Israel forsakes the Lord
Jeremiah begins his duties as a prophet for the Lord with the heavy responsibility of chastising the people of Israel for forsaking God. The words that God chooses describes Israel as a prostitute or cheating wife. At first, the “wife” loves and respects her “husband” – “I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved me” (v. 2), but quickly turns her back on Him – “Indeed, on every high hill and under every spreading tree you lay down as a prostitute” (v. 20). God is dismayed in that He provided for their every need before arriving in the promised land, but no sooner did they arrive did they begin to forget what He did for them. “What fault did your fathers find in me, that they strayed so far from me? They followed worthless idols and became worthless themselves” (v. 5).
Not much else happens in this particular chapter other than Jeremiah sharing God’s feelings about being forsaken. God warns that just because they are His “chosen people” that doesn’t mean that they will be spared His wrath.
On your clothes men find the lifeblood of the innocent poor, though you did not catch them breaking in. Yet in spite of all this you say, ‘I am innocent; he is not angry with me.’ But I will pass judgment on you because you say, ‘I have not sinned.’ (v. 34-35).
The most important lesson for Christian men to take away from this chastising is that just because we may have been saved by the blood of Christ, God won’t completely overlook our sins, especially if they deal in turning away from Him. The author of Hebrews puts it this way: “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God” (Hebrews 10:26-27).
Taking our cue from Jeremiah 2:35, it is crucial that we, as men, admit to ourselves and to God that we are sinners, and that we need both forgiveness and justification. Before the Messiah, people tried to be found righteous through the justification of the law. If you were perfect according to the law, you were good in God’s eyes. The problem was, no one was perfect. No, Not One! Under the “new law”, or New Testament, we’re under a system of grace instead of system of laws. We have been justified because someone has taken our place for our punishment. Paul writes,
“This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:22-24).
You’ll probably see lots of “Christians” in the world who put up a front of being sinless and blameless, but let me say, they’re a sinner just like the rest of us. As John argues, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).
Key Verse: Jeremiah 2:31b – “Why do my people say, ‘We are free to roam;
we will come to you no more’?” (NIV)
Application for Men: It’s so easy for us men to clothe ourselves in our own strength and our own abilities. “I can do it,” “I am able,” “I don’t need help.” So many “tough guys” don’t turn to God for help, save perhaps in time of dire need. As long as things are going great and hardships are few, God is often merely an afterthought. This is precisely the situation that the Israelites found themselves in time after time. When they were slaves in Egypt, you can bet they were crying to God daily and nightly. When they were wandering in the desert, they mostly stuck with God though the young ones often forgot where they came from. By the time they reached the promised land, the men devoted to God were few and far between.
It’s easiest to see here in America–the easier our lives are, the less men seek out a relationship with God. Of course, their need for justification and redemption doesn’t change, but their sense of urgency of developing that relationship is gone. God promises that He will draw close to us if (a necessary condition) we draw close to Him (James 4:8). We can NOT do it alone, we ARE NOT able, and we DO need help.
Discussion Questions:
- Verse 22 states, “‘Although you wash yourself with soda and use an abundance of soap, the stain of your guilt is still before me.’” How is this similar to our own lives? How is it different?
- Describe/think of a time in your life when you have turned away from God. Did your situation improve or get worse? What led you back to God (if you have come back)?
- Ponder the statement,”Being a missionary in a developed nation is much more difficult than in an impoverished nation.” Do you think this is true? If so, why would this be true?
Tags: Sin
