Turn with me to Jeremiah 5 where we'll find Jeremiah in the midst of topsy-turvy times himself. Jeremiah, the prophet - not the bullfrog, wrote these words to Israel. According to the timeline in my bible, he delivered this prophecy or message about 612 BC but his prophetic message wasn't just for them. I think a lot of times we only think of prophets as future predictors that don't have much relevance afterwards but that's only part of it.

But prophets aren't just predictors they're spokesman. According to Merriam-Webster the word prophet comes from Middle English prophete, which comes from Old French, which comes from the Latin word propheta, which traces back to the Greek prophetes, which in turn comes from two root words, pro meaning for and phanai meaning to speak. So a prophet is simply one who is for to speak.

Throughout the Old and New Testament it is used to mean someone who delivers God's message. A prophet is a man or woman who preaches and teaches the word of God, delivering and clarifying His message. And God's messages are relevant to all of us. If it weren't relevant to other generations the Jews and early Christians wouldn't have preserved it in the canons of scripture.

So let's read and as we read I want to share some thoughts with you. Now I’m reading from the NIV so the wording may be slightly different but that particular translation helped me grasp this particular passage.

Jeremiah 5:1-31 (NIV)
¹ "Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem, look around and consider, search through her squares. If you can find but one person who deals honestly and seeks the truth, I will forgive this city.

Go up and down the streets of Atlanta, go up and down the streets of Newnan, go up and down the streets of Sharpsburg and find one totally honest person seeking the truth. I bet you can't do it. We’re a society that thinks nothing of taking extra time at work on break, using office supplies, downloading music and software illegally, cheating on taxes, speeding to work. It's all dishonesty no matter how we may excuse it. No matter the reason it's still dishonesty.

² Although they say, 'As surely as the LORD lives,' still they are swearing falsely."
³ O LORD, do not your eyes look for truth? You struck them, but they felt no pain; you crushed them, but they refused correction. They made their faces harder than stone and refused to repent.
⁴ I thought, "These are only the poor; they are foolish, for they do not know the way of the LORD , the requirements of their God.

These people were what we might call grassroots people, humble people, common people, and the average Joe's. None of them are righteous.

⁵ So I will go to the leaders and speak to them; surely they know the way of the LORD, the requirements of their God." But with one accord they too had broken off the yoke and torn off the bonds.

Leaders should at least be a bit better but that wasn't the case. The leaders are as bad. As Christians we ought to be leaders – leading the world to the light and love of Jesus but sins like theft, divorce, and adultery are as high in Christians as non-Christians. What the heck is going on? Are we leading or are we following?

⁶ Therefore a lion from the forest will attack them, a wolf from the desert will ravage them, a leopard will lie in wait near their towns to tear to pieces any who venture out, for their rebellion is great and their backslidings many.

God allowed sneaky predators to come to get our attention. When I read that I wondered, "Is that much different from terrorists? Aren't they sneaky predators?"

⁷ "Why should I forgive you? Your children have forsaken me and sworn by gods that are not gods. I supplied all their needs, yet they committed adultery and thronged to the houses of prostitutes.
⁸ They are well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing for another man's wife.
⁹ Should I not punish them for this?" declares the LORD. "Should I not avenge myself on such a nation as this?
¹⁰ "Go through her vineyards and ravage them, but do not destroy them completely. Strip off her branches, for these people do not belong to the LORD.
¹¹ The house of Israel and the house of Judah have been utterly unfaithful to me," declares the LORD.

The house of America has been utterly unfaithful to the Lord. The American dream is to make money and climb above everyone else. Is that a servant's heart? I don't think so.

¹² They have lied about the LORD; they said, "He will do nothing! No harm will come to us; we will never see sword or famine.
¹³ The prophets are but wind and the word is not in them; so let what they say be done to them."
¹⁴ Therefore this is what the LORD God Almighty says: "Because the people have spoken these words, I will make my words in your mouth a fire and these people the wood it consumes.
¹⁵ O house of Israel," declares the LORD, "I am bringing a distant nation against you- an ancient and enduring nation, a people whose language you do not know, whose speech you do not understand.
¹⁶ Their quivers are like an open grave; all of them are mighty warriors.
¹⁷ They will devour your harvests and food, devour your sons and daughters; they will devour your flocks and herds, devour your vines and fig trees. With the sword they will destroy the fortified cities in which you trust.

Again my mind thinks of the terrorists and the war in Iraq. The Muslims tracing their ancestry back to Abraham and to Ishmael have been around as long as the Jews going back to Isaac. In fact, Ishmael was born first though he was not the child of Sarah.

¹⁸ "Yet even in those days," declares the LORD, "I will not destroy you completely.
¹⁹ And when the people ask, 'Why has the LORD our God done all this to us?' you will tell them, 'As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your own land, so now you will serve foreigners in a land not your own.'
²⁰ "Announce this to the house of Jacob and proclaim it in Judah: ²¹ Hear this, you foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear:

OK, really listen. Hear this. Too often we read the bible and its some old familiar book and we don't really hear it. We don't really listen. God knows that so he says here. "Hey you. Yes, YOU!!! I'm talking to you! Listen up!"

²² Should you not fear me?" declares the LORD. "Should you not tremble in my presence? I made the sand a boundary for the sea, an everlasting barrier it cannot cross. The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail; they may roar, but they cannot cross it.
²³ But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts; they have turned aside and gone away.
²⁴ They do not say to themselves, 'Let us fear the LORD our God, who gives autumn and spring rains in season, who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.'

We don't care about the past. Who cares anymore what the early church taught we just have to know what we are taught now. It doesn't matter what the early church fathers said and taught unless it happens to agree with what our pastors are teaching now. Who cares why we believe this and that? Our motto is, "The preacher said it, I believe it, and that settles it?" Where are the Bereans among us today who will search out the past to verify what is said from the pulpits each week. But noone seems to care about the Jewish customs and traditions of Jesus’ day? We want God's word to be relevant to us but instead we should seek to be relevant to it. And we don't care about the future either. If I were to ask who's ready for the Lord to come back I'm sure we'd almost all raise our hands. Fact is though I'm not ready - I know there's some lost people still out there - some that I'm possibly personally responsible for. That scares me. That challenges me. It should motivate me. I don't want their blood on my hands. 2 Peter 3:11-12 (NLT) tells us "Since everything around us is going to melt away, what holy, godly lives you should be living! You should look forward to that day and hurry it along--the day when God will set the heavens on fire and the elements will melt away in the flames. But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world where everyone is right with God." Our society has adopted a "What’s in it for me" attitude. Wonder what would have happened if God were the originator of that concept. "Man sinned. Well I could save them but what’s in it for me? Truly loving, truly righteous, truly right living people aren’t like that."

²⁵ Your wrongdoings have kept these away; your sins have deprived you of good.

We don't get the blessings of God because we settle for our little sins. When I say blessings, I'm not talking about money or the junk it buys I'm talking about the peace, the restful solace, in his arms when we are doing what he wants us to do - when we are truly living like Jesus. When someone cuts you off tomorrow on the way in to work, forgive them. Forgive them even if you had to slam on your brakes. And pray for them. If someone needs to merge in, let them. Slow down. Be nice. You'd be amazed at how much it can help your day. Undeserved acts of kindness and forgiveness emanating from a Christ-like spirit - that's where you'll find his blessings, not in the lottery, not even in the walls of the local church but in your day to day life. That's where you live your life - that's where the abundant life comes in. Day to day. Jesus tells us in John 10:10 (KJV), "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." Life right here, right now – day by day.

²⁶ "Among my people are wicked men who lie in wait like men who snare birds and like those who set traps to catch men.
²⁷ Like cages full of birds, their houses are full of deceit; they have become rich and powerful
²⁸ and have grown fat and sleek. Their evil deeds have no limit; they do not plead the case of the fatherless to win it, they do not defend the rights of the poor.

He speaks of greedy empty people, corrupt politicians, liberal judges... need I say more?

²⁹ Should I not punish them for this?" declares the LORD. "Should I not avenge myself on such a nation as this?
³⁰ "A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land:
³¹ The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way. But what will you do in the end?

Prophets aren't simply future tellers they're delivery people for God so here the passage is talking about people with false messages. In countless churches on countless Sunday mornings people get a watered down gospel to tickle their ears like Paul talks about over in 2 Timothy and people eat it up. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. (2 Timothy 4:3-4 KJV)