August 28, 2020: Day 6 – Jeremiah 6

We find ourselves in the midst of another long and difficult chapter.  We find the completeness of the destruction that is to come to Zion described consistently by the words: “parents and children together, neighbor and friend shall perish.” vs.21.  The description of what is to come according to  Jeremiah is not piecemeal and does not differentiate between the just and the unjust.  All will fall to the sword that is to come.  Jeremiah tells the people to flee for safety, leave Jerusalem and find refuge in places where your ancestors found refuge: caves, wilderness, forests.

So what can we learn from this?  How are we able to glean anything from these words which obviously are directed at a people who are meeting certain doom?  We do find words  which describe the why this is happening.  Look at vs.13 and following.  We find that everyone is greedy for unjust gain and everyone deals falsely.   They acted shamefully and they committed abomination.

The advice that we are given is seen in vs.16 where we read: “Thus says the Lord, stand at the crossroads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way lies; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.  But they said: “We will not walk in it.”  If we are not going to walk in the way that the Lord lays out for us then we should not be surprised if we find ourselves in the midst of violence, upheaval, division and discord.  These are all fruits of our actions.  For the people of Israel in Jeremiah it was too late.  I hope and I pray that we find ourselves before the point of no return.