Relationships Threatened

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Opening Prayer

Lord, speak to me through Your Holy Spirit, through Your Holy Word, today and forever.

Read Jeremiah 8:18-9:9

^[18] You who are my Comforter in sorrow, my heart is faint within me. ^[19] Listen to the cry of my people from a land far away: “Is the LORD not in Zion? Is her King no longer there?” “Why have they aroused my anger with their images, with their worthless foreign idols?” ^[20] “The harvest is past, the summer has ended, and we are not saved.” ^[21] Since my people are crushed, I am crushed; I mourn, and horror grips me. ^[22] Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people? ^[1] Oh, that my head were a spring of water and my eyes a fountain of tears! I would weep day and night for the slain of my people. ^[2] Oh, that I had in the desert a lodging place for travelers, so that I might leave my people and go away from them; for they are all adulterers, a crowd of unfaithful people. ^[3] “They make ready their tongue like a bow, to shoot lies; it is not by truth that they triumph in the land. They go from one sin to another; they do not acknowledge me,” declares the LORD. ^[4] “Beware of your friends; do not trust anyone in your clan. For every one of them is a deceiver, and every friend a slanderer. ^[5] Friend deceives friend, and no one speaks the truth. They have taught their tongues to lie; they weary themselves with sinning. ^[6] You live in the midst of deception; in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge me,” declares the LORD. ^[7] Therefore this is what the LORD Almighty says: “See, I will refine and test them, for what else can I do because of the sin of my people? ^[8] Their tongue is a deadly arrow; it speaks deceitfully. With their mouths they all speak cordially to their neighbors, but in their hearts they set traps for them. ^[9] Should I not punish them for this?” declares the LORD. “Should I not avenge myself on such a nation as this?”

Meditate

“As God’s chosen people … clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance” (Col. 3:12,13).

Think Further

In his vision of the future, Jeremiah sees the people in exile in Babylon, distraught and far from God. It is a vision that makes him weep for them, for they will be crushed and stranded, without compassionate neighbors to bind their wounds. Jeremiah’s mood swings from tenderness and deep empathy at their pain and suffering (8:21–9:1) to anger and frustration with their lies and unfaithfulness (9:2). This is the experience of many leaders who love the people they serve.

Judah’s exile will be the logical consequence of apostasy. Their relationship with God is already broken, and, because we are relational creatures, that brokenness is reflected in their damaged relationships with each other. Family relations and friendships are marked by unfaithfulness and deceit. People no longer know or recognize or speak the truth, but they manipulate one another and so they will need to face the process of God’s refining and testing.

Strong foundations are needed for close relationships. They depend on faithfulness and truth. The picture here is one of turmoil and deception, where people no longer know how to relate beyond superficial cordiality and have given up on trust and openness towards each other. This kind of hypocrisy will never deepen into strong nourishing friendships or close, loving families. Instead, it will produce weariness (5)–something we are all too aware of in our world today. Jeremiah’s message is clear: Stay faithful in our relationship with God, so we can be open and trustworthy in our relationships with each other. This is no guarantee against experiencing our own pain or affliction, but it will mean that, if we do, we will know the power of love and prayer to support and protect us, and keep us strong.

Apply

Which of your own relationships is less than open or truthful right now? How they might grow and flourish? How is Colossians 3:12,13 relevant?

Closing prayer

Father, You call me to love You and love others. Infuse me with Your love so that my inter-personal relationships will be healthy.

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