When we as humans face a war for survival, we fight to the death and we fight to win. In existential struggles, those who “play nice” or insist on following the rules are considered weak and naïve, or perhaps even guilty of collaboration with the enemy. After all, we need to win at any cost, don’t we?
The people of Jerusalem faced the same burning question during Jeremiah’s time. The nation was ripe for judgment after decades of ignoring prophetic calls to repentance. The situation had actually passed the point of no return and the threat of Babylonian conquest was imminent, but the people believed that the presence of the Temple would prevent any harm (Jeremiah 7:4, 16; 11:14; 14:11). The same sentiment existed among the people a century earlier: “Is not the LORD among us? No harm can come upon us” (Micah 3:11).
These words reflect the natural response of religious societies to any criticism of their actions, let alone even the mention of divine judgment. Such a prophetic message is offensive on several levels. First of all, it reminds us that good works and religious observance are not enough to outweigh the consequences of rebellion in other areas of life. Secondly, it undercuts the idea that humanity cannot control the ultimate timing of judgment by rushing to “repent” every time just before the ax falls. Thirdly, it challenges the circular reasoning that “we are right because we are right” which views God as obligated to grant the victory. And fourthly, the message is seen as a demoralizing act that plays into the hands of those evil Babylonians who are, after all, the enemies of God himself.
Jeremiah paid a high price for his critique of the spiritual condition of the nation, and he was even accused of cooperation with the Babylonians (Jeremiah 26:7-11; 37:11-15). He faced what today we could call partisanship. Everything about Judah had to be defended, and every other voice had to be silenced. The nation believed that Jeremiah’s message was a betrayal that undermined the fight for survival. They rejected the idea that Jeremiah’s prophetic criticism could be from God since their enemies were obviously so much worse.
Today we face a fight-to-the-death over the future of entire societies and humanity itself. Many of us fear that it would hand victory to the “other side” if we ever admitted that anybody on “our side” could ever be in the wrong. This is an understandable defensive reaction to an emergency situation complete with hordes of foes at the gates who are bent on destruction rather than constructive criticism. However, this response is perilous because it feeds the concept that “we-are-right-because-we-are-right” and it cripples the role of the prophets in our lives.
Sometimes the last defenses that still seem to be standing are political leaders who at any other time would be considered unfit to represent the cause of believers. Many cling to them and defend their words and actions as though life itself depended on it. The fight to protect their reputations may seem necessary in the current crisis, but it leads us into a twilight zone of self-deception if we silence any critique that deviates from the partisan position. Unwittingly, we reject the fundamental right of God to hold all of us to account and to correct even those who are closest to him.
Perhaps God is leading us to a place where we trust him to be our only true defense – even as every safe space is being torn away and even though it seems that the enemy is winning one victory after another. Friends, the leaders and institutions in whom we have trusted will soon disappear. The “Babylonians” about to replace them are truly evil in every sense of the word. But God himself promised to fight our battles – even if it is not in a way that we would have chosen (Exodus 14:14; Deuteronomy 20:4; 2 Chronicles 20:17; Romans 8:31-37). If we lose everything in this world, we still have him. Maybe these losses for “our side” – as painful as they might be – are preparing us to embrace a future much brighter than what this fallen world could ever have offered.
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