Jeremiah has already spoken of the exploitation and greed in Judah ( Jeremiah 5:26–28). This greed runs throughout the whole of society; from the least to the greatest of them, everyone is greedy for unjust gain.
Shockingly, even those who were supposed to lead the people out of this wickedness are complicit. Even the prophets and priests are part of the false dealings of the nation.
What makes the dealings of the priests and prophets especially wicked in the Lord’s eyes is the fact that they healed the wound of my people lightly.
The spiritual teachers and leaders of the nation dealt with the wound
of wickedness and rebellion in the nation in a totally ineffective manner by declaring a message of peace when there was no peace. In total contradiction to Jeremiah, they assured the people that all was well. There would be no judgment from the Lord and the nation would continue to enjoy all the covenant blessings. They told the people what they wanted to hear. Condoning, instead of condemning the greed of the people meant that donations kept coming into the temple. Their personal prosperity was more important than faithfulness to the Lord.1
14 Ils pansent à la légère la plaie de la fille de mon peuple: Paix! paix! disent-ils; Et il n'y a point de paix;