Refusing to Be Ashamed of Sin
August 16, 2021
Commentary
Jeremiah ends his first message by exposing the spiritual harlotry of Judah. The first verse introduces his theme: God’s law (Deut. 24:1-4) forbade a wife, divorced by her first husband and married to another, to return to her first love. Yet Judah, who had separated from her husband, had lived as a prostitute (Jer. 2:20) with many lovers, was offered one last opportunity to return to her husband. God’s grace outshines the searchlight of God’s law. The people had forsaken God and gone a whoring from Him. They had “played the harlot with many lovers (v. 1).” They had not only polluted themselves, but “their land, with their whoredoms and with their wickedness (v. 2).” God had gently corrected them from their sins. Instead of raining fire and brimstone upon them, like Sodom, He only withheld the showers from them (vv. 3-5). Yet Judah refused “to be ashamed.”
On the surface the people had made good resolutions to fear God and to walk in His ways, but deep down in their hearts they wanted to live in their old paths of sin. God reveals to Jeremiah the story of two sisters–Israel and Judah (vv. 6-10). Israel had sinned (v. 6) and refused to return to God (v. 7), and had been put away in bondage (v. 8). Judah had seen all of this happen to her sister (Israel), but she also went ahead and played the harlot (v. 8). Judah added hypocrisy to her sin because she committed the same sins while pretending to return to the Lord (vv. 9-10).
Application
Every sin in my life, no matter how small it may seem, needs to be confessed. (I John 1:9).
Jeremiah 3:1– 13 (NET)
1 âIf a man divorces his wife and she leaves him and becomes another manâs wife, he may not take her back again. Doing that would utterly defile the land. But you, Israel, have given yourself as a prostitute to many gods. So what makes you think you can return to me?â says the Lord.
2 âLook up at the hilltops and consider this. Where have you not been ravished? You waited for those gods like a thief lying in wait in the wilderness. You defiled the land by your wicked prostitution to other gods.
3 That is why the rains have been withheld and the spring rains have not come. Yet in spite of this you are obstinate as a prostitute. You refuse to be ashamed of what you have done.
4 Even now you say to me, âYou are my father! You have been my faithful companion ever since I was young.
5 You will not always be angry with me, will you? You will not be mad at me forever, will you?â That is what you say, but you continually do all the evil that you can.â
6 When Josiah was king of Judah, the Lord said to me, âJeremiah, you have no doubt seen what wayward Israel has done. You have seen how she went up to every high hill and under every green tree to give herself like a prostitute to other gods. 7 Yet even after she had done all that, I thought that she might come back to me. But she did not. Her sister, unfaithful Judah, saw what she did. 8 She also saw that, because of wayward Israelâs adulterous worship of other gods, I sent her away and gave her divorce papers. But still her unfaithful sister Judah was not afraid, and she too went and gave herself like a prostitute to other gods. 9 Because she took her prostitution so lightly, she defiled the land through her adulterous worship of gods made of wood and stone. 10 In spite of all this, Israelâs sister, unfaithful Judah, has not turned back to me with any sincerity; she has only pretended to do so,â says the Lord. 11 Then the Lord said to me, âUnder the circumstances, wayward Israel could even be considered less guilty than unfaithful Judah.
12 âGo and shout this message to my people in the countries in the north. Tell them: âCome back to me, wayward Israel,â says the Lord. âI will not continue to look on you with displeasure. For I am merciful,â says the Lord. âI will not be angry with you forever.
13 However, you must confess that you have done wrong and that you have rebelled against the Lord your God. You must confess that you have given yourself to foreign gods under every green tree and have not obeyed my commands,â says the Lord.
Illustration: Learning to Live in Fellowship Moment by Moment
From Texas history comes the story of the conversion of Sam Houston. At one time, the Texas hero was called ââŹĹThe Old Drunk as he stayed drunk most of the time.” Later, he moved to Texas, where he became the great hero of the Texas revolution and became known for Houston’s battle cry, ââŹĹRemember the Alamo!” and helped win independence for Texas. He later trusted Christ, but he still had some of his old tendencies. One day as he rode along a trail, his horse stumbled. Houston spontaneously cursed, reverting to his old habit. Immediately he was convicted of his sin, got off his horse, knelt down on the trail, and cried out to God for forgiveness. Houston had already received Christ, but God was teaching him to live in fellowship with him moment by moment. (Darrell W. Robinson, People Sharing Jesus, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995, p. 17).