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I have thought of several ways to cover today’s passage, but I think that the best is to simply read it, and then go through each section.
Jer.
2-3:5
Adonai Remembers
Last time, we saw that Jeremiah received his Commissioning from Adonai.
However, unlike Isaiah or Ezekiel, there is no written response from Jeremiah to show that he accepted it.
What we see from the first verse in Jeremiah 2, that he is now sent on his first mission to Jerusalem.
Adonai’s message through Jeremiah begins by reminding the people of Jerusalem of their former love for Him.
There was a time that the Children of Jacob loved Adonai as a new bride loves her husband.
There was a time when the nation followed Adonai wholeheartedly; a time when they were holy before the Lord.
This was a time of provision, blessing and protection.
But Israel Forgot
The message given by Jeremiah, is split up by the statement “It is a declaration of Adonai”.
Jeremiah uses this statement 172 times throughout the entire book, and 7 times in this passage we just read.
Jeremiah uses this statement to emphasise a point and also when there is a slight change in topic, but I think there is another reason.
Jeremiah was very well aware that as a young person, his words would probably be ignored.
Jeremiah wanted to make absolutely certain that people knew that the words he was speaking, were from Adonai.
Israel Followed Worthlessness
The first section of Adonai’s case against Israel, verses 4 - 9, Adonai asks the people, “Why have you strayed so far from me?” How is it that a nation, that once followed Adonai, would now choose to follow after other gods?
Was there something wrong with Adonai?
Had Adonai been unfair to the people?
Adonai had provided for them, he had watched over them and protected them.
But the people had run after “worthless things.”
Adonai points out, that we become like the things or people that we idolise.
All of mankind will return to the dust, and all that is created by mankind will likewise perish and rot.
And if we set anyone or anything above the eternal God, then we become just as worthless as the temporary things we have lifted up.
Adonai also pointed out that the land does not belong to us, rather it is His land, and His heritage.
We are simply stewards of the resources that Adonai has created.
But unlike what the world thinks, the number one way of defiling the land is not with carbon emissions, but we defile the land with our idolatry.
We defile the land by not acknowledging that Adonai is the true owner of the land that we live in.
Israel Exchanged Gods
There is no neutrality in this life.
We are either walking after Adonai, or we a walking away from Him.
We are never simply “on the fence.”
When Israel refused to seek after Adonai, they found themselves replacing Him with other fake gods.
They “exchanged their glory for worthless things.”
The children of Israel were not satisfied with Adonai, and like it says in Rom.
1:25
Two Evils
Why is it that when people reject Adonai, that they actively replace Him with something else?
Firstly, Israel had forsake the “spring of living water”, the Ruach HaKodesh, and then they attempted to create their own sources of spiritual connection.
For these reasons, rejecting the true and living God, and following after other gods, Adonai gave the northern kingdom of Israel over into the hands of the Assyrians.
Jeremiah is reminding those in Jerusalem, that almost 100 years before, in 721 BC, Assyria had laid waste the Northern Kingdom.
Israel was plundered and the cities burned with fire.
Jeremiah is also asking, why are you, Jerusalem, now looking to the strength of Assyria or Egypt to save you from the threat that is coming?
Instead Adonai states, Jer.
2:19
When we do not fear Adonai, then come face to face with the bitter consequences of our own sinful actions.
Soap Can’t Clean Iniquity
The picture of horror now worsens, as Adonai attempts to describe the tendency of those in Judah to run after foreign gods.
Some people may say that they live a moral life, or that they have cleaned up their act, and therefore do not need God.
But God points out that the soap of our attempt to clean ourselves, does not remove the stain of iniquity that is in our lives.
We must come to God humbly and repent as it says in Isa.
1:18
When we refuse to come, then we end up denying that we are doing anything wrong.
Which is why Adonai asks the people, “How can you say, ‘I have not gone after the Baalim?’”
The reality was, that the people had become like wild animals, attempting to satisfy their lustful desires.
They were running after anything to worship, as long as it was not Adonai, the One, True God.
Yet when people are in trouble, when they are caught in the act, they find themselves coming back to God … not for repentance, but simply to alleviate the consequences of their actions.
Adonai tells the people, “Go and ask your gods whom you have served.
See if they will save you!!”
Discipline Didn’t Work
Adonai had attempted to bring correction through many different prophets, but instead of listening and repenting, the Children of Israel had killed the prophets.
Yeshua would mourn over this same issue in Matt.
23:37-39
Instead of listening to the rebuke, and changing their behaviour, the people continued and increased their wickedness.
The wickedness increased so much, that even the ungodly were taking tips from God’s people, on how to behave wickedly.
When the world acts worldly, we should not be suprised.
But when those who claim to follow God act ungodly, … oh how that should anger us!
Yeshua said it this way, Matt.
7:21-23
Unfaithful Actions
We have spoken about how Jeremiah’s ministry began during a time of Spiritual revival.
King Josiah was purging the land of all the idols, yet we see that Adonai is not satisfied with simply an external cleansing; He is not satisfied with only the king enforcing a return to God.
Adonai wants to see the entire nation truly repent.
So the passage closes with this: Jer.
3:4-5
Even though people had called out to Adonai, expecting Him to simply ignore all the wickedness that had been done, yet their actions told another story.
Michael Brown puts it this way:
A mediating view would recognize that the Lord was truly touched by his people’s affectionate, theologically sounding words of repentance but deeply grieved over their hypocritical actions.
Application
In Rom.
15:4 Rav.
Sha’ul states that:
So how do we apply this passage to our lives?
Remember Our First Love
Yeshua reminds the believers in Ephesus, Rev. 2:4-7
As a congregation, as a nation, we need to remember our first love of Adonai.
Where we have fallen away from Adonai, we need to repent and come back to Him.
He is gracious and merciful, as John said in 1 Jn.
1:9
Seek the Eternal Reward
We must look at our lives and see where we are following after worthless things.
We are called to seek first the kingdom of God, Yeshua said in Matt.
6:33
And Rav.
Sha’ul told the believers in Corinth, 1 Cor.
3:11-15
We are to seek the eternal reward that the Lord will give; we are to prioritise the Kingdom of God; and we are to follow after things that Adonai values.
Adonai Must Be Our Source
We can not clean up our act by ourselves, we must rely on the Ruach HaKodesh.
Rav.
Sha’ul urges: Rom.
12:1-2
The renewing of our mind comes from spending time in the Presence of the Lord and in the Word of God.
We all need to be reading His word daily!
We all need to be praying daily!
If we are not in the Presence of the Lord, how will we feel His conviction?
How will we be changed from glory to glory?
How will we be able to build our lives with eternal value and worth?
How will we be able to reflect His Light?
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