Searching for Justice and Truth

KEY VERSE: “Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be any that executeth judgment, that seeketh the truth; and I will pardon it.” —Jeremiah 5:1

SELECTED SCRIPTURE: Jeremiah 5:1-6

THERE WERE MANY in Jerusalem who had corrupted their ways, and there were those who flattered themselves with the hope that there would be some good men among them who would stand in the way to turn away the wrath of God.

In the previous chapter, Jeremiah focused on Israel’s moral failings, and as in our Key Verse, the Lord instructs the prophet to search the city for just one person who would follow his leadings. If such an one could be found, he was willing to pardon them all. This verse reminds us of Abraham’s attempt to find ten righteous people to save the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. (Gen. 18:22-23) Thus it was that Jeremiah said, “Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man … that executeth judgment, that seeketh the truth; and I will pardon it.”—Jer. 5:1

Jeremiah was grieved when none was found, though those of Israel were not, and most of the nation refused to receive correction and to return to the ways of the Lord. It was even as the psalmist says of this hard-hearted people, “They are all gone aside, they are altogether become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”—Ps. 14:3

Previously God had provided the people with the Law, and they had entered into covenant relationship with him. He then sent prophets to let the people know what they were to do. Because they broke their covenant, however, God sent not only Jeremiah but other prophets to warn the people to turn from their sinful ways. But they continued to live according to their same fallen practices. They could not imagine that God would judge them unworthy.

After all, his Temple was in Jerusalem, and he had promised that a descendant of David would always be on the throne. They thought they could continue to pay lip service to God while behaving immorally and disobediently. But they were wrong. As much as God wanted the people to turn from their wicked ways, he knew that they had reached a point of no return, and that they were to be severely chastised for their unjust and immoral behavior.

Thus we see that the world, even today, is in this same sad state of affairs. The Lord asked, “Shall I not visit for these things? … Shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; the prophets prophesy falsely, … and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?”—Jer. 5:29-31

Despite the hard experiences we see in the world, we are promised, “There shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse … and the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding. … With righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: … They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.”—Isa. 11:1,2,4,9

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