Digging Deeper – Peace When There is No Peace

On January 28, 2014, a mere two inches of snow caused a full-on logistical breakdown in metro Atlanta. Over the course of 48 hours, more than 1,200 accidents were reported. Stranded students slept on school floors. Shoppers holed up in grocery stores and prepared to stay the night. I left my car immobile on the side of I-75 and walked the rest of the way home, awestruck by the desperate turn of events and the speed at which they unfolded. The incident, dubbed “Snowpocalypse” or “Snowmageddon,” garnered national attention, as Georgia’s lack of preparation became an object of ridicule for news outlets across the country. How could such a thing happen? Did we fail to heed the warnings, or was there a casual dismissal until the threat became imminent? I know for my part the latter is true.

This story came to mind when thinking of the warnings gone unheeded that led to the destruction of Judah by Babylon.¹ Prior to their destruction, God had set “watchmen” (v. 17) over them, saying, “Pay attention to the sound of the trumpet.” The prophet Jeremiah was one of these watchmen, with his ministry ranging from roughly 627 B.C. to 586 B.C. The people of Judah, however, would not listen, not due to ignorance, but rather disbelief and scorn for the word of God (v. 10). Their disbelief was further reinforced by false teachers who proclaimed, “Peace, peace,” when there was no peace (v. 14). To put it simply, the people were gaslit into ignoring the warnings God had sent through the prophets.

Because of their idolatry and tolerance for ungodly practices, they had allowed themselves to become deaf to the word of God, preferring the inoffensive message of false prophets to the offensive message of true prophets. However, God’s repeated warnings were an act of grace.

We ought not be offended by the Word of God or scoff when challenged by teaching that is hard to receive. Christ himself said, “Blessed is the one who is not offended by me” (Matt. 11:6). Ask God today to help you embrace difficult sayings instead of editing them, or worse, ignoring them.

¹ Note: this is simply an analogy and is not in any way prescriptive regarding the counsel or accuracy of meteorologists. ; )