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“Shall the women eat their fruit, and children of a span long?” Lamentations 2:20.

I frequently marvel and tremble at the disregard, the indifference, that all too many ministers and elders show with regards the consequence of casually setting aside the eternal Word of God.

The most indifferent and blasé reading of God’s Word will nevertheless bring before us the most terrible warnings that  the Lord God issues regarding the ramifications of ignoring and disobeying His commands.

In the ‘Lamentations of Jeremiah’, recorded after the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians in 588 BC, there is contained the most heart-rending depictions of the consequences of Judah’s failings to heed the warning of the ‘Weeping Prophet’ which were commanded of God to be preached over a period of some 41 years, according to James Ussher’s chronology.

During that time, the people showed their dismissive disregard for the Word of God by repeatedly abusing and ill-treating the messenger of God, the prophet Jeremiah.

Commanded

In the year 609 BC, the prophet was commanded of the Lord to:—

“Stand in the court of the LORD’S house, and speak unto all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the LORD’S house, all the words that I command thee to speak unto them; diminish not a word: if so be they will hearken, and turn every man from his evil way, that I may repent me of the evil, which I purpose to do unto them because of the evil of their doings. And thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD; If ye will not hearken to me, to walk in my law, which I have set before you, to hearken to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I sent unto you, both rising up early, and sending them, but ye have not hearkened; then will I make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth.

So the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the LORD. Now it came to pass, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the LORD had commanded him to speak unto all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people took him, saying, Thou shalt surely die. Why hast thou prophesied in the name of the LORD, saying, This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate without an inhabitant?

And all the people were gathered against Jeremiah in the house of the LORD. When the princes of Judah heard these things, then they came up from the king’s house unto the house of the LORD, and sat down in the entry of the new gate of the LORD’S house. ¨s and to all the people, saying, This man is worthy to die; for he hath prophesied against this city, as ye have heard with your ears. Then spake Jeremiah unto all the princes and to all the people, saying, The LORD sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that ye have heard. Therefore now amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the LORD your God; and the LORD will repent him of the evil that he hath pronounced against you. As for me, behold, I am in your hand: do with me as seemeth good and meet unto you. But know ye for certain, that if ye put me to death, ye shall surely bring innocent blood upon yourselves, and upon this city, and upon the inhabitants thereof: for of a truth the LORD hath sent me unto you to speak all these words in your ears,” Jeremiah 26:2-15.

What words are these?

When I read these words I noted :—

1. The people were led by blinded and ignorant priests to reject the Word of God. (more…)