Scripture … or Not
Jeremiah 17:5,6 Thus says the LORD: Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals and make mere flesh their strength, whose hearts turn away from the LORD. They shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when relief comes. They shall live in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. (NRSV)
On the surface of things, there seem many points at which the Word of God and contemporary thought collide. And when that happens, you and I are left with the choice of which one to follow.
It’s a struggle that we all face. There are so many flash points between God-breathed Scripture and contemporary social thinking and morality, and here you and I are, torn between the two on a daily basis.
The first thing to realise is that there’s nothing new in any of that. All too often we behave as though this has only happened to our generation. But the reason that God’s people have been persecuted since ancient times is because God’s love, His ways, His truth, all stand against the evil in this world. It’s why they crucified Jesus. It’s why Christians have been reviled and even martyred ever since.
And way back in Old Testament times, when Israel chose in the wrong direction, this is what God had to say to them. Listen carefully:
Jeremiah 17:5,6 Thus says the LORD: Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals and make mere flesh their strength, whose hearts turn away from the LORD. They shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when relief comes. They shall live in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. (NRSV)
It’s all too easy to err as Israel did when that was written, in favour of worldly so-called “wisdom” over God’s Word. But as nineteenth century British preacher and evangelist Charles Spurgeon put it: The Holy Ghost rides on the chariot of Scripture and not in the wagon of modern thought.
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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