God tells Jeremiah to take a walk. It was not far to Jerusalem, only a few miles and the prophet had made this journey countless times but this one must have seemed longer…much longer. He had to go to Jerusalem and proclaim to them the message that we just read.
As we look at this first example of the message of the prophet, notice three features that we will see throughout the book but that are especially prominent at the beginning. First there are at least 16 questions that will be asked, some are rhetorical with accusations following, others are questions of bewilderment on the part of Jeremiah at the sin of God’s people.
Second, there are about 19 different images, metaphors or comparisons that are used to paint a picture of what is going on. This colors in the lines if you would, quite dramatically. And then third, 9 times Jeremiah will quote directly from the words the people are saying and twice he refers to what they SHOULD be saying but are not.
This first oracle would have been given in the time of Josiah the king. Which remember, was a time of revival and a turning away from the idolatry and wickedness of Josiah’s grandfather, Manasseh. But the prophet, along with other books, give us the strong inclination that the revival under Josiah was truer in the mind and heart of Josiah than it was in the minds and hearts of the people. It seems the people were riding Josiah’s coat-tails and going along with the king’s fervor and zeal but after Josiah was killed in battle, the people would return to their sinful and God-forgetting ways quite quickly.
Our text begins as one commentator put it, with a honeymoon, but sadly in the first verses of chapter 3, it will end with a divorce.
READ 2:1-3
The problem is much more than broken laws…the problem is a broken relationship. It almost sounds wrong to say this, but it is the picture being painted; God, the divine lover has been betrayed by his beloved and the anger that we read about in our text is anger drenched in the pain of love. (Wright, 60)
God says in verse 2, I remember…happy memories… remember the devotion when you were young and the love you had at first. It almost sounds like what was said of the church at Ephesus who had forgotten her first love. Oh, still religious stuff was being done…but not for the Lord not because they love Him.
Now a couple of things to note: First, as Jeremiah looks back on the Exodus and the wilderness period in verse 2 he, in as much, is saying…what is the reason for your rebellion? How did the Lord harm you? What thing, what offense did the Lord give? What is your reason for rebellion?
This is similar to what the Lord Like said earlier through the prophet Micah, (6:3-4) “Oh my people…what have I don’t to you? How have I wearied you? Answer me!” And then a list of all the mercies poured out!
Well what about us? Why…why do we turn away? Why do we decide, ever, that our way is better than the Lord’s? Or is our wisdom superior to his? How has Jesus burdened you? What has He ever done to suggest you can’t trust Him? Our rebellion…our coldness and lack of love for the Lord is not AS astounding but I would argue, so much more dumbfounding.
And then second, did you notice that the text almost seems to be saying that the wilderness wanderings were wonderful. But we have read Numbers, we know of the grumbling and complaining against the Lord. So why is it presented as if it was a day of marital bliss? To be candid, I am not so sure. It could be a reference to the very beginning of those days before the grumbling and complaining started, but a careful reading of Numbers would tell us that the griping started about one week into the journey at most!
Maybe, the Lord looks upon the life of his people, your life and mine, not in ignorance of our past sins and rebellion, but views it and us through the eyes of mercy…the eyes of forgiveness. Oh yes, he knows, but because of who HE is, that is not how He sees us. Just maybe.
Nonetheless, we now have a picture of baffled divine grief. They had forsaken the love they had at first…consider how far you have fallen. So, what caused this failure? If, as Paul says, all of this is written for our sake so that we might learn, what are we to learn?
READ 2:4-13
First, we see a deep ingratitude. Again, at the beginning of verse 5 the Lord asks, what wrong did your fathers find in me? Now, some did think to blame Yahweh, but that is not unlike Adam, who was quick to blame the Lord for giving him the woman to begin with! They don’t even try to answer God’s question, so the Lord continues to cause them to see clearly what they have done. They pursued what was worthless, verse 5, and what happens when you pursue what is worthless? You become worthless…you become like whatever you pursue or worship. And that is exactly what is happening, they are seeking to fulfill their desires in ways other than in the Lord…that is idolatry.
*Jeremiah is echoing Hosea years earlier: “…they consecrated themselves to the thing of shame and became detestable like the thing they loved.”
In verses 6-7 the Lord recounts what He has done for them, the mercies and kindnesses He has bestowed, but the priests don’t see it, the shepherds continue in sin and the prophets are busy chasing after false gods. So not only were they not thankful they wasted the precious gifts that were given to them, treating them as if they were no big deal. That is what we find all around us today, and perhaps what we find all “in us” today…we are not thankful, just listen to our complaining and grumbling and we so often treat God’s precious gifts as if they are ho-hum at best.
One example I read some time ago. This author walked into a small Christian bookstore and wrote down the names of all the Bibles in the store, are you ready:
The devotional bible, daily bible, men’s bible, women’s bible, women and faith bible, life application bible, everyday life bible, new spirit filled life bible, family foundations bible, discovery bible, business bible, checkbook bible, amplified bible, chronological bible, new believers Bible…(I am not sure how this differs from the old believers bible), the ultimate teen bible AND, the extreme teen bible…so a distinction must be made between the ultimate teen and the extreme teen, the student bible, youth bible, boys bible faith girlz (with a z) bible, giant bible, slim bible, ultra slim bible, and of course the good old stand by, holy bible.
The author goes on to tell of a friend of his who lives in the Congo who told him that in his congregation when someone in a family is able to afford to buy a bible they cut it up, literally, and share it out among the family so that everyone has at least some part of that which is so very precious. That is just one example. We have so much…you have so much…are these gifts of the Lord, precious to you? And are you using them to their fullest as you participate in the work of Jesus? Or do we continue to take the abundance of God’s mercies for granted?
To be continued…
Prayer: Father, I would not have the restless will that hurries to and fro, seeking for some great thing to do, or secret thing to know; I would be treated as a child, and guided where I go. I ask thee for the daily strength, to none that ask denied, a mind to blend with outward life, while keeping at thy side, content to fill a little space, if thou be glorified. Through Jesus Christ my Lord, Amen. (Anne Waring, 1850)
Hymn: This is My Song
