For twenty-three years—from the thirteenth year of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah until this very day—the word of the LORD has come to me and I have spoken to you again and again, but you have not listened. – Jeremiah 25:3

Today's Scripture Reading (May 24, 2020): Jeremiah 25

Ernest Hemmingway argued that "When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen." Maybe more accurately, we listen, but we listen to reply rather than listen to understand. We all do it. We have this inward need to develop a response to what someone is saying, to put forward our own beliefs on the subject matter, rather than listening to understand the opposition opinion. And our political arguments underscore that reality. Everyone ultimately wants the same thing, but we refuse to listen to each other and really understand that reality. We live in a world of soundbites, and the problem with that is that these little snippets of a conversation rarely convey the intended meaning of the speaker. But it is to these soundbites that we prepare our response and our opposition.

Jeremiah is about halfway through his ministry. He has already seen a great change in the nation, and he knows that much more change is on its way. For almost twenty years, he has prophesied under the reign of Josiah. Josiah had taken the words of the prophet seriously. Josiah was a good king who wanted to place the nation on a godly footing. After the death of Josiah, his son Jehoahaz took over control of the country. Jehoahaz only reigned over Judah for three months, but in those three months, he tried to undo every good thing that his father had attempted to accomplish. At the end of three months, the Egyptians were so disappointed with his leadership that they removed him and sent the Jehoahaz into exile in Egypt. Jehoahaz would never return from Egypt, and he was replaced by his older brother, Jehoiakim.

As Jeremiah writes these words, he is about three years into the reign of Jehoiakim, and it is becoming evident that Jehoiakim intends to follow the example of his brother and not that of his father. And Jeremiah is frustrated. It is not that he has not spoken the word of God that has come to him, but rather that his audience is not listening. Or more precisely, his audience has listened, but that they refuse to understand. They have listened to respond, and their response is that Jeremiah is misled. God would never let his chosen nation fail. In the last moment, when the situation is desperate, God has always shown up to save the day. Why would this moment be any different?

Jeremiah wishes that they would listen to his words and understand their meaning. This time is different because of the rebellion of the nation has reached a point where God cannot idly stand by and watch. He wants more for Judah, and it is evident that saving them once more is not going to provide the hoped-for outcome. As much as God wishes to protect the nation, ultimately their salvation can only be accomplished through their failure. The defeat that was coming could be the starting point for a success that was possible later in the history of the nation. But first, the leaders had to stop trying to listen to respond to the words of the prophet and just listen to understand all that was happening in their midst.                                                                                                                                                                                          

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 26