Monday 10th August
Read Jeremiah 3:6-7
“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.” (NIVUK)
Having described the grounds for divorce to Judah (v1), the idolatry on every hilltop (v2), Jeremiah draws their attention to the fate of Israel (v6). He reminds them, during the reign of Josiah the reforming ruler, the one who sought to turn Judah back to the Lord, to look to Israel’s fate. The patience of God for His wayward people was longstanding, yet after waiting so long and looking for repentance, none was forthcoming. There is a deep sadness amidst that longing, both for the failure to return and the witness it provided to Judah.
Faithlessness breeds forgetfulness. The longer one spends away from the love of God, the more lost one becomes, and the more difficult it is to find your way home.
Knowledge of God is not the answer. Josiah invested more time and effort than any king before him to ensure that knowledge of Yahweh was widespread. Jeremiah preached during the reign of Josiah! Yahweh’s words and ways were freely available. Yet the peoples’ hearts were not with Yahweh – and no amount of ‘education’ could reverse that. Love and devotion matters – and drifting away from that love is dangerous.
“I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. 4 Yet I hold this against you: you have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.” (Revelation 2:2-5) (NIVUK)
