Jeremiah 3:20

 Jeremiah 3:20 says, Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the LORD.  Again God compared Israel to an unfaithful wife.  When a man and a woman marry, they take vows to remain faithful to each other, just as the people of Israel had taken a vow to remain faithful to God, as do we today as followers of Christ.  There are no days when a marriage is not in effect, and there are no days when our vow to be faithful to God is not in effect.  Verse twenty-one states, A voice was heard upon the high places, weeping and supplications of the children of Israel: for they have perverted their way, and they have forgotten the LORD their God.  Jeremiah said that here was weeping heard in the high places. where people should be worshipping, because the children of Israel had forgotten the LORD their God.  Not all of God's people had forgotten Him, and they were making supplication for the rest of Israel because they had.  There is never a time when there is no one who does not believe in God, though at times it may be a small remnant.  Verse twenty-two declares, Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the LORD our God.  There was a call for the backslidden people of Israel to return to the LORD, Whom they called their God, and to be healed.  If we stray away from God, we must first be one of His children to begin with, and then if we stray, we must first return to Him in order to be spiritually healed.  Verse twenty-three adds, Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel.  God said that people were looking in vain for salvation anywhere except in Him, and what was true then has always been and always will be true.  By faith in God alone can we find salvation.  Verse twenty-four continues, For shame hath devoured the labour of our fathers from our youth; their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters.  Like the people of Israel, if we labor outside the will of God, it will only bring us shame before God, and our labor will be in vain.  Verse twenty-five concludes, We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us: for we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.  God said that the people of Israel, His chosen people, laid down in shame because they had sinned against Him.  If we are unfaithful to our relationship with God through our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, it can only bring us shame. 

Jeremiah 3:11

 Jeremiah 3:11 says, And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah.  God's people were divided into two nations at this time, and God called Israel backslidden, and yet said they tried to justify themselves more than Judah, which He called treacherous.  It doesn't matter how many divisions there are in those who call themselves God's people but who have never allowed Jesus Christ to be their Savior and Lord.  They are either backslidden or are dealing treacherously with God.  Verse twelve declares, Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever.  God told Jeremiah to go to the backsliding people of people of Israel and call on them to return to Him.  To have been backslidden implies that the people of Israel at one time had a relationship with God, but had forgotten it.  God told Jeremiah that if they would return to Him that His anger would not come on them, and reminded them that He was a merciful and patient God.  This has not changed.  God stands ready to forgive us if we backslide today, and it is because of His great mercy that we have hope to begin with.  Verse thirteen adds, Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD.  God told Jeremiah to tell the people that in order to know His mercy they had to first acknowledge their sins, which were widespread.  In order to know God's mercy, we must first acknowledge our sins.  Verse fourteen declares, Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:  Verse fifteen adds, And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.  God said that those who would return to Him, even if it was only one of a city or two of a family, that He would give them pastors according to His own heart who would feed them with knowledge and understanding of God.  God still gives us pastors today to do the same thing, if they listen to Him and put their faith in Him.  Verse sixteen continues, And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the LORD, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the LORD: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more.  God said that when the people were restored to Him and multiplied and increased in the land that they would no longer remember the things that guided them in the wilderness, because they would have a personal relationship with God that did not depend on going through priests or anything else.  Verse seventeen states, At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart.  This refers to the church according to Matthew Henry, after Jesus came to restore people to God.  Verse eighteen adds, In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers.  The people of God are united through Jesus Christ.  Though this was a prophesy concerning a physical reuniting of the people of Israel and Judah, it is also a prophesy concerning all who come to God by faith in Christ.  Verse nineteen concludes, But I said, How shall I put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations? and I said, Thou shalt call me, My father; and shalt not turn away from me.  God said when the people asked how this was possible that it was so because of the people once again recognizing Him as their heavenly Father,  The same is true today.

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.   

Jeremiah 2:23

 Jeremiah 2:23 says, How canst thou say, I am not polluted, I have not gone after Baalim? see thy way in the valley, know what thou hast done: thou art a swift dromedary traversing her ways;  God asked the people of Israel how they could say that they had not chased after false gods.  If God accuses us today of chasing false gods, we  can be certain that we have and there really is no sense in denying it.  The Holy Spirit will convict us when we do.  Verse twenty-four adds, A wild ass used to the wilderness, that snuffeth up the wind at her pleasure; in her occasion who can turn her away? all they that seek her will not weary themselves; in her month they shall find her.  The people were compared to a wild ass seeking her own pleasure who could not very easily be turned from her desires.  When we are caught up in the lusts of the world, it is not easy to turn us away. without the power of God to overcome those lusts.  Verse twenty-five says, Withhold thy foot from being unshod, and thy throat from thirst: but thou saidst, There is no hope: no; for I have loved strangers, and after them will I go.  God called on the people to not give in to these lusts, but they said there  was no hope because they already had.  We need to realize that as long as we are alive that God will call us to repentance, and there is never a reason to feel hopeless.  Verse twenty-six declares, As the thief is ashamed when he is found, so is the house of Israel ashamed; they, their kings, their princes, and their priests, and their prophets,  God said that the house of Israel, from their governmental leaders to their spiritual leaders were found out in their idolatry, and should be ashamed just as a thief who is caught.  Of course, it is possible that a thief might avoid being caught, but when we sin against God we always will be and this should cause us to be ashamed when we do.  Verse twenty-seven adds, Saying to a stock, Thou art my father; and to a stone, Thou hast brought me forth: for they have turned their back unto me and, not their face: but in the time of their trouble they will say, Arise, and save us.  God said the people of Israel had attempted to make gods of the things of this world, and then asked them in time of trouble when they called on these false gods if they could save them.  Salvation is only possible by accepting Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, and no matter what else we worship in the world it can never save us.  Verse twenty-eight asks, But where are thy gods that thou hast made thee? let them arise, if they can save thee in the time of thy trouble: for according to the number of thy cities are thy gods, O Judah.  God again asked His people, who were His in name only, where the false gods that they made were in times of trouble.  God said they had made as many false gods as there were cities in Judah.  No matter how many things we put our faith in instead of God, they will never save us.  Verse twenty-nine adds, Wherefore will ye plead with me? ye all have transgressed against me, saith the LORD.  God asked why the people of Judah would plead with Him when they had transgressed against Him.  Too often we call out to God in times of trouble because we have not been true to Him in times of prosperity.  Verse thirty declares, In vain have I smitten your children; they received no correction: your own sword hath devoured your prophets, like a destroying lion.  God said that He had smitten the people of Judah in vain, because they refused to listen to His prophets, killing them instead.  God will let us know today when we are chasing after false gods, yet too often people would rather kill His prophets than to listen to them.  Verse thirty-one adds, O generation, see ye the word of the LORD. Have I been a wilderness unto Israel? a land of darkness? wherefore say my people, We are lords; we will come no more unto thee?  God asked the people of Israel if He had become unknowable to them.  They may have been going through the motions of worshipping God still, but they did not have a real relationship with Him.  Verse thirty-two continues, Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? yet my people have forgotten me days without number.  I believe that God was basically saying that it should have been impossible for the people of Israel to forget Him because of all that He had done for them, but they had.  It should be impossible for us as followers of Christ to forget what He did for us, but we too often allow the things of the world to come between God and us.  Verse thirty-three asks, Why trimmest thou thy way to seek love? therefore hast thou also taught the wicked ones thy ways.  God said not only had the people of Israel turned away from Him, but they had encouraged others to do so as well.  It is bad enough for a person to turn away from God, especially those who call themselves His people, but it is even worse to lead others away from God.  Verse thirty-four adds, Also in thy skirts is found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents: I have not found it by secret search, but upon all these.  God said that the blood of others was on the people of Israel, and that it did not take a secret search to find this out.  They were open in their disobedience to God.  Verse thirty-five declares, Yet thou sayest, Because I am innocent, surely his anger shall turn from me. Behold, I will plead with thee, because thou sayest, I have not sinned.  The people of Israel professed their innocence, but God professed their guilt.  Verse thirty-six adds, Why gaddest thou about so much to change thy way? thou also shalt be ashamed of Egypt, as thou wast ashamed of Assyria.  Verse thirty-seven concludes, Yea, thou shalt go forth from him, and thine hands upon thine head: for the LORD hath rejected thy confidences, and thou shalt not prosper in them.  God said that the people were disappointed in their choice of gods, since they could put no confidence in them, and that since God had rejected them for their idolatry, they could not go forth with confidence in Him.  As long as we are faithful to God, we can put our confidence in Him, but if we go chasing after other gods, there is nothing to put our confidence in.

Jeremiah 2:13

 Jeremiah 2:13 says, For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.  God said that His people committed two evils.  The had forsaken Him, the source of living water, and had hewn out cisterns that could hold no water.  Through our faith in Christ, we are God's people and have a source of living water, and anytime we look to our own knowledge and ability to live life successfully, we are likewise committing two evils.  We can either put our faith in God or the world, but we cannot do both.  Verse fourteen asks, Is Israel a servant? is he a homeborn slave? why is he spoiled?  Like the people of Israel, we are children of God, and not servants of the world.  We are born again into the family of God, but do we allow ourselves to become spoiled feeling that we are better than everyone else and that God must bless us?  Verse fifteen states,  The young lions roared upon him, and yelled, and they made his land waste: his cities are burned without inhabitant.  Other countries had come to power over the people of Israel because they weren't following God.  Having seen the power of God over all their foes, the people of Israel were once again afraid of the forces of the world.  Verse sixteen adds, Also the children of Noph and Tahapanes have broken the crown of thy head.  God gave two examples of when the people of the world have defeated His people.  Verse seventeen declares, Hast thou not procured this unto thyself, in that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, when he led thee by the way?  Through Jeremiah, God asked if the people of Israel had not brought this upon themselves by refusing to obey Him.  If we are being defeated by the world today as Christians, it can only be because we have failed to put our faith in God totally.  Verse eighteen says, And now what hast thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of Sihor? or what hast thou to do in the way of Assyria, to drink the waters of the river?  God asked His people what they had to do with the practices of worship of other people.  We cannot obey God and allow any other false worship practices to come into our lives.   Verse nineteen declares, Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.  God said that the wickedness of His people would correct them and reprove their backslidings.  The fact that that people of Israel had turned their back on God had led to their being defeated.  If we as followers of Christ turn our back on God, then we should not be surprised that the world often defeats us.  Verse twenty adds, For of old time I have broken thy yoke, and burst thy bands; and thou saidst, I will not transgress; when upon every high hill and under every green tree thou wanderest, playing the harlot.  God reminded the people of Israel that He had set them free and that they had promised to be obedient to Him, but now they were worshipping false gods on every high hill.  Though our salvation is secured by God Himself, we cannot allow the things of this world to become more important to us than God is.  Verse twenty-one continues, Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me?  God said that He had made Israel His people and asked how they could then follow after strange gods, becoming an unproductive vine to Him.  We may need to ask at times if we have become unproductive for God because we refuse to obey His word and follow after the world instead.  Verse twenty-two concludes, For though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord GOD.  God told the people of Israel that no matter how much the went through physical cleansing rituals that they remained spiritually unclean.  All the religious practices in the world will not cleanse us spiritually if we are being disobedient to God.

Thanksgiving

 I will pause briefly from the book of Jeremiah for Thanksgiving Day.  This has been a really bad year in many respects, but if you are alive, you still have reason to be thankful I believe.  The first Thanksgiving Day had came at a time when life was really tough and people were divided between those coming to settle America and those who were already here, but they came together to celebrate.  We in America have had a rough and divisive year, but I believe that we need to pause, come together and celebrate our blessings.  Of course, I believe this is really true for Christians, those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.  No matter how bad things are going here, God is still in charge and He expects His people to put their faith in Him and worship him even in the hard times.  This Thanksgiving, let us joyfully celebrate the blessings of God.

Jeremiah 2:1

 Jeremiah 2:1 says, Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying,  Verse two adds, Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown.  God's word once more came to Jeremiah and told Him to go and to remind the people of Jerusalem about their promises made to Him in the wilderness.  God had lead them out of Egypt, and sustained them in the wilderness, and they made a covenant with Him to obey His word.  When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, He leads us out of the wilderness of sin and commands us to go and share the gospel with all those that we can.  Verse three continues, Israel was holiness unto the LORD, and the firstfruits of his increase: all that devour him shall offend; evil shall come upon them, saith the LORD.  God had Jeremiah to remind the people of Jerusalem that they were the first fruit of His people.  The people of Israel were not called so that they would be the only ones who were God's people, but to be the first of His people and to spread His word to all the world.  Verse four declares, Hear ye the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel:  God called for all His people to hear Him, even if they were divided as a nation.  All of God's people need to hear Him today, even if we a separated in some earthly way.  Verse five adds, Thus saith the LORD, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain?  God asked those who were supposed to be His chosen people what iniquity their fathers had found in Him that had caused them to become vain, or self centered.  We need to make sure that we never become vain about our relationship with God.  Verse six states, Neither said they, Where is the LORD that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, that led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and of pits, through a land of drought, and of the shadow of death, through a land that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt?  God said that His people, who He had delivered from Egypt and all the dangers they encountered afterward, no longer sought Him.  God has delivered us from the power of sin and death if we are followers of Christ, and we can never begin to be complacent in our faith if we are to be successful in our walk with God.  Verse seven adds, And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye defiled my land, and made mine heritage an abomination.  God said that He gave His people an abundant land, and that they made their heritage an abomination.  Verse eight adds, The priests said not, Where is the LORD? and they that handle the law knew me not: the pastors also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit.  God said even the religious leaders had stopped following His word and had gone after false gods.  We can never afford to allow false gods to come between God and us.  Verse nine declares, Wherefore I will yet plead with you, saith the LORD, and with your children’s children will I plead.  God said that He would still plead with His people and their children to come back to Him.  God does not give up on people easily.  Verse ten continues, For pass over the isles of Chittim, and see; and send unto Kedar, and consider diligently, and see if there be such a thing.  God called on the people of Israel to look at the other nations around them.  Verse eleven concludes, Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit.  God said these other nations who worshipped false gods had not changed them for other gods.  There are many nations around the world today who worship false gods, and they seem at times to be more devoted to their gods than we as Christians are to the One true and Living God.  Verse twelve declares, Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the LORD.  God said that even the heavens should be astonished at the fact that His people had turned away from Him.