James 4:17 says, “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.”^[1] Which is the greater sin: doing something evil or not doing something that is good? Sin is not just the bad things that we do. Sin is also the good things that we fail to do. Neglecting to do the right thing is serious business and can lead to a world of harm.

                Being a homeowner is a huge responsibility. There are many things that need to be kept up with. Sometimes there are issues discovered that, if left unchecked, can cause serious and costly issues in the future. Sometimes, we may ignore those underlining things that we cannot see. We tend to focus on surface level things. We put on a fresh coat of paint or we remodel the kitchen or bathroom. We focus on the things that are visible and flashy and exciting. However, if there are cracks in the foundation, eventually the structure will crumble. It may come when we least expect it. Everything falls apart and we are left wondering why. When we neglect the foundation, when there are cracks in the foundation of our lives; eventually everything will come crashing down. The destruction could be avoided if there was no neglect.

                As Jeremiah continues to give the people a message from the Lord concerning coming judgement, it is discovered that the people are in the state they are in due to neglect. They have refused to repent for too long. They will not listen. They are so set in their ways, that nothing the prophet says will get their attention. There are cracks in the foundation and they have ignored it way too long; and now it is too late. In this context, there are five things we see that such neglect leads to.

                Eyes that don’t see. In verse 21, we see how the people are foolish and without understanding and they have eyes that do not see. When you have neglected something for so long, eventually you get to a place where you cannot even see the problem. Years ago, I was in my first year of ministry at a church. The building was in desperate need of updating. Walls had not been painted in years. There were no directional signs in or outside the building. There were old pipes running throughout the hallways that was part of an old radiator heating system. There were rooms packed with stuff that had been collected for many years. The people that had attended the church all their life was not aware of the issue. They neglected the problem for so long that they grew accustomed to how things were and could not see the problem. Coming from the outside as the new guy, I began to point things out to them. They soon felt embarrassed by the disarray of the building. We had several big workdays. We tore out the old heating system. We painted the whole building. We put nice directions signs throughout the building. We cleaned out the closets and storage rooms. By the time we were done, the place looked brand new and there was a renewed excitement in the church. For years, things had been neglected and their eyes were blind. They could not see those things that needed to be addressed. When we neglect things in our lives, our vision is dimmed. We become satisfied with how things are. We get too comfortable and we fail to see the things that need to be addressed. We become blind to reality. We attempt to find quick fixes rather than uncovering the true root of our problems. The issue often is that we know there is a problem, and we know what needs to be done, but we do not want to face it. We do not like the changes that we need to make, therefore, we just cover it up or we look the other way. We kick the can down the road, making it someone else’s problem. However, the fix is so much simpler and easier when we address it sooner rather than later. Neglect just makes matters worse and worse until it’s too late. This is what happened to the people of Judah. They kept neglecting their walk with God and it got to a point where they could not see what needed to be done.

                Ears that don’t hear. Verse 21 also says that they have ears, but do not hear. Not only can they not see the problem and what needs to be done, they do not hear the truth. They became deaf to the issue and they refused to listen. Have you ever met someone that is so stubborn that they refused to listen to anything you said? They are so set in their ways that no matter what you say or do, they flat out refuse to listen. When things are neglected, your ears tend to close. You have convinced yourself that everything is okay and there is nothing that needs to be corrected. The people of Judah became deaf. The message Jeremiah preached just went in one ear and out the other. Refusing to listen is the beginning of the end. When you are so set in your ways, when you are so stubborn that you will not listen; your downfall is on the horizon.

                Failure to help the needy. In verse 28, the people are seen as those who prosper but do not help the fatherless and do not defend and help the needy. There is an important takeaway from their failure. When we neglect to see and to hear and we do not respond to the Holy Spirit’s conviction in our lives, our hearts become hard. We are no longer sensitive to the needs of others. When we become so self-focused and we neglect our personal walk with the Lord, we tend to lose our love and concern for the lost. We lose our evangelistic fervor when we neglect the most important things.

                Failure to preach the truth. Verse 31 mentions how the prophets will prophesy falsely and the priests rule by their own power. The truth is diminished. The Gospel is watered-down, when we neglect the most important things. When we refuse to repent of sin. When we ignore the clear teaching of God’s Word. When our eyes are closed and our ears are shut up, we become starved of the truth. It gets to the point that we are so far removed from the truth that we do not even realize it. This is what happened to the people of Judah in Jeremiah’s day. They neglected the truth for so long that they no longer knew what the truth was. They did not see the error of their ways. They continued down a path of depravity and rebellion against God, because the truth was no longer preached.

                Failure to practice servant-leadership. Verse 31 again says that the priests rule by their own power. In times past, the priests would serve and love the people. Now, they are just serving themselves. They rule by their own power, rather than lovingly leading the people. When the most important things are neglected, we succumb to leaders leading us away from the Lord instead of leading and guiding us to the Lord.

                When we become spiritually lazy and we neglect the most important things, we do so at our own peril. The consequence of such neglect is too great. The more we neglect the most important things, the further away we get from the Lord, which brings about its own consequences.

^[1] The New King James Version (Jas 4:17). (1982). Thomas Nelson.