Jeremiah 8;1-12  The time was drawing near.. judgement on Judah would be devastating.  Everything that they had.. everything that they valued.. would be taken away from them.  Death would be preferred over the life that they were about to endure.  And even still, they would not repent. 

"Why.. has this people, Jerusalem, turned away in continual apostasy ? They hold fast to deceit, they refuse to return.  I have listened and heard, they have spoken what is not right; no man repented of his wickedness." (v6) 

The Lord uses this illustration, " Even the stork in the sky knows her seasons; and the turtledove and the swift and the thrush observe the time of their migration; but My people do not know the ordinance of the Lord." (v7)   Birds are remarkable creatures.. we know that they fly hundreds of miles every year.. south in the winter.. usually to the same places.  They know the right time to migrate. But, their brains are not very big...they cannot reason or speak (usually).. yet, they have more sense than God's own people! They do what they must so that they can live.  Judah didn't have enough sense to listen to their God.. the only way for them to live. So many in our world today are in the same situation.. they don't care.. they don't want what they must have in order to live!

Instead they choose lies.  The scribes were guilty of writing lies. The people were guilty of rejecting truth and believing the lies because they were greedy and wicked. 

Again, God accuses the religious leaders.. the ones that should have been speaking His Word, "and they heal the brokenness of the daughter of My people superficially, saying ,' Peace, Peace' when there is no peace."  This is the second time that this pronouncement has been made.. (see 6:14).   This was something that God  said they should have been ashamed of.. that they should have blushed at.. but they did not.  This is something that would bring them down. 

Matthew Henry writes this, " The pretenders to wisdom were the priests and false prophets. They flattered people in sin, and so flattered them into destruction, silencing their fears and  complaints with "All is well". Selfish teachers promise peace when there is no peace; and thus men encourage each other in committing evil; but in the day of visitation they will have no refuge to flee unto. " 

This seems so true in some churches in America today.. the lies about sin are taught instead of truth;  fears are silenced.. guilty consciences are soothed with promises that are not true.  The Word of God is not understood, but rejected and ignored. The greed, the lies, and the false teaching will most definitely lead to destruction.  "Therefore they shall fall among those who fall." (v12) 

Father, keep our feet on Your paths. Keep our eyes on Jesus.  Keep our hearts yielded and still before You. Keep us filled with the Spirit of truth.  Keep our mouths from all deceit and lies and false teaching.  May we not encourage sin.. compromise with the world.. or accept anything less than Your Holy Word. May Your Presence fill our sanctuaries and all that is of the world and of the evil one be snatched away forever!  We ask this in the Name of Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen.