Integrity Matters

One of the great enemies of peace is hypocrisy. Jeremiah spoke to this problem in chapter 9, in which he said, “Their tongue is an arrow shot out; it speaks deceit; one speaks peaceably to his neighbor with his mouth, but in his heart he lies in wait.” The decline of the southern kingdom of Israel (usually called Judah) was due largely to idolatry, but it was also due to a steep decline in morality. People simply ignored much of the ethical code in the Law of Moses. They called on God or on other gods when in danger or in need; otherwise they paid no attention to their covenant’s requirements.

Jeremiah was especially critical of those who spoke peaceably (literally “he speaks peace”) but didn’t mean it. The political peace of the nation’s leaders was false and idolatrous; even the peace between individuals was phony. True peace is genuine; it presupposes a whole and complete truth. True peace binds us together as humans and binds us to God. A false peace is no peace at all.