The Scary Results of Sin

The problem in the world today is that the church itself has begun to fall from its roots. Our country has fallen from her roots of biblical truth. Christians are slowly compromising and being weaned away from the one and true God. It is amazing the amount of people in our country that have no clue who the one true God is. Israel knew who God was but fell away from that belief. We tonight can learn from Israel’s example on how not to live.

Context:

The context surrounding Jeremiah 2 and the book of Jeremiah as a whole takes place during the time in Israel’s history when Israel had been taken captive. Judah though was still standing but even though they had many more revivals than the northern kingdom, they were waxing worse spiritually. In chapter 1 Jeremiah records his call and commitment to be a spokesperson to the Israelites for the LORD. The main issue discussed in chapter 2 is the apostasy of Israel. The rest of chapter 2 deals with more specifically the depraved nature and punishment of Israel’s apostasy.

Key textual principle: Jeremiah is commanded to proclaim to Israel her departure from Yahweh and the ensuing judgment.

Primary Take Home Truth: God’s justice and hatred for sin demands God’s punishment of sin.

Primary Application: God must be your life’s priority or you will become like what you idolize.

I. The LORD reminds His children of their once youthful vibrancy spiritually (vv 1-3).

Explanation

The prophet Jeremiah is told of the Lord to proclaim to Israel a reminder of her once vibrant life spiritually. Jeremiah speaks of several ways Israel lived in obedience to Yahweh by stating what the Lord remembers.

Devotion to Yahweh in their youth, 2:2

Jeremiah is reminding them of the time in their history when they were delivered from Egypt. God is letting Israel know that He still loves them! This is speaking of when Israel first entered into covenant with God. The covenant that God made with Israel was that as they obeyed him they as a nation would be blessed but as they disobeyed him God promised that judgment would be delivered. Here in Jeremiah 2 we see the manifestation of the Israel’s failure to keep her end of the covenant.

Unfailing Devotion, 2:2

1. God remembers when Israel followed him with a dedication and devotion that was loyal and unfailing.

The manifestation of this loyalty came from their trust in being led into the wilderness and following Him through to the Promised Land.(As we look at their history we do see their complaining but they still faithfully followed God in the wilderness.)

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 6: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel a. Israel’s Ingratitude (2:1–8)

Warmth, love, and purity marked her first relationship with her covenant God. Apart from the golden-calf incident (Exod 32:1–29), Israel’s failures in the wilderness came from lack of faith rather than outright apostasy.

Devoted Love, 2:2

The LORD compares the early love of Israel for Him as a bride’s love to her groom. Israel was God’s bride. They had a love that was deep. This love then was later divided with other nations and gods. The contrast of this loving and loyal relationship is seen in verses 4-13.

Yahweh’s Firstfruits

Israel was holy/set apart for the sole enjoyment and pleasure of God himself. The prophet describes this as Israel being God’s firstfruits.

“In those early favored days, Israel was set apart as sacred to God, his very firstfruits, because she was the first nation to worship the true God (cf. Exod 19:5–6; Amos 6:1). The firstfruits were the portion of the harvest that belonged to God, and this could not be eaten by the people.” (Charles L. Feinberg, “Jeremiah,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 6 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1986), 388.)

The biblical law that was established was that every man had to give the firstfruits or first reaping of his harvest to the Lord. This revealed or acknowledged that Israel saw that everything they had came from the LORD. A punishment was given to those who did not give of their firstfruits.

Israel was Yahweh’s firstfruits therefore they were under His protection. Anyone therefore who touched Israel was dealt with, punished of God.

This possibly had appeared to Israel/Judah that God had forsaken them and fallen back on his promise to them. Quite the contrary, it was Israel who had failed to keep her end of the covenant and fallen and forgotten God.

Illustration: Universities that left their spiritual roots; Harvard and Yale (originally Puritan) and Princeton (originally Presbyterian) once had rich Christian histories.

Refutation:

As these Ivy League schools have left their roots and forgotten how they started so did Israel before them. Look at Israel today and they are still suffering from their unfaithfulness. They neglected the devotion that once was thriving among them. The Christian today has created a rationalized devotion to God. They have combined society and scripture and created a type of Christianity that has pulled them from their roots. The Christian neglects to walk worthy of the vocation he has been called. Where is the loyalty of the Christian today?[The average Christian today has lost loyalty to God. It seems that many Christians live a convenient loyalty rather than true loyalty. A loyalty that is a complete trust and following of God. NO HOLES BARRED! Complete Devotion!] They have forgotten that as children of God they are His firstfruits (James 1:18). We are Christ’s firstfruit of His creation.

Application:

Where does your loyalty reside tonight? The Lord called Jeremiah to proclaim judgment to Israel and he was loyal and obeyed. What have you neglected to obey God in today? Where do your loyalties reside? Do they reside in your own personal comforts? Where is your level of devotion? Is your devotion misplaced? Husband and Wife, do you love God as you love your spouse? God’s Word is the source of our power to sustain complete loyalty to God. Replace your loyalty and devotion of things other than Christ to a complete loyalty to Christ. A sacrificial loyalty that thrives on serving and knowing God should become a habit in our lives each day!

Transition: Jeremiah speaks to Israel the mind of God then proceeds to reveal to them their apostasy.

II. The LORD spells out to Israel the details of their unfaithfulness. (Jeremiah 2:4-19).

They became like worthless like the worthless idols they worshipped!

Explanation:

Jeremiah begins by telling the entire nation of Israel to listen to what the LORD has to say. The next nine verses the LORD delivers a line of rhetorical questions followed by evidence of Israel’s falling away from Him. The phrase “the house of Israel” was probably used of Jeremiah when the northern 10 tribes were existent but by now they had been taken into captivity. Therefore Jeremiah is using this phrase as he speaks to the house of Judah as encompassing all of Israel everywhere. Judah in this sense was used as a representation of Israel as a complete nation.

In Jeremiah 2:4-9 the Lord compares Israel with the conduct of Jehovah to Israel. In these verses the LORD asks questions while stating questions that Israel’s fathers had not asked. In these questions the Lord is showing Israel that their fathers and now them do not even ask or think about God He says in verse 7 that they turned His fruitful land into a defilement. They made an abomination of His inheritance. Israel had simply forgot what God had done for them (vv. 6-7).

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 6: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel (a. Israel’s Ingratitude (2:1–8))

The strange question in v.5 is intended to awaken the people’s consciences. Its only logical answer is that the change in relationship of Israel to God was not his fault but theirs. They had broken the marriage covenant by their infidelity in going after impure lovers. A play on words in v.5b (heḇel [“vanity,” “worthlessness”] with yehbālû [“became vain, worthless”]) reveals how worshipers become like the objects they worship.

God views idols has worthless and vain. They according to 1 Kings 16:13 “13 for all the sins of Baasha and the sins of Elah his son, which they sinned and which they made Israel sin, provoking the Lord God of Israel to anger with their idols.” and 1 Corinthians 8:4 “4 Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world, and that there is no God but one.” carry no substance or reality.

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 6: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel a. Israel’s Ingratitude (2:1–8)

Israel’s attention is directed to the multiplicity of benefits the nation enjoyed at God’s hand; yet the people were unmindful of his presence in their midst (v.6). They had forgotten the wilderness experiences and the dangers the Lord had graciously brought them through. They were brought to a “fertile land” (v.7), literally, “a land of Carmel,” a Carmel land, one well cultivated and productive.

Yet, Israel still desired to not turn to God but rather turn to idolatry and immoral lifestyles. They chose to ignore what God had given them.

Verses 8-9 depict three different groups of men that failed in leadership. The three groups consist of the priests/lawmakers, shepherds (rulers/political leaders), and the prophets.

Priests – the priests and rulers did not seek the Lord in their decision making of the laws that were made and carried out. They did not seek guidance for their guidelines of living. They had no knowledge of God. The word know here refers to more than just “knowing” but speaks of a deep personal commitment accompanied by emotional and volitional aspects. They taught but had no relationship with God.

Rulers – the literal definition of rulers here is shepherds. The term shepherd was often used in the OT to describe political leaders. These men were disobedient and to be blamed as the priests for not knowing God. They failed to be proper leaders to the people.

Prophets – the prophets had completely forsaken God and turned to prophesying for Baal and walked after things of no substance; they were worthless. They were pushing for the people to worship Baal and pursue worthless and empty idols.

Therefore because of all this GOD declares, in verse 9, He will bring judgment on them and their children and their children’s children.

In verses 10-13 the Lord challenges them to go ahead and search all over the land and see if you can find a heathen nation that had changed their ancient gods. There was not a heathen, idolatrous nation that had switched gods. The Lord then says that only His people have done such a thing. The LORD then tells the heavens to be appalled or astonished at the sight before them.

The people have acted more faithlessly than the pagans. (Charles L. Feinberg, “Jeremiah,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 6 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1986), 390.

Verse 12 speaks to the reaction of all the holy in heaven and their amazement that after all GOD had done for Israel they decided to divorce from any relationship with God. This lifestyle chosen amazed the heavens because of all the blessing and protection YAHWEH gave to them. They decided to turn the perfect loving and caring God into nothing and worship nothing. He is eternal and contains an immeasurable supply of goodness yet they rejected Him. The language of the heavens reaction is very strong language.

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 6: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel b. Israel’s Idolatry (2:9–19)

To heighten the effect, Jeremiah uses three strong verbs—šōmmû (“Be astonished”; NIV, “Be appalled”), śāʿarû (“Be agitated”), ḥārḇû (“Be devastated”; NIV idiomatically renders the last two verbs “shudder with great horror”).

Verse 13, the LORD states that Israel committed two evils or sins against Him. They forsook God and replaced the one, true God with false and temporal idols.

The pagan nations had committed the one sin of idolatry, often exchanging one superstition for another. But Judah had exceeded them in disobedience in renouncing her own real God to serve nobodies.Charles L. Feinberg, “Jeremiah,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 6 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1986), 391.

The imagery used by Jeremiah helps to understand the error of Israel along with their foolishness. The imagery he uses is of a living spring and a broken cistern. Natural springs were Israel’s best source of water. A broken cistern contained water that was brackish. A cistern was a container that would hold rain water therefore not only was water from a cistern brackish but a broken cistern would not even hold water. Therefore, it seems ridiculous to leave a pure spring to a dirty, broken cistern.[A1] Use Illustration 2 about the bacteria in the water.

Jeremiah, Lamentations (1) Forsaking of God for Worthless Idols (2:1–19)

Would anyone today be so foolish as to trade an artesian well for a broken cistern? Unfortunately, many do. Some of today’s “broken cisterns” are the pursuit of wealth, power, fame, or pleasure.

Verses 14-19 walk through a few pictures pointing out the level of apostasy into which Israel had fallen.

Picture #1 A Slave: Israel had enslaved herself with her very own sins. She was in bondage to sin. In this short section of text, God finishes it with a plea to repent by stating the fact that they would not but rather respond in hardness and bitterness.

Although the Lord had made Israel free (Exod 6:6–8), Jeremiah reminded the people that they had exchanged their freedom under God for bondage to idols. (F. B. Huey, Jeremiah, Lamentations, vol. 16, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1993), 64.)

Consequences are real! Punishment is natural to those who sin against God.

Verse 19 states that the dread or fear of God was not in them! Is your sin so sure in your life that it has impacted the degree of your fear before God. The people will have to live with the fruit of their evil ways. God’s leading was forsaken; so doom would come. (Charles L. Feinberg, “Jeremiah,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 6 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1986), 392.)

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 6: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel b. Israel’s Idolatry (2:9–19)

Ultimately, her doom would be sealed, not by the presence or absence of treaties with allies, but by her defection from the Lord (v.19).

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 6: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel b. Israel’s Idolatry (2:9–19)

Her great lack was the reverential fear of the Lord.

Application:

Christian leaders in society have allowed themselves to compromise God’s Word in order to accomplish tasks that seem more enticing. God and His Word are no longer the bedrock of our country. Christian leaders are not willing to go and take a stand for what is right against the evil and sin in the world. Practically, many of us have forsaken God by not expressing our relationship with God. We try to be a light that has different levels of brightness[A1] . What level is your spiritual brightness? We are all commanded to teach God’s word. As Israel had the priests, we are our own priests. Are you forsaking God and his Word in your life?

Maybe you are as the prophets? What do you challenge people to live their life for? Are you by example and/or word urging others to go after God or are you possibly leading them to a selfish and idolatrous life—one that places self on the throne of their heart.?

Have you decided to go after what you want, after things that are worthless and nonsustaining? What are you seeking for your spiritual nourishment? Spiritual nourishment comes from God’s Word and God’s People! Biblical fellowship and edification is of great importance in the life of the Christian. For God has instituted the avenue of fellowship as a venue of edification (Ephesians 4:16 “16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”). May we all be faithful to one another by do our part in edifying one another. Is God’s Word becoming stale or are your devoting and meditating times with God invigorating and reviving making you want to do more for Him and know him deeper?

What are you going to do? Will you fall from a life that remembers daily what God has done for you and do your own thing or will you constantly remind yourself of God’s work in your life and live accordingly?

Jeremiah, Lamentations (1) Forsaking of God for Worthless Idols (2:1–19)

The people had abandoned their “glory” (v. 11),12 the Lord who had brought them into the promised land and had embraced worthless idols

Alternatives to God always lead to destruction.

God uses man’s own sin to bring about the painful consequences to their disobedience.

The passage closes with a solemn warning about the evil and bitter consequences of abandoning the Lord Almighty,14 a name suggesting the omnipotence of God over all creation (Gen 2:1), earthly armies (Judg 4:15), celestial bodies (Isa 40:26), and angelic beings (Ps 103:21).15

III. Israel continues to reject God and live in the attraction of the false gods around them (2:20-28).

Explanation:

In this next series of verses, Jeremiah uses multiple metaphors to express to them their fallen status before God. These metaphors are used to illustrate the faithlessness of Israel.

He discusses the ox who is stubborn and rebellious and will not listen to its master.

The next is a harlot. Jeremiah likens Israel running to idols as a prostitute does to her many lovers.

The next is a vine. Judah was like a wild vine going about wherever it wants to grow. They were like a corrupt and wild vine that will not produce the fruit God wants.

In verse 22 Judah is likened to soap or lyre, something that cleans your skin thoroughly.

Jeremiah, Lamentations (2) Irresistible Attraction to Other Gods (2:20–28)

Jeremiah compared it to a stain that remains in spite of vigorous scrubbing with mineral alkali (“soda”) and vegetable alkali (“soap”; cf. Ps 51:2, 7; Isa 1:16). No amount of sacrifices brought to the temple could remove the guilt of Judah’s sins (7:9–10; cf. Amos 4:4–5; Isa 1:12–15).

Verse 23 describes a young camel wandering aimlessly. The people denied running after idols and false Gods.

Verses 24-25 describe a vivid picture of a wild donkey in heat. Judah was so about everything that they wildly ran about with a strong lust—a lust for all the right idols.

Verses 27-28 expose the foolishness of idolatry (cf. 10:2–16), humans created in the image of God preferring to worship something lower than themselves (Rom 1:21–23). Israel acknowledged wood and stone idols carved by human hands as the source of life. But when trouble came, the same people would turn to God and demand, “Come and save us,” a presumptuous command rather than a repentant plea (cf. 7:9–10; Hos 6:1).(F. B. Huey, Jeremiah, Lamentations, vol. 16, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1993), 67.)

Application:

No amount of outward change or “cleanliness” will please God. You can live where everyone around you believes you are one who loves God and desires to serve God but it will not change the fact that your heart does not fear and love God.

You can deny all the wrongdoing in your life you want to deny but God knows exactly how you are living?

So how are you living? What areas may you be living in denial of this morning? What idols of your heart are you living in denial of? Israel had turned their back on God. They had become like what they worshipped. No matter how hard they denied it. They had become worthless in the purpose God had called them. They no longer showed forth the glory of God to the heathen nations. They no longer were set apart inn their daily lives where people saw the one true God. They had committed spiritual adultery and thought God would be their “rabbits foot.”

They were wild and went after other gods. What are you going after in your own life that has become a priority higher than God and his purpose and commands for your life?

What are you allowing to attract you and pull you away from God?

See, even after this warning and after all Jeremiah was telling Israel, they continued in their sinful and apostate ways.

IV. Israel continues to refuse to acknowledge their guilt (29-37).

Explanation:

In these final verses of Jeremiah 2 the prophet begins by sharing God’s punishment along with Israel’s stubborn rebellion in spite of it. Israel continued to live their own selfish ways in spite of God’s chastening. Israel refused to acknowledge their guilt.

Judah thinks she has a case (rîḇ, same verb as in v.9) against God (v.29). She found fault with God because she could not manipulate him to her pleasure. (Charles L. Feinberg, “Jeremiah,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 6 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1986), 395.)

God chastened them many times for their sins, but they refused to change their ways, and then they even blamed God! He brought charges against them (Jer. 2:9), but instead of confessing and repenting, they complained and brought charges against Him! None of His discipline seemed to do any good. (Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Decisive, “Be” Commentary Series (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 28.)

They had rebelled against Him (2:29), forgot Him (v. 32), and lied to Him (vv. 33–35), claiming to be innocent. (Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Decisive, “Be” Commentary Series (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 28.)

Any decision they made contrary to God would only lead to God’s punishment. In Israel’s case, slavery and bondage. Ironically, it is what God brought them up out of many years prior to this point.

Application:

Israel refused to acknowledge their sin before God and repent. Jeremiah shares God’s invitation to repentance in Jeremiah 3:11-12 “11 And the Lord said to me, “Faithless Israel has proved herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. 12 “Go and proclaim these words toward the north and say, ‘Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the Lord; ‘I will not look upon you in anger. For I am gracious,’ declares the Lord; ‘I will not be angry forever.”

Stop blaming God for your circumstances in life. Each one of us this morning need to take time to evaluate and let the mirror of God’s Word show us where we are living in idolatry. We need to acknowledge and repent! Stop living in your sin even after God has pointed out to you sin in your life. It is just as dangerous for us today as it was for Israel then.

Concluding Application

Through this entire chapter all we read about are various ways Israel rejected God and ran toward idols. They acted in a way that no other nation acted. Israel was rebellious and irrational. They accused God then asked him to be their lucky rabbits foot when life fell apart around them. They failed to acknowledge their guilt, their sin. They did not see that how they were living was a problem. They saw life as liberating and free. They were living life on their terms and not God’s boring and restrictive terms.

See the scary reality to sin is what God does mention through Jeremiah—His punishment. Israel was so hardened in their sin and selfishness that God’s punishment was being ignored. SO, if you can ignore God’s punishment why is it a big deal? Because no matter what you and I do God’s punishment will always win out.

In fact Judah tried to continually ignore it but they eventually turned and blamed God for the problems in their life when they were truly a direct result of their perpetual disobedience. As much as they tried they could not ignore it so they turned to blaming God.

We place ourselves in a scary position when we allow sin to go unchecked in our lives. Living like our former selves is not walking worthy of the vocation God has called us to (Ephesians 4:1 “1 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,”) We are selfish people and the most difficult statement for us to say is “I am wrong. I am guilty of sin in my life.” We justify sin in our lives for various reasons. We blame shift. We fill our lives with business hoping to mask the sinful idolatry in our lives.

We need to stop trying to conform outwardly. Sin causes irrational behavior. Sinful and idolatrous living results in excuse making toward God and toward those around us. Unconfessed sin causes the heart to harden and become calloused. Sin hinders the believer’s relationship with God and blocks the unbeliever from even having a relationship with God.

The scary proposition that the results of sin are punishment from God should motivate us to live in a healthy fear and reverence to God.

Primary Take Home Truth: God’s justice and hatred for sin demands God’s punishment of sin.

Primary Take Home Application: God must be your life’s priority or you will become like what you idolize.

Related Media

Related Sermons