Jeremiah 22:18-23: a reflection

18Therefore the LORD says concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: “They won’t lament for him, saying, ‘Ah my brother!’ or, ‘Ah sister!’ They won’t lament for him, saying ‘Ah lord!’ or, ‘Ah his glory!’ 19He will be buried with the burial of a donkey, drawn and cast out beyond the gates of Jerusalem.” 20“Go up to Lebanon, and cry out. Lift up your voice in Bashan, and cry from Abarim; for all your lovers have been destroyed. 21I spoke to you in your prosperity, but you said, ‘I will not listen.’ This has been your way from your youth, that you didn’t obey my voice. 22The wind will feed all your shepherds, and your lovers will go into captivity. Surely then you will be ashamed and confounded for all your wickedness. 23Inhabitant of Lebanon, who makes your nest in the cedars, how greatly to be pitied you will be when pangs come on you, the pain as of a woman in travail!

In a sobering word to a king, God laments a settled habit that had marked him from his youth: a refusal to listen to God, even when God spoke to him in his prosperity. I spoke to you in your prosperity, God says, but you said, I will not listen. This has been your way from your youth, that you didn't obey my voice. God had spoken to the king, even in his good times, calling him to listen and obey; but the king refused, saying, I will not listen. And this was not a single lapse but a settled pattern, his way from his youth, a lifelong habit of not listening to God. This is a sobering picture of the danger of a settled habit of refusing to listen to God. Refusing to listen to God can become a settled, lifelong habit. A pattern of not listening to God hardens over time. God spoke, but the king would not listen; this was his way. Do not let refusing to listen to God become your settled way.

Notice that the king's refusal to listen was not a one-time thing, but a settled pattern. God says, this has been your way from your youth, that you didn't obey my voice. God had spoken to the king, even in his prosperity, in his good times when he might have listened; but the king refused, and this refusal was characteristic, a lifelong habit, his settled way from his youth. This is sobering, for it shows how not listening to God can become a fixed pattern, a habit that hardens over time. A single refusal to listen may seem small; but repeated, it becomes a settled way, a habit of deafness to God that grows more entrenched with the years. And notice that God had spoken even in the king's prosperity; good times, when we feel no need, can make us especially deaf to God, thinking we need not listen. This warns us to guard against forming a habit of not listening to God. Every time we hear God's voice, in his word, in conviction, in the promptings of his Spirit, and refuse to listen or obey, we reinforce a pattern; and over time, that pattern can harden into a settled deafness. We do well to cultivate the opposite: a habit of listening to God and obeying his voice, so that listening, not refusing, becomes our settled way. Guard against a settled habit of not listening to God. Every refusal to listen reinforces a hardening pattern. Cultivate the habit of listening to God and obeying his voice. Do not let good times make you deaf to God.

That is worth taking to heart, for refusing to listen to God can harden into a settled, lifelong habit, and we do well to cultivate the opposite habit of listening and obeying, as the king's refusal to listen had become his way from his youth. We can refuse to listen to God, and by repeating it form a settled pattern of deafness to his voice; but the king's lifelong habit of not listening is held up as a sobering example. Habits of deafness harden. Do not let refusing to listen to God become your settled way; every time you hear his voice, listen and obey, cultivating the habit of listening. Cultivate the habit of listening to God and obeying his voice, guarding against a settled pattern of refusing to listen, as God lamented to the king that he had said, I will not listen, and that this had been his way from his youth, a lifelong habit of not obeying God's voice, even when God spoke to him in his prosperity; for the king's refusal to listen was not a one-time lapse but a settled pattern, characteristic of him from his youth, which is sobering, since it shows how not listening to God can become a fixed pattern that hardens over time, a single refusal seeming small but, repeated, becoming a settled way and a habit of deafness to God that grows more entrenched with the years, and God had spoken even in his prosperity, since good times when we feel no need can make us especially deaf to God, so that this warns us to guard against forming a habit of not listening to God, since every time we hear his voice, in his word, in conviction, or in the promptings of his Spirit, and refuse to listen or obey, we reinforce a pattern that over time can harden into settled deafness, and we do well to cultivate the opposite, a habit of listening to God and obeying his voice, so that listening rather than refusing becomes our settled way.

Lord, in a sobering word to a king, you lament a settled habit that had marked him from his youth: a refusal to listen to you, even when you spoke to him in his prosperity. I spoke to you in your prosperity, you say, but you said, I will not listen. This has been your way from your youth, that you didn't obey my voice. You had spoken to the king, even in his good times, calling him to listen and obey; but the king refused, saying, I will not listen. And this was not a single lapse but a settled pattern, his way from his youth, a lifelong habit of not listening to you. This is a sobering picture of the danger of a settled habit of refusing to listen to you. Show me that the king's refusal to listen was not a one-time thing, but a settled pattern. You had spoken to him, even in his prosperity, when he might have listened; but he refused, and this refusal was characteristic, a lifelong habit, his settled way from his youth. This is sobering, for it shows how not listening to you can become a fixed pattern, a habit that hardens over time. A single refusal to listen may seem small; but repeated, it becomes a settled way, a habit of deafness to you that grows more entrenched with the years. And you had spoken even in his prosperity; good times, when I feel no need, can make me especially deaf to you. This warns me to guard against forming a habit of not listening to you. Every time I hear your voice, in your word, in conviction, in the promptings of your Spirit, and refuse to listen or obey, I reinforce a pattern that can harden into deafness. Take that to my heart, for refusing to listen to you can harden into a settled habit. Keep me from letting refusal to listen to you become my settled way, Lord, especially in good times; help me, every time I hear your voice, to listen and obey, cultivating the habit of listening so that it, not refusing, becomes my way.