9 Thus says the Lord of hosts,
“They will thoroughly glean as the vine the remnant of Israel;
Pass your hand again like a grape gatherer
Over the branches.”
10 To whom shall I speak and give warning
That they may hear?
Behold, their ears are [k]closed
And they cannot listen.
Behold, the word of the Lord has become a reproach to them;
They have no delight in it.
11 But I am full of the wrath of the Lord;
I am weary with holding it in.
“Pour it out on the children in the street
And on the [l]gathering of young men together;
For both husband and wife shall be taken,
The aged [m]and the very old.
12 “Their houses shall be turned over to others,
Their fields and their wives together;
For I will stretch out My hand
Against the inhabitants of the land,” declares the Lord.
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 [n]deals falsely.
14 “They have healed the brokenness of My people superficially,
Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’
But there is no peace.
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.
There are two verses in this passage that very much go together, though they are towards opposite ends. In v. 10, God asks a very basic question, “Who can I talk to, and who will listen?” The rhetorical answer is “no one” because their ears are closed. It’s kind of hard to hear anything with your hands over your ears.
Not only have they closed their ears, the verse continues to tell us that they take no delight in God’s word. Instead, they see His word as a reproach, something disgusting, undesirable, and rubbish. David set down an example to us (and them) to hide God’s word in our hearts, that we might not sin against Him.
But here they were, doing the opposite, and we see the result in vv. 13-15. “Everyone deals falsely.” That pretty much sums it up, for they said “Peace, peace,” but there wasn’t any to be found. They were not ashamed of their abominations. Not just little sins, but abominations, and they were not the least bit worried, not even a blush, no second thoughts, nothing.
I’d like to say I’m glad that isn’t our culture, but it isn’t, and we all know it. They knew it, they just didn’t care anymore. Rather, they were like the people Paul described to Timothy, “wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires…” That was exactly what happened here, as even the prophets and priests had compromised the truth (v. 13).
Jeremiah was one of the few prophets willing to speak truth for God, but with all the lies tossed about like candy at a parade, who would listen? Especially when they didn’t want to… The same thing happens today, we all know it is happening, and we need to be on our guard. It starts with doing what Israel refused to, listening to God. Both in prayer, and in reading His actual written Word, we will see what the truth looks like.
When we see and hear God’s actual words, only then we can know for certain what is true or false in our world. Many claim to be God’s followers, but the road is still as narrow as it ever was–not a claim that is popular by any stretch. Weigh every word you hear, and filter it through the lens of God’s Word, unchanging and uncompromising.
We all have itching ears that like to be tickled, but indulging such a whim is not Jesus came and died for. He came to bring us truth, and life more abundant, and gave us a way to the Father. Don’t give that up for anything, least of all for slick words and wishy-washy morality. Hold fast to truth, to God’s truth, and make Him your guide, today and every day.