficulties and ruin, when often he is the one who’s ignored the Lord to his and others’ detriment. He deceives and is deceived, he spins in a perpetual sin spiral, he is gullible to lies and oblivious to his own folly. Willful ignorance and rebellion promulgate more of the same, and the Lord will not be mocked. No generosity, no shame, no fruit? The Lord will not stand for this abominable disregard of His good and life-giving gifts. (Galatians 6:7-8)
In our day we are most privileged with ready access to God’s Word, yet time and again we deliberately neglect it. We clamor for the latest word from an expert or influencer, for what is trending or ‘viral,’ and tune out the ancient Wisdom. We condone its banishment from society by complacency, bashing among ourselves without action, and an unwillingness to proclaim and defend it publicly. (Psalm 147:19-20; Jeremiah 7:2,23)
Personally, God calls us to return, get back to the Word, and repent. The Spirit convicts and quickens our hearts, and the Lord offers cleansing and peace. Collectively, we must implore God for His mercy on rebels who know not what they do. We need to pray for our leaders and communities and nations. (2 Chronicles 7:14; Psalm 51:1-4,10; Daniel 9:3-19; Luke 23:34; 1 John 1:8-9)
How honestly do we live before God, and others? When are we steeping in God’s living word, and into what barrenness are we pouring it? When and how are we praying for those crushed by calamity? (Hebrews 4:12)
Lord, help me faithfully, zealously do my part to avert calamity by loving, living, and spreading your Word.
As the rain and snow 