Here is Jeremiah sitting amongst the ruins of the great holy city of Jerusalem. It was a city that was said to be impenetrable, and it is often used in the Psalms as a symbol and metaphor of the security of God’s people. But now the city lies in ashes and Jeremiah is left to reflect on how this great city came to such an end. The people had come out from the protection of God who was the real shield of Jerusalem and though God tried to address her vulnerability she would not listen. For every word from God that Judah received there were one hundred more from a large company of false prophets all keen to win royal favour by flattery. This is what Jeremiah sees as a key cause of the tragedy that had befallen his people. Not everybody had access to the court of a king but there were many false prophets who the kings of Judah were happy to open their doors to. It was a different matter with Jeremiah. The kings kept Jeremiah at a distance because his message demanded some level of change on their part. The false prophets on the other hand just affirmed the direction they were already going, which, as Jeremiah knew, was to destruction. If you don’t want to change, then you will never ‘hear’ what God is saying to you. The willingness to have one’s life continually transformed is the key to being able to read Scripture and hear the voice of God to you.
Commit yourself to change.
Read Lamentations 2:1-14
