Pride of Rejection and False Teaching

Jeremiah 8:1-12

1 "At that time," says the LORD, "they shall bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of its princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of their graves. 2 They shall spread them before the sun and the moon and all the host of heaven, which they have loved and which they have served and after which they have walked, which they have sought and which they have worshiped. They shall not be gathered nor buried; they shall be like refuse on the face of the earth. 3 Then death shall be chosen rather than life by all the residue of those who remain of this evil family, who remain in all the places where I have driven them," says the LORD of hosts.

4 "Moreover you shall say to them, 'Thus says the LORD:
"Will they fall and not rise?
Will one turn away and not return?
5 Why has this people slidden back,
Jerusalem, in a perpetual backsliding?
They hold fast to deceit,
They refuse to return.

6 I listened and heard,
But they do not speak aright.
No man repented of his wickedness,
Saying, 'What have I done?'
Everyone turned to his own course,
As the horse rushes into the battle.

7 "Even the stork in the heavens
Knows her appointed times;
And the turtledove, the swift, and the swallow
Observe the time of their coming.
But My people do not know the judgment of the LORD.

8 "How can you say, 'We are wise,
And the law of the LORD is with us'?
Look, the false pen of the scribe certainly works falsehood.
9 The wise men are ashamed,
They are dismayed and taken.
Behold, they have rejected the word of the LORD;
So what wisdom do they have?

10 Therefore I will give their wives to others,
And their fields to those who will inherit them;
Because from the least even to the greatest
Everyone is given to covetousness;
From the prophet even to the priest
Everyone deals falsely.

11 For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of My people slightly,
Saying, 'Peace, peace!'
When there is no peace.

12 Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination?
No! They were not at all ashamed,
Nor did they know how to blush.
Therefore they shall fall among those who fall;
In the time of their punishment
They shall be cast down," says the LORD.

Israel as God’s people had rejected His word with a deaf ear and sought out false teaching that tickled their ears to fit what they wanted to do instead.  They had chosen death over repentance and had slidden back away from His word and worship.  They obstinately refused to return to the LORD, choosing deceit to make life easy without accountability and choosing lies from false prophets of the health and wealth variety seen today over correction and holiness of willing obedience.  The prophet heard them speak of the wickedness they did and how they felt no remorse or conviction of their sin, but rushed into ever-increasing evil in opposition to the scriptures.  People in their fallen nature of total depravity continue to do the same until God gives them a new heart and Spirit with His word inscribed on their hearts to live otherwise.  The comparison of how even birds know what to do flew in the face of His people who cannot see the times and judgment of the LORD right before their eyes.  They pretended to be wise (Romans 1:21-22) but reliance on religion and appearances backed by false prophets only brought more lies they had relied on with disastrous results.  By rejecting the word of the Lord they became fools devoid of the wisdom they touted as possessing.  This thinking persists today even among those in the church to our shame!  The result of their sin of rejecting Him was loss of all things that He had given them.  Sin has many costs.  Covetous minds and dishonest dealings did not seem to stop them from crying their is peace, peace, when there is no peace for the wicked.  They had no shame before God as they raced towards punishment just as it will continue to be for most of the world who hears and rejects the gospel or replaces it with a false hope in religious alliance without the Lord and only Author of salvation.  Israel had chosen the wide road to destruction instead of the way along the scriptures which pointed to the Christ to come.  May we learn from their bad example to instead choose sound teaching and not desire to have our ears tickled by what we want for ourselves at the expense of righteousness and true holiness (Ephesians 4:24) and warn others of the judgment to come as we share the hope of reconciliation in the grace of the cross of Jesus Christ.  This is a warning of the Pride of Rejection and False Teaching which continues from Israel then to us today.