What is the meaning of Jeremiah 5:12? They have lied about the LORD • The people and their prophets had reshaped God’s character to fit their wishes, denying His holiness, justice, and faithfulness to His own words (Deuteronomy 32:4; Jeremiah 14:14). • This was not ignorance but deliberate distortion—“lied,” not merely “misunderstood.” They preferred a god who would never confront them, much like those who “mocked God’s messengers” in 2 Chronicles 36:15-16. • Any time we re-imagine God so He never offends us, we repeat their lie (Isaiah 59:13; John 14:6 reminds us the real God is “the Truth”). He will not do anything • They presumed God’s inaction—echoing Zephaniah 1:12, where complacent men say, “The LORD will do nothing, good or bad.” • Delay in judgment looked like disinterest, yet God’s patience was mercy (Ecclesiastes 8:11; 2 Peter 3:9-10). • Scoffers in every age ask, “Where is the promise of His coming?” (2 Peter 3:3-4), but God sees and will act (Hebrews 4:13). Harm will not come to us • False confidence flourished. Leaders claimed, “No disaster will come upon us” (Micah 3:11; Jeremiah 23:17). • Such optimism ignored covenant warnings that disobedience invites discipline (Leviticus 26:14-17). • Genuine trust rests in repentance and obedience, not in wishful guarantees (Psalm 91:14-16 shows protection tied to love for God). We will not see sword or famine • Sword and famine were signature covenant curses for unfaithfulness (Deuteronomy 28:47-52). • God’s prophets had already predicted both (Jeremiah 14:13-16; Ezekiel 6:11-12). • Revelation 6:8 shows these judgments still function as divine instruments against persistent rebellion. • Denying the possibility of discipline dulls urgency to repent, leaving people unprepared when judgment arrives (1 Thessalonians 5:3). summary Jeremiah 5:12 captures a four-fold self-deception: redefining God, presuming His passivity, claiming immunity from harm, and dismissing promised judgments. Such thinking springs from hearts that love sin more than truth. God’s unchanging nature ensures He will confront sin, yet His delays are merciful invitations to repent. Trusting Him means embracing His whole counsel—both warnings and promises—and responding with humble obedience, not hollow optimism. |
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