PerryDox – BeJustAChristian

Parents often ask their children questions.  Some are productive – “What did you learn in school today?”  Some are inane – “How many times do I have to tell you….”  Some questions are not even real questions – “Son, do you want to take out the garbage?”  My mother actually asked me that!  When I answered, “No,” my mother’s response was, “It wasn’t a question!”  Oh well…I thought it best not to question whether it was a question.

There is another question that parents have asked, “Are you trying to make me mad?”  That question might be followed by a sarcastic, congratulatory statement, “Because if you are, you are doing a good job of it!”  By asking that facetious question, the parent is hoping to shock their children into thinking about their actions and the consequences that follow.

Well, let’s ask the same question to us adults with a little twist.  “Are we trying to make God mad?” 

Stupid question, I know.  And yet…it seems many people, almost our entire nation –  and even ourselves sometimes – are just daring God to get mad at us.  Let’s make the picture perfectly clear – would it be smart or stupid to walk up to a police officer and kick him in the shin?  Stupid.  Most people are smart enough not to…but there are those….

The book of Jeremiah was written to a stupid audience.  Don’t believe me?  Does that sound unduly harsh?  We want to be politically correct, don’t we?  Look at the evidence:

• Jeremiah 4:22 “For My people are foolish, They know Me not; They are stupid children And have no understanding. They are shrewd to do evil, But to do good they do not know.”
• Jeremiah 10:8 But they are altogether stupid and foolish In their discipline of delusion–their idol is wood!
• Jeremiah 10:14 Every man is stupid, devoid of knowledge; Every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols; For his molten images are deceitful, And there is no breath in them.
• Jeremiah 10:21 For the shepherds have become stupid And have not sought the LORD; Therefore they have not prospered, And all their flock is scattered.
• Jeremiah 51:17 All mankind is stupid, devoid of knowledge; Every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols, For his molten images are deceitful, And there is no breath in them.

In The Power of Preaching, James E. Smith (p.203ff), analyzes ones of Jeremiah’s sermons (5:1-31), enumerating six reasons why the terrible judgment on Jerusalem was necessary.  They had made God mad:

• Moral Corruption (5:1-6)
• Sexual Impurity (5:7-9)
• Treacherous Unbelief (5:10-18)
• Religious Apostasy (5:19-24)
• Social Injustice (5:25-29)
• Corrupt Leaders (5:30,31)

Aren’t we glad we don’t have any of those problems in our society?  Yea, right!  We would be kidding ourselves, outright deceiving ourselves, to deny such obvious truth.  And yet, the majority of people do not care.  Looking at the context of Jeremiah, let’s expound upon these six ways to make God mad:

• Moral Corruption – God wanted something simple; He wanted people to do the right thing for the right reason.  God wanted justice and truth.  God wants the same today.
• Sexual Impurity – Fornication, adultery, prostitution are plagues to society – always have been.  Prostitution is not a “victimless crime.”  Adultery destroys homes.  Fornication pollutes homes before there is even a home because of the emotional damage done.  Unwanted children bring poverty at best and abortion at worst.
• Treacherous Unbelief – God condemned Israel for their unbelief.  In America, we have the freedom of religion (the First Amendment).  We have the freedom to believe, to believe incorrectly, and to not belief.  As a right and freedom, this is precious.  But spiritually, it is dangerous.
• Religious Apostasy – Who is the god of America?  Our history and culture is definitely Judeo-Christian, but more and more the false god of self has hedonistically enthroned itself to rule in too many hearts – sadly maybe even ourselves as we are sometimes self-deceived.
• Social Injustice – The “cause of the orphan”, the “rights of the poor” still today are trampled upon by those with power.  The weak have always, and will always, be at the mercy of the strong.  Yes, we live in a society where charity is encouraged (and tax deductible), and of that we should be thankful.  But…could more be done?  Are some still oppressed?
• Corrupt Leaders – As a nation, America is better than almost any other politically.  And yet corruption is still evident although not rampant.  The leaders of Jeremiah are spiritual leaders, prophets who prophesy falsely, and priests who rule on their own authority.  Religious leaders today are found to be corrupt, power-hungry, money-grabbing, spiritual dwarfs.  And yet, just like then, today, “people love it so.”

One day, we will stand before the Son of the Parent, the Father.  We don’t want Jesus asking, “Are you trying to make our Father mad?”

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This entry was posted by PHall on Monday, October 12th, 2009 at 2:14 pm and is filed under Jeremiah. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.