I answered,
Jeremiah 6:10 NET
“Who would listen
if I spoke to them and warned them?
Their ears are so closed
that they cannot hear!
Indeed, the LORD’s message is offensive to them.
They do not like it at all.
God used Jeremiah to announce to the nation of Judah that disaster was coming. They still had a chance to repent and turn to the Lord. But would they?
Jeremiah’s response to God was not optimistic. Who would listen to him when he warned them of their need to repent? They had their hands firmly over their ears, refusing to hear what God was saying to them.
They refused to hear because the Lord’s message was offensive to them. The people did not like all this talk about a coming judgment, the need for repentance, and following the Lord wholeheartedly. They would rather have someone tell them that all was well.
This sounds like many in our world today. Many have closed their ears to the gospel message. A message that announces God’s righteous judgment against sin. But also includes the good news that God will deliver from that coming judgment all who turn to him in faith.
Why do people resist such good news? Because it requires us to surrender our lives and plans to Jesus, making him Lord and following him. It means denying oneself now in the hope of a future reward.
Unfortunately, it is not just the people out in the world who are like this. Jeremiah was speaking, not to the pagans, but to God’s covenant people. And his words are valid for many within our churches today. People who find the call to authentic discipleship offensive and close their ears to the Lord’s entreaty to become living sacrifices for him (Rom. 12:1).
Listen to the Lord’s message through his prophets, apostles, and especially his Son. Make Jesus the Lord of your life. Not just in name. But in truth. The reward will be great.
