Saturday - Jeremiah 5 - The Value of One

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HAT an amazing proposition! God said that if one man (just one) could be found in Jerusalem who was sincerely seeking truth, God was willing to pardon the sins of the whole city. Of course, there would eventually come one man, and only one, who would be fully devoted to the truth. Indeed, God has offered pardon to everyone else based upon the righteousness of that one man: the Man, Christ Jesus.

But, in the days of Jeremiah, there was no truth-seeking man to be found. The people were hard. They had stone faces and immovable feet (vs. 3). They didn't know the right way, and they didn't want to know it (vs. 4).  Sexual misconduct was rampant.  There were waiting lines at the doors of all the local prostitutes (vs. 7). Every man wanted some woman who wasn't rightfully his (vs. 8). They despised God, and they despised the men of God. It was certainly a city that was unified. They were unified AGAINST Jehovah.

So, speaking of the value of one man, God assigned Jeremiah the task of being a one-man wrecking crew to declare truth to a people who didn't appreciate truth. His words were their condemnation (vs. 14). The people wanted deceptive prophets. The got Jeremiah instead.