Leading to a Fatal End?

The priests did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord?’ Those who dealt with the law did not know me; the leaders rebelled against me. – Jeremiah 2:8

These words from Jeremiah show a sad state of affairs for God’s people. The spiritual leaders of the nation =did not concern themselves with God’s presence. In fact, they did not even know God.

Instead, they directed the peoples’ hearts toward rebellious idolatry. The spiritual leaders were not leading the people to God but into a fatal end. Thus, as we know from later history, both Israel (northern kingdom) and Judah (southern kingdom) were destroyed and carried into exile.

If we are leaders of God’s people in some way, we do well to pay attention to these words. At our best, we lead people into life. But at our worst, we are no better than the religious leaders Jeremiah is excoriating for their wrong leadership.

The thrust of Jeremiah’s criticism is that these leaders do not know God. They do not know the One whom they serve. And it is unclear whether they care about that at all.

We cannot lead people to life with God when we do not know life with God ourselves.

A question I ask myself after reading this, is do I know the living God? Do I really intimately know Him and His ways? Or am I fooling around with spirituality that leads people into a fatal end?

When we start with our hearts and minds on gaining the respect or affection of people, then we are in danger of leading people into a fatal end. But when we start with our hearts and minds set on knowing the living God, then we are at least moving in the right direction for leading others to the living God.

Where we aim, they will follow us.