Then and Now

The Warning

Many years ago, God gave the prophet Jeremiah words to tell His people. “Obey My Voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people.” What a promise! What a gift! Yet, we all know that over and over people have not obeyed the Voice of God, nor followed His Commandments.

Our modern day is the same. People follow their own ideas and disregard God’s law.

Jeremiah 7:23-24 NKJV  But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.’ ²⁴ Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but followed the counsels and the dictates of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward.

We see the similar behavior today.

People follow the dictates of their own evil hearts, as did the people so many years ago.

We see today, all around us, that there are countless people who follow what seems best to them. They disregard the 10 Commandments, sneer at the idea of avoiding adultery, and follow after the pleasure they seek.

And here we are.

It is, as I write this, 2026. The above words from God to Jeremiah for His people were given thousands of years ago. Yet, today, we see our young adults raising children outside of wedlock. We see those who are married, dismissing their marriages at the first problems and inconvenience, and remarrying to do the same. Some many times over. The other choice seems to be living in sin with one or a multitude of partners. I have begun to cringe at the term “relationship”. You hear 5th graders using it.

Likewise, people murder their babies and call it choice.

They choose to murder.

Millions upon millions of lives have been lost in this way across this world.

May God forgive our world this hideous sin against our babies.

Jeremiah 7:27-28 NKJV  ²⁷ “Therefore you shall speak all these words to them, but they will not obey you. You shall also call to them, but they will not answer you. ²⁸ “So you shall say to them, ‘This is a nation that does not obey the voice of the Lord their God nor receive correction. Truth has perished and has been cut off from their mouth.

God told Jeremiah to tell the people, knowing that they would not obey. Jeremiah was to call to them, but God knew they would not answer.

It is the same today.

In Jeremiah’s day, they were a nation that did not obey the voice of God, nor receive His correction. We are the same today. Then and now, truth perished from their lives and ours.

If the people back then could only look back on their lives and mistakes, they would doubtless wish that they had heeded God.

Here we are today, in the midst of our sins. If only we turned and listened to the word of God, found in His Bible.

If only WE obeyed.

We have the advantage of seeing the entire story before us. We have the full story of Jesus coming to earth and living and dying for our sins.

We have only to believe, seek forgiveness of our sins through Christ, and turn from our sins, living as God tells us.

Will we listen and heed the Voice of God, follow His Commandments and allow Him to be our God and we live as His Children?

That is my prayer.