Jeremiah 9:23 is a powerful verse. Its clarity enables us to understand it even without its context. In spite of this, the context is certainly worth our consideration.
Jeremiah was sent by God on a mission that was doomed to fail. Like most true prophets of God that brought bad news, he was ignored… at best. You would expect this weighty exhortation to crescendo some exalted praise of the glory of our Lord, but it lands in the middle of a tragic prophecy of the events that will soon take place. The preceding verse should be enough to clue you in: “The corpses of men will fall like dung on the open field…”
So why this verse? Does the context tell us anything? If you are an Israelite, one of the most terrifying passages in the Torah for you will be Deuteronomy 28:15-58, where God describes the consequences of disobedience. Jeremiah was the lucky guy God choose to warn them about this nightmare becoming a reality.
As people who exist in an age of grace, we do not need to worry about mothers eating their children as a judgment for disobedience (though it could be argued our fate will eventually be worse). Jeremiah’s point is simple. There is something more tragic than all the calamities that would happen to Israel, something more horrifying, namely, the priorities of their hearts. I do not believe God could demonstrate through the worst disasters imaginable the tragedy of those who boast in something other than God, or treat His Word as something to be passed over in pursuit of our own wisdom, strength, or wealth.
All of us are looking for a niche. We want to be honored, respected, noticed, considered, for… fill in the blank. For some, it may be sports. For others, music, art or philosophy is something we seek to be noticed for. Some wish to be great thinkers. In ministry, it could be preaching and teaching, or the size of “our” church or ministry. It could be our family, house, cars, intelligence, capabilities, or any number of things we pursue, but the Word of God is something we are relatively uninterested in.
God does not deny our natural inclination to aspire towards something we can be proud of, instead He reminds us of what we should be proud of. That we understand and know Him. I know there is a movement that believes God can be understood and known through things other than His word, but this is idolatry; modern-day Baal worship. I know there are well-meaning Christians who pursue the Creator through His creation, art, science, music, philosophy, community, altruism, or merely contemplation. There can be great value in these things when learned about and appreciated subsequently to His Word, and in their proper context.
Friends, if you truly claim to seek God, and desire to know Him, consider these words of His: “But to this one I will look: to Him who is contrite of Spirit, and who trembles at My Word.” If you have a casual interest in His Word, do not expect any peace from God. Do not expect Him to reveal Himself to you. To let your Bible collect dust while you seek Him is to try and find Him through Baals, Asheroths, and golden calves.
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