Prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit. They dress the wounds of my people as though it were not serious. 'Peace, peace,' they say, when there is no peace. (Jeremiah 6:13,14)A hundred years earlier the grandparents of these same people were convinced the Assyrian army was going to overrun the city. Panic was running rampant, but Isaiah told them to hold fast - that God would deliver them. And God came through. Isaiah's reassurance and the eventual outcome of those events were congruent with the prevailing Zion theology. Yahweh is the greatest God; He lives in the temple; the temple is in Jerusalem. Therefore, Jerusalem is invincible.
Now it was Jeremiah's unenviable task to convince the people that Jerusalem would in fact be destroyed by the Babylonians - the new superpower on the block. He was speaking in opposition to not only Zion theology, but also to the established priesthood and the politically correct temple prophets who said, Don't worry; be happy.
At the root of Jerusalem's troubles was a very real problem - its rejection of the first commandment and its treatment of the poor. Religious leaders refused to acknowledge the gravity of the nation's sinfulness. While they were saying, These societal wounds aren't serious; let's put on a clean band-aid and cover up the ugliness, Jeremiah was warning that Jerusalem needed surgery... and that surgery was going to be provided by the Babylonian army.
Denial never healed anything. Are you ready for real treatment?
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