The Deception of the People

Continuing in Jeremiah 8: 4-9, The Lord is speaking to Jeremiah and telling him what to say to the people.
"Say to them, ' This is what the Lord says: "When men fall down, do they not get up? When a man turns away, does he not return? Why then have these people turned away? Why does Jerusalem always turn away? They cling to deceit; they refuse to return.
I have listened attentively, but they do not say what is right. No one repents of his wickedness, saying, ' What have I done?' Each pursues his own course like a horse charging into battle. Even the stork in the sky knows her appointed seasons, and the dove, the swift and the thrush observe the time of their migration. But my people do not know the requirements of the Lord.
How can you say, 'We are wise, for we have the law of the Lord', when actually the lying pen of the scribes has handled it falsely? The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and trapped. Since they have rejected the word of the Lord, what kind of wisdom do they have"?
The same question is prevalent for us today - why do people turn away, and refuse to return to the foundations given to us by the Lord?
Our society has become unrepentant for the multitudes of sins that are condoned in our country; everyone seems to have the attitude of "do whatever feels right to you".
The Lord says that even the birds follow their instincts put into them in order to survive, but the people behave unnaturally towards him. He has put within each one of us, a spiritual void that only He can fulfill. Men and women go off on so many rabbit trails, chasing after "stuff" and man-made methods of finding "peace"; they try all the religions of the world, in search of one that will "tickle thier ears" and make them feel good about themselves; religions void of any message of sin, one's need for a savior, and repentance. They will try anything but the only way to fill that spiritual void, and that is going to the Lord and accepting his gift of salvation found only in Jesus.
This passage also is the first place in the Bible where the scribes are mentioned as a professional class. They were the leaders of their time; they governed the people, much like our elected politicians govern us. The people then knew there were laws of God laid out for them, but they chose to follow the direction of "the lying pen of the scribes". I compare this to how the foundations laid our in our Constitution, by our forefathers seeking God's direction for our country, being overturned by a new generation of people who we label as the "far left liberal", wanting to change portions of our Constitution, and pacify entities such as the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, and others who have no regard for the Lord, or his statutes. They say that to follow the things that were originally penned, are now passe, close-minded, and not practical for our current society. They are a strong force, and have deceieved many into following right along with their self-serving agendas. I'll repeat what the Lord said in verse 9 - "Since they have rejected the word of the Lord, what kind of wisdom do they have?"
It also says that the "wisdom" of these lying scribes will bring them shame, and that they will be dismayed and trapped.
Seems to me that the problems we face with our economy can be traced back to the leaders we have in Congress, having no oversight on the institutions that have brought us to this place of financial turmoil. They took advantage of the system, and now we all are paying the price of their greed and ill business practices. We now see our country put to shame, dismayed, and trapped because of the actions of those who have had their own interests put above the best interests of the people they are supposed to be leading.
We as believers, are called to pray for those who are in authority over us; to pray that they seek the wisdom and direction of the Lord. He tells us in II Chronicles 7:14, "If my people, who are called by My Name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, THEN will I hear from Heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land".
I have been praying that all during the election process here, and will continue to pray that for our country and our leaders. The heathen aren't going to be on their knees seeking God for his blessings on our country - it's up to those of us who call ourselves the Children of God, to stand in the gap and sincerely pray for our leaders and our country.