A Lifetime of Pursuing (Part 2 of 4)- Many Lovers

Jeremiah 3:1-10

“They say, ‘If a man divorces his wife,

And she goes from him

And becomes another man’s,

May he return to her again?’

Would not that land be greatly polluted?

But you have played the harlot with many lovers;

Yet return to Me,” says the Lord.

2 “Lift up your eyes to the desolate heights and see:

Where have you not lain with men?

By the road you have sat for them

Like an Arabian in the wilderness;

And you have polluted the land

With your harlotries and your wickedness.

3 Therefore the showers have been withheld,

And there has been no latter rain.

You have had a harlot’s forehead;

You refuse to be ashamed.

4 Will you not from this time cry to Me,

‘My Father, You are the guide of my youth?

5 Will He remain angry forever?

Will He keep it to the end?’

Behold, you have spoken and done evil things,

As you were able.”

A Call to Repentance

6 The Lord said also to me in the days of Josiah the king: “Have you seen what backsliding Israel has done? She has gone up on every high mountain and under every green tree, and there played the harlot. 7 And I said, after she had done all these things, ‘Return to Me.’ But she did not return. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it. 8 Then I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but went and played the harlot also. 9 So it came to pass, through her casual harlotry, that she defiled the land and committed adultery with stones and trees. 10 And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah has not turned to Me with her whole heart, but in pretense,” says the Lord.

The example of marriage between husband and wife is used to illustrate the relationship between God and Israel.  Referring back to Deut. 24:1-4 under the Mosaic Law where a husband could divorce his wife if she had been unfaithful however, if she remarried and her second husband divorced her, then she could not return back to her first husband.  This was considered an abomination in the eyes of God.  A high regard for marriage and the sanctity thereof was emphasized while also discouraging people from very loosely making and breaking marriage vows.  Idolatry was likened to adultery and to prostitution. Unlike the Mosaic law which made no provisions for restoration with the first husband, God invites His people to return to Him.  

God had taken the Israelites to be his wife at Mount Sanai (Exodus 19-20), a nation set apart for Himself and the covenant with God was to be exclusive not inclusive.  There was to be no other “gods”.  (Exodus 20:1-5).  Israel was reminded throughout their journey to keep God's commands and not to forget God was the one who brought them out of Egypt.  They were not to do as the other nations, chasing, serving and sacrificing to false gods.  Deuteronomy (6:10 -15) 10 “So it shall be, when the Lord your God brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build, 11 houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant—when you have eaten and are full— 12 then beware, lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. 13 You shall fear the Lord your God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name. 14 You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all around you.  Notice the repeated phrase "which you did not".  This would take place because of God not man or any false god.

The same applies to the body of Christ.  God rescued us and has given us salvation through Jesus.  We may be tempted to do what others are doing, others may try to persuade us that the bible is "outdated", pressured by those around us we may feel compelled to compromise in some way, but we must remember that we are set apart for the Lord.  We are not to follow the patterns of this world.  Romans 12:2 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  When we turn away from God we inevitably will worship something and or someone else and become like that which we worship.  When speaking of idolatry  (Psalm 115:8) says; Those who make them are like them; So is everyone who trusts in them.  Whose image does your life reflect?  Jesus or the world?  

Israel had been the pursuer not the one being pursued and their idolatry had polluted the land.  There was no hiding it as the evidence was made clear but,  their hearts had become so hardened that they were no longer ashamed. The Israelites had violated the covenant between them and God and themselves been violated, by their "many lovers".  The phrase "lain with men" is translated “ravished” in the NIV.  Baal, who was said to be the "storm god" was one of the many false gods the Israelites were pursuing.  In response to their idolatry and refusal to repent for all the wickedness God withheld the showers.  This was not just chastisement but, was a reminder to the Israelites who the real Source was in their lives.  They were fully aware of the consequences if they turned away from God.   Deuteronomy lays out the blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience; 28:1-14 (blessings)/ Deut. 28:15-68 curses for disobedience; (Deut. 28: 23 And your heavens which are over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you shall be iron. 24 The Lord will change the rain of your land to powder and dust; from the heaven it shall come down on you until you are destroyed.)  Indeed God is faithful.  He keeps His word whether it be to bless us or to chastise us.  God has a way of cutting off the very people or resources we have made idols out of to remind us that He alone is the Source and to bring us back to Him.  We should always remember where our help comes from.  Psalm 121:1-2 I lift up my eyes to the hills.  From where does my help come?  2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

When we continually say yes to sin, we are continually saying no to God and our heart becomes hardened.  The best time to respond and obey is when you hear God's voice. 

(Hebrews 3:12- 15) 12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; 13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, 15 while it is said:

“Today, if you will hear His voice,

Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”

Buyer beware

If you have bought into the idea that you can have "many lovers" and still serve God without any consequences know that this is a lie.  Even though you may not immediately see the consequences, abandoning God and placing your hope and trust anywhere else other than in Jesus will always cost you.  Today's society offers many false gods that can lure us away from our devotion to the Lord. We ourselves can become our own stumbling blocks, believing we know better than God.  God did not allow Israel to embrace idolatry and He will not allow it from any of us either.  We are to leave the ways of the world behind us and cleave to Jesus and the word of God.  When we shrink back into our old way of living as the world does God has a way of chastising us to rekindle the flame we once had for Him. 

God called the unfaithfulness of Judah more "treacherous" for their sin than Israel.  It was in other words an egregious, flagrant type of sin.  Israel had no example however, Judah did and still followed down the same path.  Israel (the Northern kingdom) was taken into captivity over 100 years prior and God was telling Judah (the Southern Kingdom) they would suffer the same fate unless they repented.  How often have we seen the consequences of sin in the lives of others and yet proceeded to do it anyhow.  Some things are best learned through observation.

Throughout the lives of the Israelites you see a repeated pattern of idolatry, discipline, repentance, forgiveness and restoration.  God desires for us to seek Him and have a continual relationship where we commune with Him daily.  He wants us to fully trust Him, depend on Him, love Him, be fully committed and devoted to Him.  He won't let us down.  Healthy relationships thrive when we put time and effort into them.  Spending quality time with God and in His word, learning of His nature and character develops intimacy with the Lord.  Respond to the gentle nudges from the Holy Spirit to sit before the Lord, to praise and worship Him even in the midnight hour, to go deeper in the word of God, reading, studying and meditating on the word and then doing what it says, to pour your heart out to Him even though He already knows your thoughts.  Respond to all the ways He's calling to you.  God is pursuing you and indeed He is worth pursuing. 

The same invitation given to Israel and Judah is given unto any who have strayed away from the Lord. While you may have turned away from God, He has never left you and is still pursuing you. God has not given up on you.  He wants all of you, your whole heart.  Will you keep Him waiting or will you respond to His call?  God is merciful and ready to forgive.  As a husband pleading for his unfaithful wife to return home so God is pleading with you to return to your First Love.  The ones who come will be restored.  

Jeremiah 3:12-14

‘Return, backsliding Israel,’ says the Lord;

‘I will not cause My anger to fall on you.

For I am merciful,’ says the Lord;

‘I will not remain angry forever.

13 Only acknowledge your iniquity,

That you have transgressed against the Lord your God,

And have scattered your charms

To alien deities under every green tree,

And you have not obeyed My voice,’ says the Lord.

14 “Return, O backsliding children,” says the Lord; “for I am married to you. 

 ***all scripture references used are NKJV unless noted otherwise.