Slices
Prepare
Acknowledge any sin or failure. Confess it and receive God’s forgiveness.
Bible passage
Unfaithful Israel
6 During the reign of King Josiah, the Lord said to me, ‘Have you seen what faithless Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every spreading tree and has committed adultery there. 7 I thought that after she had done all this she would return to me but she did not, and her unfaithful sister Judah saw it. 8 I gave faithless Israel her certificate of divorce and sent her away because of all her adulteries. Yet I saw that her unfaithful sister Judah had no fear; she also went out and committed adultery. 9 Because Israel’s immorality mattered so little to her, she defiled the land and committed adultery with stone and wood. 10 In spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not return to me with all her heart, but only in pretence,’ declares the Lord.
11 The Lord said to me, ‘Faithless Israel is more righteous than unfaithful Judah. 12 Go, proclaim this message towards the north:
‘“Return, faithless Israel,” declares the Lord,
“I will frown on you no longer,
for I am faithful,” declares the Lord,
“I will not be angry for ever.
13 Only acknowledge your guilt –
you have rebelled against the Lord your God,
you have scattered your favours to foreign gods
under every spreading tree,
and have not obeyed me,”’
declares the Lord.
14 ‘Return, faithless people,’ declares the Lord, ‘for I am your husband. I will choose you – one from a town and two from a clan – and bring you to Zion. 15 Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding. 16 In those days, when your numbers have increased greatly in the land,’ declares the Lord, ‘people will no longer say, “The ark of the covenant of the Lord.” It will never enter their minds or be remembered; it will not be missed, nor will another one be made. 17 At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the Lord, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honour the name of the Lord. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts. 18 In those days the people of Judah will join the people of Israel, and together they will come from a northern land to the land I gave your ancestors as an inheritance.
19 ‘I myself said,
‘“How gladly would I treat you like my children
and give you a pleasant land,
the most beautiful inheritance of any nation.”
I thought you would call me “Father”
and not turn away from following me.
20 But like a woman unfaithful to her husband,
so you, Israel, have been unfaithful to me,’
declares the Lord.
21 A cry is heard on the barren heights,
the weeping and pleading of the people of Israel,
because they have perverted their ways
and have forgotten the Lord their God.
22 ‘Return, faithless people;
I will cure you of backsliding.’
‘Yes, we will come to you,
for you are the Lord our God.
23 Surely the idolatrous commotion on the hills
and mountains is a deception;
surely in the Lord our God
is the salvation of Israel.
24 From our youth shameful gods have consumed
the fruits of our ancestors’ labour –
their flocks and herds,
their sons and daughters.
25 Let us lie down in our shame,
and let our disgrace cover us.
We have sinned against the Lord our God,
both we and our ancestors;
from our youth till this day
we have not obeyed the Lord our God.’
Explore
Like a repeated drumbeat, the word ‘faithless’ echoes through these verses – I counted six, and ‘unfaithful’ comes three times. This is the charge against Judah. Despite all that God has done for them, even though they have seen what happened to their northern neighbour Israel (vs 6–10), they have continued to worship other gods and to ignore God. There have been attempts at return, but they were superficial and lacked reality. Josiah had initiated a series of reforms (2 Kings 22:1 – 23:30), but they were not getting to the heart of the matter and most people were unchanged.
It might seem that there was no way back, but despite the continued faithlessness the door is still (just about) open. Three times God calls this faithless people to repent (vs 12,14,22). He takes the initiative in restoring the broken relationship. He offers the cure for their repeated rebellion (v 22). This is still true. There may come a time when God reluctantly and sadly closes the door – that time came for Judah – but for the moment it is open for any who will turn to God.
What God looks for is faithful living, a recognition of failure (v 13) and a return to God. Only then is there hope of salvation. For us as Christians this salvation comes through Jesus (Acts 4:12).
Respond
Turn verse 22 into a prayer for any you know who have turned away from God.
Deeper Bible study
Ask God to reveal to you your unfulfilled ambitions, your frustrations, your dissatisfactions and your unredeemed failures. Be totally honest with yourself.
These words from the Lord to Jeremiah are relatively easy to place in a historical context. They are given during the reign of King Josiah over Judah, a period of religious reformation in the southern kingdom. The population of Israel, the northern kingdom, is largely in Assyrian exile, driven there by Sargon II in 722 BC. Jeremiah listens as the two kingdoms are pictured as a pair of married sisters alike in their lecherous adultery. Israel had initiated the lifestyle. Judah had followed. Pretending to honour the Lord in religious reform, Judah actually plays the harlot’s game.
Jeremiah is told to address the words of prophecy not directly to Judah, but overtly northwards to Israel. Nevertheless, the message is just as clearly addressed to the southern kingdom. Jeremiah paints a picture of all that God will do for Israel: he will provide trustworthy leadership and Jerusalem will be the centre of a united kingdom, incorporating both Israel, returned from exile, and Judah. There is one condition. Israel must acknowledge her guilt. The issue is idolatry, reliance on the gods of wood and stone imported from surrounding cultures. The choice is clear and simple: does your trust lie in the Lord or in foreign gods? The sinner is called to repent.
How does it feel, therefore, to stand in Judah’s shoes? ‘Faithless Israel is more righteous than unfaithful Judah’ (v 11). To God, the pretence of worship (v 10), the disregard for the significance of sin (v 9) is almost worse than outright rejection. It’s a heart-stopping realisation, as these are the same shoes we should beware of standing in ourselves. A superficial faith is no way to reach the promises God has in store for us.
Let the Spirit walk with you through the issues highlighted in the earlier prayer. Acknowledge your weakness, your misunderstanding, your guilt. Invite Jesus to forgive, to heal and to empower.
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Ruth 1,2; Mark 8
Pray for Scripture Union
Pray that all the children and young people who encountered Jesus on one of the Easter holidays will be confirmed and strengthened in their faith as they go back to school this week.
