Do not trust your brothers.
“Beware of your friends; do not trust your brothers. For every brother is a deceiver, and every friend a slanderer” (Jeremiah 9:4).
Do you trust people? Do you trust your parents? How about your brothers and sisters in Christ? This world says that we shouldn’t trust people. Even some pastors that they got hurt by those whom they trusted; they said they could not trust others. How about Christians? Shouldn’t we be trustworthy to others? And shouldn’t we show a godly example of trusting one another as believers? But why don’t we trust each other? What must we do to trust our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ?
The prophet Jeremiah said that we must not trust our brothers (Jere. 9:4). How could he say that? Shouldn’t he say that we must trust our brothers? Why did he tell the Israelites not to trust their brothers? It was because “every brother is a deceiver and every friend a slanderer” (v.4). In other words, the reason why prophet Jeremiah told the Israelites not to trust their brothers was because “Friend deceives friend, and no one speaks the truth. They have taught their tongues to lie (v.5). The Israelites made ready their tongue like a bow, to shoot lies (v.3). Their tongue was a deadly arrow (v.8). Their tongue spoke with deceit (v.8). With their mouth they spoke cordially to their neighbor. But in their heart they set a trap for them (v.8). In fact, the Israelites went from one sin to another (v.3). And they lived in the midst of deception (v.6). They did not say what was right (8:6). What happened to the Israelites? Why did they become untrustworthy people? The reason was because of “the lying pen of the scribes” that had handled the law of the Lord falsely (v.8). As a result, “From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit” (v.10). But they didn’t repent of their wickedness (v.6). Rather, they were saying “What have I done”? (v.6). And they cling to deceit; they refuse to return” (v.5). Why didn’t the Israelites repent their sins and return to the Lord? The reason was because they cling to deceit (v.5). And since they cling to deceit, they didn’t say what was right (v.6). They didn’t speak the truth (vv.3, 5). Actually, they lied to their brothers (v.4). That’s why prophet Jeremiah told the Israelites “Beware of your friends; do not trust your brothers” (v. 4).
What must we do? Should we not trust our brothers and sisters in Christ? Is this the true church? I don’t think that is true church. I think within the true church, there is trust between fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. In other words, we must trust each other as we trust our God. I am sure we cannot trust all the brothers and sisters in Christ, especially those who do not speak the truth but speak lies. How can we trust a deceiver and a slanderer? Well, you may say how can there be deceive and slanderer within church. But that’s the reality of the church and of Christians these days. The reality is that it’s not easy to meet trustworthy Christians who are trustful to God and to man. We even have hard time meeting a truthful pastor. Now we Christians are in crisis of truthfulness (honest). Like the Israelites in Jeremiah’s time, we are deceiving our neighbors and going around slandering them (v.4). We are clinging to deceit (8:5). What must we do?
We must repent our sins. We must get rid of our deceitfulness and deception and return to God. And we must speak the truth. We must become people with integrity so that other may be able to trust us because we are trustworthy people of God.
Wanting to become a trustworthy Christian,
James Kim