“No, They Have No Shame At All”

“From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit.

They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. ‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace.

Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen; they will be brought down when I punish them,” says the Lord.

This is what the Lord says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’

I appointed watchmen over you and said, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ But you said, ‘We will not listen.’

Therefore hear, you nations; you who are witnesses, observe what will happen to them.

Hear, you earth: I am bringing disaster on this people, the fruit of their schemes, because they have not listened to my words and have rejected my law.

What do I care about incense from Sheba or sweet calamus from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable; your sacrifices do not please me.”

Jeremiah 6:13-20

We are told to focus on the future, not the past. We are told the past is to be a guidepost, not a hitching post.

Jeremiah was a priest from a small town near Jerusalem when God called him to be, “a prophet to the nations.”

God urged His people to look back so they could move ahead. The purpose of considering the ancient paths was to find, “the good way” marked by Christian faithfulness, His forgiveness, and His forward call.

God can reach us from our past that the best road is the one we walk with Him.

God’s guidance in the past gives courage for the future.

Our Daily Bread – Jeremiah 6:13-20