OUR FATHER WHO LOOKS FOR SEEKERS OF TRUTH

A change was made to this essay to correct the identity of the "I" in the passage from 'The Lord' to 'Jeremiah'.

Red signifies removed text

Blue signifies added text

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The book of Jeremiah chapter 5 verse 4 captures the words of Jeremiah after searching Jerusalem for any who dealt honestly and sought truth and finding none.;

I thought, “These are only the poor; they are foolish, for they do not know the way of the Lord, the requirements of their God.

Here, the prophet Jeremiah records his response (the Lord's response) when the Lord told him to  search through Jerusalem seeking anyone who dealt honestly and sought truth but he found instead a people who swore falsely.

They had rejected correction and turned their faces to stone and refused to repent.

At first, as captured in our verse, it appeared that the people in the lower strata of the society were the ones who conducted themselves so poorly due to ignorance of the ways of God.

However, the next verse says this;

So I will go to the leaders and speak to them; surely they know the way of the Lord, the requirements of their God.”

But with one accord they too had broken off the yoke and torn off the bonds.

Jeremiah then (The Lord) went to the elite of the land who had the advantage of being educated  but instead, it was found that the leaders of the people had themselves also broken off the practice of adhering to moral principles and were living completely unrestrained by any requirements of God.

They told each other the lie that the Lord would do nothing and so remained confident that no harm would befall them.

It was for this deception that the judgement of the Lord was declared on them and the prophecy of a foreign nation being brought against them was documented in Jeremiah chapter 5 verse 15 that says;

People of Israel,” declares the Lord, “I am bringing a distant nation against you—an ancient and enduring nation, a people whose language you do not know, whose speech you do not understand.

Amen.

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Corrected version below;