What it takes to hear and speak truth (Jer 6:1-15)

Some years ago, a counsellor friend enrolled in a course to learn about drama techniques in therapy. Seeing the enormous impact of such practises in the group on the training programme, a question niggled at her. ‘Aren’t you afraid that these methods may unearth truths about a person that they find unbearable to live with?’, she asked. The trainer’s response was memorable, ‘People cannot hear truths that they are not ready to accept.’ Hearing truth is not always easy but speaking it can be difficult too when the news is unwelcome. My mother told me that when my grandmother was dying of cancer the doctors were hedging and would not tell her about her condition. Yet, it is recognised today that dying patients need to know where they stand to prepare for what is ahead.

Life and death in the balance

In Jeremiah we encounter these life and death issues as the chapter opens with a frightful image of coming destruction. The warning to flee follows the line of invasion from north to south, from the tribe of Benjamin north of Jerusalem to the cities south of it (Jer 6:1). The shepherd metaphor, normally depicting royal care for the people, is turned on its head to describe foreign military leaders bent on destruction in besieging Jerusalem (Jer 6:3). Holladay points out the element of arrogance expressed in the timing of battle – even starting at the hottest part of the day (noon) and going into the night when lack of lighting makes fighting difficult are no obstacle for these troops (Jer 6:4), while Judah cries out in despair as the shadows lengthen and the battle is not done (v.4b).[1] Despite the enemy’s superiority and the desolate landscape without trees (cut down probably for siege-works), the people’s wickedness is unabated without any response to God’s warning (Jer 6:6-8). No wonder judgement will come like a double gleaning at harvest when the grape gatherer goes round a second time for grapes missed (possibly a reference to the two sieges of Jerusalem in 597 and 587 BC).

Why God’s people cannot hear

In the face of this, Jeremiah cries out in despair: to whom can he speak and who will listen when people have their ears plugged (literally ‘uncircumcised’, Jer 6:10; Holladay translates this into a Christian context as ‘their ear is unbaptised’).[2] Circumcision was a sign of Israel’s covenant commitment to God, but such dedication to Him was missing in the way the people listened. It is not that they scorned what they thought was God’s Word, they simply did not recognise the true source of Jeremiah’s words. Because they were unwilling to accept a message that spoke of God’s judgment, they were unable to take it in. This difficulty was compounded by prophets and priests who acted in self-serving ways (sheqer; ‘deals falsely’, Jer 6:13) and promised peace and well-being from God, bringing them recognition, acknowledgement, even material benefit. However, their approach need not have been a cynical peddling of positive messages for gain, but a genuine but mistaken conviction that this was really what God had in mind for His people.[3]

What makes the difference?

The message of the false prophets about peace and well-being resonates in our world today when so many seek God in the expectation that He will ease our pain and loneliness and make our lives better, happier and more fulfilled. Many sermons never tackle the hard truths of Scripture about our sins, our propensity to seek the wrong things in the wrong place or to look selfishly for God’s gifts detached from a committed relationship with Him. Instead, preachers frequently offer a therapeutic mixture of encouragement and reassurance about God’s endless love and care with no strings attached. Sadly, neither the speakers nor the listeners of such messages can hear what is wrong with this when they are unwilling to embark on that demanding journey of true transformation that comes when we accept Jesus’ challenge, ‘Come, follow Me!’. It is only in that radical re-orientation of our lives around God that we are transformed and can flourish. In that close fellowship with the Lord our priorities are re-arranged, so that we gain a new perspective on adversity and on what truly matters and can face life’s difficulties with courage and trust in the Lord to the end.

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[1] William L. Holladay, Jeremiah 1: A Commentary on the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah, Chapters 1-25, Hermeneia (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1986), 206-207. Fighting usually commenced early in the morning to give maximum time for conquest (remember Joshua who asked for the sun to stand still thereby lengthening the day; Josh 10:12-13).

[2] Ibid., 214.

[3] See for instance the episode between Jeremiah and another prophet, Hananiah, with a conflicting message from God in Jer 28:1-17. It seems that Hananiah was entirely convinced of the truth of his message as inspired by God.

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