Jeremiah 4:10

 Jeremiah 4:10 says, Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! surely thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have peace; whereas the sword reacheth unto the soul.  Jeremiah basically accused God of deceiving the people of Israel by promising them peace and now having them come under the sword.  Jeremiah forgot the God's promise required the faithfulness of the people of Israel.  What God promises us as followers of Christ is spiritual peace if we are obedient to His word.  Verse eleven states, At that time shall it be said to this people and to Jerusalem, A dry wind of the high places in the wilderness toward the daughter of my people, not to fan, nor to cleanse,  This was not to be a refreshing wind, but a painful one.  Verse fourteen adds, Even a full wind from those places shall come unto me: now also will I give sentence against them.  There would be no place where the people could escape this coming wind, the Chaldean army, which was a judgment from God.  When God's judgment comes, there will be no place to escape from it.  Verse thirteen declares, Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots shall be as a whirlwind: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are spoiled.  When this destruction came, the people could only cry out in woe.  When God's chosen people turned their backs on Him, He removed His protective hand from them and they had no one to turn to for protection.  If we as followers of Christ turn our back on our faith in Him, we will have no one to protect us.  Verse fourteen adds, O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?  God called on the people of Israel to wash their hearts of wickedness and asked how long vain thoughts would guide them.  If we are focusing on the world instead of on God, then all that we think and do amounts to nothing.  Verse fifteen states, For a voice declareth from Dan, and publisheth affliction from mount Ephraim.  Verse sixteen adds, Make ye mention to the nations; behold, publish against Jerusalem, that watchers come from a far country, and give out their voice against the cities of Judah.  The news of this coming destruction would first come from Dan, the city farthest north in Israel, of the coming of this destructive army.  The word would spread to the people throughout Israel.  Verse seventeen asks, As keepers of a field, are they against her round about; because she hath been rebellious against me, saith the LORD.  Matthew Henry says this refers to people surrounding a field to keep people out, but instead the people of Israel would be surrounded by the invading army to keep them in.  Without the protection of God, we are surrounded by the forces of evil to keep us from doing what God would have us do.  Verse eighteen adds, Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee; this is thy wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reacheth unto thine heart.  God said that it was the fault of the people of Israel because of what they had done and thought that this evil was coming on them.  We can never blame God if we suffer in this world, but must always recognize that any spiritual defeat comes from our lack of faith in Him.  Verse nineteen declares, My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.  Verse twenty adds, Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is spoiled: suddenly are my tents spoiled, and my curtains in a moment.  It will always pain God when His people refuse to listen to Him, and He will never want to send destruction on them.  Verse twenty-one asks, How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet?  God asked how long it would take for the people of Israel to hear the sound of the trumpet, the coming of the army to defeat them.  Verse twenty-two concludes, For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.  God said that they would not hear because they were not listening to Him.  When we begin to stray away from the leadership of the Holy Spirit as Christians, I believe that God asks us the same thing today, and we cannot afford to allow ourselves to become wise to do evil and lacking in the knowledge of God in our lives.