Jeremiah is speaking of the false prophets of his age, those who assuaged the fears of his countrymen by insisting that the Babylonian captivity would be short-lived, that the exiles would be returning home in one or two years, instead of the 70 God had promised. But it brings up an important question in any age: How do you tell the truth tellers – the true prophets – from the liars, the ones who just tell us what we want to hear?
In this election season it seems this question is central. As I watch all the pundits discuss our financial difficulties and analyze the two candidates – and watching the candidates themselves and how they report on each other in their speeches and their ads – it is a continual process of sifting through all the talk to try to discern what is accurate and what is inaccurate, what the situation actually is. And how do I hear the voice of God through all the clamor? This economic meltdown certainly has elements that feel like Judgment: judgment on those who put together these shaky mortgage instruments to make a buck, irresponsible buyers and the abandonment of all regulatory safeguards. And as in the ancient days of the Kingdom of Israel, the whole country is going to feel the effects of this “Judgment”. Looking back at our own situation, we can identify some who tried to warn us of the storm ahead -- these would be the true, economic prophets of our time – but going forward it’s not possible to know who’s telling the truth and who’s not because we really don’t know how things will unfold. Even the effects of the Rescue plan are not predetermined; some say it will work, others that it will help and still others tell us that it’s the wrong solution. It can be very confusing and disheartening and it’s hard to know who to believe.
It must have been like that for the Israelites, too. It’s easy to look back and say, “They should have known God would punish their disloyalty,” but they, like us, were riding high on a bubble of military superiority. They thought it would never end, just as many thought housing prices would always go up, that God was permanently in their corner, some of them right up to the day they were taken into captivity! Looked at it that way, it’s a cautionary tale I can relate to because humanity seems to keep living it out over and over again.
Prayer: Dear God, It’s tempting to feel that I know better than these ancient peoples, that I could have sidestepped their problems, but I see that human beings continue to fall into the same traps. Let that knowledge give me a humble heart and help me keep You in the forefront of my thought. Amen
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