“From the least to the greatest their lives are ruled by greed. From prophets to priests, they are all frauds. They offer superficial treatments for my people’s mortal wound. They give assurances of peace when there is no peace. Are they ashamed of their disgusting actions? Not at all—they don’t even know how to blush! Therefore, they will lie among the slaughtered. They will be brought down when I punish them,” says the Lord.” Jeremiah 6:13-15
The entire nation was obsessed with covetousness. And covetousness is the great sin in America. There is the coveting of gold and silver, riches, fame, and the neighbor’s wife. Those are the things men covet. God looked at the culture of the Kingdom of Judah and saw how thoroughly greedy and corrupt it was. Even – or perhaps especially – the prophet and the priest were part of the greed and corruption.
There was a reformation on the surface. There was a little healing, but it was like pouring talcum powder on a cancer and then saying it is healed. “Peace, peace!” When there is no peace: These were the smooth words of the false prophets, assuring Judah that everything was fine when in fact it was not. Peace, peace is a wonderful message to bring, and one that most people want to hear. The problem is that sometimes it isn’t true. Sometimes there is war and conflict that we must deal with, whether we would like to or not. Most significantly, there are times when God’s word to His people is not peace, but “repent” and “prepare for judgment”. Today we hear the message of peace in the churches today. This is the message that the people want to hear. Yes, if we are living for God and obeying Him, we will have peace in our lives, but we need to tell the people the truth of the Gospel.