Faith Daily Lectio Wednesday, November 4, 2026 Old Testament
Wednesday, November 4, 2026 · Wednesday in the week of the Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 26)
Old Testament
Oratio (prayer)
Lord God, Your eyes are upon the truth. Send Your Holy Spirit as I read Jeremiah 5, that I may hear Your call to repent and receive Your pardon in Jesus Christ. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Meditatio (meditation)
Jeremiah 5:1-19
1Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be any that executeth judgment, that seeketh the truth; and I will pardon it.
2And though they say, The LORD liveth; surely they swear falsely.
3O LORD, are not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return.
4Therefore I said, Surely these are poor; they are foolish: for they know not the way of the LORD, nor the judgment of their God.
5I will get me unto the great men, and will speak unto them; for they have known the way of the LORD, and the judgment of their God: but these have altogether broken the yoke, and burst the bonds.
6Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, and a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them, a leopard shall watch over their cities: every one that goeth out thence shall be torn in pieces: because their transgressions are many, and their backslidings are increased.
7 How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots’ houses.
8They were as fed horses in the morning: every one neighed after his neighbour’s wife.
9Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?
10 Go ye up upon her walls, and destroy; but make not a full end: take away her battlements; for they are not the LORD’s.
11For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against me, saith the LORD.
12They have belied the LORD, and said, It is not he; neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword nor famine:
13And the prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them: thus shall it be done unto them.
14Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.
15Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far, O house of Israel, saith the LORD: it is a mighty nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou knowest not, neither understandest what they say.
16Their quiver is as an open sepulchre, they are all mighty men.
17And they shall eat up thine harvest, and thy bread, which thy sons and thy daughters should eat: they shall eat up thy flocks and thine herds: they shall eat up thy vines and thy fig trees: they shall impoverish thy fenced cities, wherein thou trustedst, with the sword.
18Nevertheless in those days, saith the LORD, I will not make a full end with you.
19 And it shall come to pass, when ye shall say, Wherefore doeth the LORD our God all these things unto us? then shalt thou answer them, Like as ye have forsaken me, and served strange gods in your land, so shall ye serve strangers in a land that is not yours.
Consider even rereading in another translation.
You could also consider listening to this chapter, narrated:
KJV (Max McLean) · ESV (Max McLean) · NIV (dramatized)
You might read the whole reading slowly, aloud, more than once.
Consider this verse, for example:
“Nevertheless in those days, saith the LORD, I will not make a full end with you.” (Jeremiah 5:18)
What other lines speak to you?
The LORD sends Jeremiah through the streets of Jerusalem to look for one person who seeks the truth. He finds none, among the poor or among the great. The people have forsaken the LORD, sworn falsely, and told themselves that no trouble would come. So the LORD warns of a mighty nation from far away. Yet even in judgment He promises that He will not make a full end.
The Law The LORD searches for anyone "that seeketh the truth" (v. 1), and finds none. Of His people the prophet says, "they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return" (v. 3). We know that hardness. We hear correction and harden ourselves, and like Judah we tell ourselves, "neither shall evil come upon us" (v. 12).
The Gospel Still the first verse shows God's heart. He searches so that He may say, "I will pardon it" (v. 1). And in the middle of judgment He promises, "Nevertheless in those days, saith the LORD, I will not make a full end with you" (v. 18). The LORD kept that promise in Jesus. The full weight of judgment fell on Him at the cross, so that pardon could come to you. He is the one Man who did justice and sought the truth, and for His sake you are forgiven.
Prayer Lord, I confess that I have hardened my face and refused Your correction. Forgive me for Jesus' sake. Turn me back to You, and let me live by Your pardon. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Tentatio (trial)
When God's discipline comes, it can feel like loss on every side. Under trial it may help to pray Jeremiah's question: "O LORD, are not thine eyes upon the truth?" (v. 3). His eyes are on you, not to destroy you but to bring you home. You might bring your trouble to Him in repentance and trust His promise not to make a full end.
Prayer Lord, when Your hand is heavy on me, keep me from hardening my heart. Bring me back to You, and keep me in Your mercy. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version.
My church home: Peace Lutheran Church, McMurray, PA. Looking for a church? See About Daily Lectio.
