May 29, 2020

Jeremiah 5 reads like the bizarro version of Job where Satan “challenges” God concerning Job’s integrity and where in Jeremiah 5 we see God “challenges” Jeremiah to find a single honest man on the streets of Jerusalem in which Jeremiah couldn’t find one where it could spare incoming judgment on the city.

It’s ironic that Jeremiah initially believes the reason why he couldn’t find anyone because they were of a lower class but then he goes off to examine the more privileged and sophisticated to see that they had the same lack of values and integrity (v.4-5).

When comparing it to our current culture, Don Carson asks this when meditating on this chapter in his book “For the Love of God, Volume 2”

““How many of these elements are playing out today?”

It’s a good question, and one that perhaps we don’t consider enough as preachers and Christians. Doesn’t it seem that the implicit assumption toward the wealthy is that they’re spiritually and morally ‘okay’ while the poor are obviously the ones with the spiritual problems. Sometimes we might even think the poor are poor because they’re spiritually bankrupt. We diagnose ‘white collar’ and ‘blue collar’ crime, as though they weren’t both examples of coveting, thievery, and “spiritual rot” as Carson calls it.

This’ll preach:

 “Intelligent sinners use their intelligence to sin; sophisticated sinners concoct sophisticated reasons for thinking sin is not sin; upper-crust sinners indulge in upper-crust sin.”

And doesn’t the Bible tell us it’s the rich that exploit and oppress us? Why our love affair with wealth, and our willing complicity with their sin? 

The rich man in his comforts takes an air-conditioned ride toward hell. And the poor man in his misery suffers on his way to the same flames.

We need preaching and pastoral practice that isn’t deceived by riches, but speaks the truth to power so that all–rich and poor–might be saved.”

By: Erik Koliser — West Campus Pastor