Today, I am reading and commenting on  Jeremiah 4-6.

I think it is important to remember that Jeremiah began prophesying while Josiah was king.  Josiah was one of the most faithful kings which Judah had, yet I believe Jeremiah made the prophesy we read today while Josiah still reigned.  He tells the people of Judah to put aside the detestable idols which they worshiped.  He called on them to only invoke the Lord in a just, truthful, and righteous way.  He tells us to break up our unplowed ground and circumcise our hearts.  When he tells us that last, he is referring to cutting away something unnecessary from the most vulnerable part of us so that it will no longer interfere with our service to God.  Jeremiah goes on to tell the people of Judah that if they do not do this a terrible time is coming, a time of disaster and destruction.  He speaks of the dishonesty of the people.  God tells Jeremiah to search Jerusalem for an honest person.  If he can find just one, God promised to forgive the people of their sins.  Jeremiah went to the common people and found them unwilling to repent of their sins.  So, he went to the leaders of the land and found that they too had rebelled against God and refused to deal honestly.  I do not think that Jeremiah meant for us to take the idea that there was not even one honest person in Jerusalem literally.  Rather, we are to understand that it only takes a few honest and faithful people among many to transform society.  Later in the passage Jeremiah tells us that God’s people did not seek justice, did not promote the case of the fatherless, nor defend the just cause of the poor.  Today, I look at our society and see terrible things coming because of the sins of our nation (and when I look around the world, I see the same thing in most of the nations of the world), but God is looking for just a few people to stand up for justice and honesty.  Will we who are called by His name answer His call?  Let us allow Him to use us to transform our society.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.