Jeremiah 5:12Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

They responded to the Lord, stating that these matters are not as described. Consider the wrongdoing: they failed to have faith when He warned them; they did not trust Him when He corrected and disciplined them. Many today also talk about Gehenna, yet do not place their faith in God. The people of Israel and the people of Judah deceive.

They rejected the Lord, proclaiming, “There is no Lord; calamity will not befall us; we will not experience sword or famine.” The prophets addressed the winds, yet received no response. Thus shall their fate be. They denied the Lord, insisting that He does not exist and that events occur by mere chance. They claimed that the warnings issued by the prophets hold no truth, asserting they would not face sword or starvation during the siege. Whatever the prophets declared fell on deaf ears; their words amounted to nothing, lacking divine revelation or insight. For this reason, they will endure the consequences described in the following message. Let the indifferent church that dismisses God’s Sovereignty take heed, as it will face both sword and famine unless it accepts what has been foretold.