Jeremiah 14-15; Colossians 3-4
Today our passage in Proverbs 24:15-22 contrasts “the righteous” with “the wicked” and is packed with at least seven “do not” warnings: “do not lie in wait like an outlaw,” and “do not raid a righteous man’s home” (verse 15); “do not gloat when your enemy falls” (verse 17); “do not fret because of evil men or envy the wicked” (verse 19); and “do not join with the rebellious” (verse 21). The Scriptures view evil and wicked men and women as “enemies” to the child of God, and their deeds and actions characterize the acerbic attitudes of their hearts. Here, the writer warns us not to associate or identify with them in any way. These verses assure us that the wicked – who have “no hope” – will also “stumble,” and “their lamp will be suddenly snuffed out” (verses 16-23). We notice that “the LORD and the king” join forces against them to “send sudden destruction and unknowable calamities” on them (verses 21-22). Anyone who has ever remotely observed life must surely recognize the veracity of this truth. I thank God that His Word provides us with a guide for our daily conduct and with the principles that we need to avoid the actions of evil people.
The pathos of Jeremiah 14-15 reminds me how our world suffers from its truly depraved and desperate condition. In chapter 14, we read that Judah and Jerusalem were languishing in their plight. “The nobles send their servants for water; they go to the cisterns but find no water and return with their jars unfilled” (verses 2-3). God judges His people with drought, famine, and sword, and the people actually know why. Jeremiah says, “Our sins testify against us … our backsliding is great … we have sinned against You” (verse 7). Again, we see that the LORD told Jeremiah, “Do not pray for the well-being of this people” (cf., 7:16 and 14:11). God says, “I will not listen to their cry … I will not accept them … instead, I will destroy them with the sword, famine, and plague” (verse 12). Isaiah prophesied the same thing (cf., Isaiah 1:14-31). Other prophets were “prophesying lies in God’s name” (verse 14). Life in Judah and Jerusalem had become so sinfully deceitful, so morally dishonest, and so totally desperate because of “false prophetic visions, divinations, idolatries, and deluded minds” (verse 14). Conditions seemed beyond the scope of God’s forgiveness. Coming to chapter 15, we read that “the LORD said to Jeremiah, ‘Even if Moses and Samuel were to stand before me, my heart would not go out to this people. Send them away from my presence! Send them to death, to the sword, to starvation, and to captivity” (verses 15:1-2). God is always infinitely forgiving, but – at some point – those reprobate and defiant people had stepped over the line of God’s forgiveness and entered the realm of His dreadful judgment. I wonder if our own culture is standing in the proximity of judgment?
Like Proverbs 24:15-22, Colossians 3-4 also advises us to follow several “do” and “do not” practices. On our “to do” list, we are to “put to death sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed – all of which is “idolatry” (verse 5). These sins are relational and have a way of coming between us and God – dividing us – removing and separating our allegiances from Him. In addition, we are to “rid ourselves of anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language” (verses 5-8). God is concerned about the expressions of our hearts and mouths. The “to do” list grows longer and includes “clothing ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience” (verse 12). Paul’s “do not” list for us is very short – simply “do not lie” (verse 9). The chapter also addresses further conduct for us as believers, but to summarize, these actions do not seem burdensome to me. In my view, a life cleansed by daily care, order, and regular maintenance seems a whole lot easier to manage than a life stained with perpetual sloth, disorder, and constant neglect due to a disregard of house-cleaning for days and weeks on end. Who wants to live there?
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