The lectionary has skipped about four chapters in Jeremiah. I skimmed them and found more despair about the utter corruption that Jeremiah was seeing. The people would not do what God wanted them to, and God tells them their time is about up. Jeremiah warns them to flee from the invading army. Then, in chapter 7, he ties to get them to repent and change their ways. The Lord tells him to forget it, that the people are not going to stop their evil.
In this week's lesson, Jeremiah mourns for the people, "My joy is gone, grief is upon me, my heart is sick." They ignored his warnings, they are going to suffer, and, even though they ignored him, he is mourning what is going to befall them.
He asks if there isn't any way to save the people from destruction, "Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there?"
But, there had been balm and physicians. They just had ignored them.
God's way had been made known to them as God's way continues to be made known to us. By "God's way," I mean the way that God intends for us to go. Do we, like our predecessors, think ourselves immune from consequences of our foolish decisions and malicious deeds? And, if we admit that we aren't immune, then do we refuse medication?
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