THROUGH THE BIBLE IN THREE YEARS
This program of daily devotions is designed to take you through the Bible in three years. It is our desire to help you gain a better general understanding of God's Word.
Please understand that in a study this brief, we will be concerned with only the major emphases and context of the Scriptures.
Each day a devotion for one or two chapters is posted, beginning with chapter one of Genesis and going through chapter twenty-two of Revelation. You are free to print each page as it appears. If you miss a day, you may go to the archive below and find it.
Bruce McGee, Pastor
205 Adams
Columbia, LA 71418
We have a great friend in Gary Godard. He has set up an archive page. To view ALL the prior devotions by Scripture, just clik
Bro. Bruce's commentaries for
the books of Genesis through 2Kings are
now available in hard copy for $7.50. Just mail your request for
COMMENTARY ON (BOOK NAME) to the address above.
Jeremiah
CHAPTER 3
1 They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man's, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD. 2 Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness. 3 Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; and thou hadst a whore's forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed. 4 Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My father, thou art the guide of my youth? 5 Will he reserve his anger for ever? will he keep it to the end? Behold, thou hast spoken and done evil things as thou couldest.
Many times the prophets utilized the symbolism of adultery to protray the nation of Israel's spiritual idolatry.
The nation was considered to have been married to God. But many of them had been practicing idolatry by worshipping other gods.
God said, through Jeremiah, that this was the reason the rains had not come at appropriate times, and their crops were ruined (verse 3).
Even today, many people do not realize this principal. The blessings of God upon a land or nation depend upon spiritual fidelity!
6 The LORD said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot. 7 And I said after she had done all these things, Turn thou unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it. 8 And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also. 9 And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks. 10 And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD. 11 And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah.
The nation of Israel (the northern ten tribes) had forsaken God and gone totally after idolatry. And God had cause her demise. But Judah (the southern kingdom) had not paid attention to the chastisement of God. They also had gone chasing after vain idols for personal pleasure.
God says they are "backsliding." The picture of backsliding is the picture of a heifer being led by her master. And all of a sudden the heifer plants her back feet and begins to backpeddle, pulling against the leadership rope of the master (see Hosea 6:14).
Notice that God says, when HIS people begin to pull against the rope of His leadership, they "defile" the land! (verse 9)
What about America today? Are the people called Christians more interested in worldly things than in God's true leadership? Do we have Christians saying that homosexualism, gambling and abortion are according to choice, when God plainly proclaims them SIN?
The nation is not defiled because of unbelievers, it is defiled because of the infidelity of believers!
((See 2nd Chronicles 7:14))
12 Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever. 13 Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD. 14 Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion: 15 And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding. 16 And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the LORD, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the LORD: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more. 17 At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart. 18 In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers. 19 But I said, How shall I put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations? and I said, Thou shalt call me, My father; and shalt not turn away from me. 20 Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the LORD.
Like Jeremiah, Christians are to "proclaim these words" to the people. The words are "RETURN, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD..."
God is spiritually married to His people. Will he not be estranged from them if they are not humble and obedient? Is prayer not hindered when Christians do not study the Bible to follow God's leadership?
"And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. If ye love me, keep my commandments." (John 14:13-15)
God speaks here in Jeremiah of the day when He will give them righteous pastors, and the kingdom of Christ will be set up in Jerusalem (verses 15-17). That is going to be a special time for believers in Christ!!
But how does God define believers? He says they call Him "Father," and are obedient children (verse 19). He says they act in spiritual fidelity and not in idolatry (verse 20).
21 A voice was heard upon the high places, weeping and supplications of the children of Israel: for they have perverted their way, and they have forgotten the LORD their God. 22 Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the LORD our God. 23 Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel. 24 For shame hath devoured the labour of our fathers from our youth; their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. 25 We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us: for we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.
Verses 21-25 are a clear call for repentance. At the same time Jeremiah was prophesying, so were Nahum, Habbakuk and Zephaniah. The clear message was that God was sending destruction to Judah if she did not repent!
Clearly God says through Jeremiah that "return" to Him will "heal ... backslidings."
My friends, a close walk with God in genuine fellowship through prayer and Bible study will prevent spiritual adultery!
But when God's people refuse to pray diligently and do not study their Bibles, then they receive "shame" because of their estrangement from the FATHER!
Again, may I quote the simplistic duty of Christians:
"He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" (Micah 6:8)
PLEASE CONTINUE IN BIBLE STUDY WITH US TOMORROW.