Good Afternoon!
There are many analogies used in the Bible to describe people's relationship with God. God has called Israel his bride. Remember the story of Hosea and his bride. She married Hosea and later went back into the work of being a prostitute. Hosea was told to marry Gomer, his wife, who was a harlot. It was an example of how much God loved Israel who also was playing the role of a harlot. In Jeremiah 3:1b...
"...You have played the prostitute with many partners--
can you return to Me?"
But, now Judah is being accused of a far worse sin than Israel. The interesting thing is God is telling Jeremiah to tell the people of Israel who have already fallen to come back to God and He will forgive them. Remember there are two nations here. One is the northern kingdom called Israel and the other is the southern kingdom called Judah. Jeremiah was called to be a prophet of God to Judah. Israel fell to the nation of Assyria in 722 BC while Judah remains a nation. But, God is telling Jeremiah to tell the leaders of Judah to look at Israel because the same is coming for them.
But, there is a light in this message to fallen Israel. God is saying for them to come back and He will forgive them.
"If you return, Israel--
this is the Lord's declaration--
If you return to Me,
if you remove your detestable idols from My presence and do not waver,
if you swear, as the Lord lives,
in truth, in justice, and in righteousness,
the nations will be blessed by Him and will pride themselves in Him." 4:1-2
Think about this. Could be this true today? Let me ask you this question. Has God ever changed? NO! The answer is "Yes" God will do this today. Jeremiah is the book that tells us that God's judgment has moved from nations only to individuals. Jeremiah 31 tells us that a day is coming when God will write His law on the hearts of people and not on stone tablets. That day has already come! That "New Covenant" came with Jesus when He died for our sins.
God has made a covenant with each one of us. Therefore, we ALL, as God's children, have the opportunity to return to God if we have fallen away. It is not too late. Look at the mental picture of the father waiting with open arms for his prodigal son to return from the life of sin and rebellion. THAT'S GOD!
God's message to you is that He awaits your decision to come back to Him. He will forgive you. He will restore you. He will put you back on the path of the plan He has for your life. You may be the subject of the gossip train in your church, family, or neighborhood. It happens. What you need to know is that the gossip train will one day be derailed by God and you are safe.
When a person turns from God to live the desires of his or her fleshly minds the heart of God is broken. As His child, you are His bride. Literally, you have become the harlot and God is groaning for your return to Him. He loves you. He desires you.
Now, we have seen how much God loves us. Just like Israel. But, there was so much hurt that Israel and Judah had given to God. The politicians of those countries had played a prominent part in turning the nations away from God. Then, the Temple, yes the churches, played a significant role in taking their nations away from God. Their sin had eroded their families to the point that they turned on each other. Their sin had permeated their educational centers to the point the education of the children was a low priority and they began teaching the history of their great nation differently to fit into the fleshly sin of the day.
The result of all of this was a fallen nation.
It is often stated that many nations do not learn from their history. I see the history of Israel and pray that we will NOT fall into that category.
Don't get on one side or the other in the conflicts of our nation. The events that are taking place are a result of turning away from God. Don't let it creep into your family. Don't let it change our history. Don't let it deceive the congregations in our churches.
There is only one side to choose from...God's side. Pray to Him. Trust Him. Stand for God. Don't be critical of someone who does not share your opinion. When you do it shows me that you have already been touched by the fleshly desires of others.
Come back to God. He is waiting to forgive us.
Be loving. Be Faithful. Be kind.
May God Bless You!
Don Betts
DBEA/campus320
DBEAWINNING.COM
TO GOD BE ALL GLORY!