Jeremiah 3:1

 Jeremiah 3:1 says, They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man’s, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD.  God once again compared the people of Israel and their relationship with Him to a man and his wife.  God said if a man put away his wife and she married another man and then returned to him, would not the land be polluted because of this, and yet God said Israel had played the harlot with may other gods and then professed to return to Him again.  We cannot just jump in and out of a relationship with God at our own desire.  Verse two declares, Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness.  God called on the people of Israel to look to the high places and show Him where they had not been unfaithful to Him.  If we have been unfaithful in our relationship with God, He will make us aware of it.  Verse three adds, Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; and thou hadst a whore’s forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed.  God said because of the people of Israel's unfaithfulness that He was no longer blessing them materially, and they refused to be ashamed of their actions.  Verse four asks, Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My father, thou art the guide of my youth?  God then asked if they would not once again call out to Him, the God and Guide of their youth.  When we find ourselves allowing the things of this world to come between God and us, we need to cry out to Him for forgiveness once again.  Verse five adds, Will he reserve his anger for ever? will he keep it to the end? Behold, thou hast spoken and done evil things as thou couldest.  The people of Israel might attempt to blame God for being angry with them, but they were not accepting the fact that the responsibility for God's anger with them was because of their actions.  We can never blame God if He has withdrawn His protection from us, but must look at our own actions instead.  Verse six declares, The LORD said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot.  God asked Jeremiah if he had seen what the people of Israel had done, playing the harlot with false gods on all the high places.  They were not just failing to follow and worship God, but were actively worshipping false gods for all the world to see.  We, as followers of Christ, need to make sure that we never in any way chase after false gods, whatever they may be, and we certainly better never do so for all the world to see.  Verse seven adds, And I said after she had done all these things, Turn thou unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it.  God said even after the people of Israel did these things that He called on them to return to Him, but they would not, and the people of Judah, the rest of God's chosen people were the same.  God will always call on people to repent, and He will especially call on His people to repent if they have strayed away from Him.  Verse eight continues, And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.  God said when He put away the people of Israel that the people of Judah did not learn from this, but that they turned their backs on Him as well.  We should learn from others who have strayed away from God and not make the same mistakes that thy have made.  Verse nine says, And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks.  God told Jeremiah that by worshipping false gods that His chosen people had defiled the land.  Verse ten adds, And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD.  God again told Jeremiah that the people of Israel and Judah had turned away from Him with all their heart.