How can we ensure our actions don't lead to "hissing" and "everlasting scorn"? The Warning of Hissing and Everlasting Scorn Jeremiah paints a sober picture: “I will make this city a ruin and a curse. All who pass by it will be appalled and will hiss at all its wounds” (Jeremiah 19:8). Later the Lord adds, “I will bring upon you everlasting disgrace and perpetual shame that will not be forgotten” (Jeremiah 23:40). Hissing signals open contempt; everlasting scorn marks a reproach that outlives the generation that earned it. God’s people lost His protection when they abandoned His covenant. We avoid their fate by choosing a different path. Roots of the Problem • Forgetting the Lord’s works (Psalm 106:13) • Idolatry—placing anything above God (Jeremiah 18:15) • Willful disobedience to clear commands (2 Chronicles 24:20) • Mocking or silencing prophetic warning (Jeremiah 25:4–7) • Hypocrisy—external religion without surrendered hearts (Isaiah 29:13) Heart Guardrails That Protect Us • Remember regularly: rehearse what God has done (Deuteronomy 6:12; 1 Corinthians 11:24–26). • Keep first love alive: treasure Christ above every rival (Revelation 2:4–5). • Submit to Scripture: “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only” (James 1:22). • Welcome correction: “Exhort one another daily… so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness” (Hebrews 3:13). • Cultivate humility: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). Practical Steps for Daily Life 1. Begin the day in the Word before the world speaks (Psalm 119:147). 2. Pray through decisions, seeking God’s will, not just His endorsement (Proverbs 3:5–6). 3. Confess sin immediately; keep accounts short (1 John 1:9). 4. Choose companions who spur obedience, not compromise (Proverbs 13:20; 1 Corinthians 15:33). 5. Serve actively—idle hearts slide fastest (Galatians 5:13). Family and Community Safeguards • Establish Scripture and worship at home (Deuteronomy 6:6–9). • Tell children the consequences of disobedience and the blessings of obedience (Psalm 78:6–8). • Anchor church life in clear preaching, loving discipline, and visible holiness (2 Timothy 4:2; Matthew 18:15–17). God’s Promises for the Obedient • Honor: “Those who honor Me I will honor” (1 Samuel 2:30). • Security: “The righteous will never be shaken, but the wicked will not inhabit the land” (Proverbs 10:30). • Lasting legacy: “The memory of the righteous is a blessing” (Proverbs 10:7). • Eternal reward: “Well done, good and faithful servant… Enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21). Staying alert, obedient, and humble keeps us from choices that provoke hissing and everlasting scorn—and positions us for honor before God and man. |
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