The pending judgement still looms large as Jeremiah continues.
Jeremiah 5:1 hints back to Abraham and Lot in Genesis 18:23-33. Abraham asks if God would destroy the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah if there were some number of righteous people found within them (talking the Lord down to ten in good Middle Eastern bargaining fashion). This feels similar. The word rendered “honesty” or “truth” here is אֱמוּנָ֑ה (emunah) in Hebrew, but typically is translated “faith/faithfulness”. The Hebrew mindset doesn’t separate thoughts/beliefs (faith) from actions (faithfulness). The Lord is searching for at least one person in Jerusalem who is faithful, but cannot find even that .
I like the imagery of verse 27: “Like cages full of birds, / their houses are full of deceit”. The Hebrew for the first part is actually singular: “As a cage full of a bird”. I picture a bird too big for its cage, barely able to move. Then imagine a house with deceit (or treachery or fraud) filling it like a black cloud. Alternatively, picture piles of money scattered throughout a house that’s been fraudulently acquired.
To Ponder…
- Do your actions match what you believe?
- What is (metaphorically) filling your house?