Devotions

walking in the wrong direction

Posted on October 4, 2020 by Jefferson Vann

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walking in the wrong direction

Jeremiah 5:20-31 (JDV)

Jeremiah 5:20 “Declare this in the house of Jacob; proclaim it in Judah, saying:

Jeremiah 5:21 Hear this, you foolish and senseless people. They have eyes, but they don’t see. They have ears, but they don’t hear.

Jeremiah 5:22 Do you not fear me? this is what Yahveh declares. Do you not tremble before me, the one who set the sand as the boundary of the sea, a permanent barrier that it cannot cross? The waves surge, but they cannot prevail. They roar but cannot pass over it.

Jeremiah 5:23 But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts. They have turned aside and have gone away.

Jeremiah 5:24 They have not said to themselves, ‘Let’s fear Yahveh our God, who gives the seasonal rains, both autumn and spring, who guarantees to us the fixed weeks of the harvest.’

Jeremiah 5:25 Your violations have diverted these things from you. Your failures [1] have withheld my bounty from you,

Jeremiah 5:26 because wicked men live among my people. They watch like hunters lying in wait. They set a trap; they catch men.

Jeremiah 5:27 Like a cage full of birds, so their houses are full of deceit. Therefore they have grown powerful and rich.

Jeremiah 5:28 They have become fat and sleek. They have also excelled in evil matters. They have not taken up cases, such as the case of the fatherless, so they might prosper, and they have not defended the rights of the needy.

Jeremiah 5:29 Should I not punish them for these things? this is what Yahveh declares. Should I not avenge myself on such a nation as this?

Jeremiah 5:30 An appalling, horrible thing has taken place in the land.

Jeremiah 5:31 The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own authority. My people love it like this. But what will you do at the end of it?

walking in the wrong direction

I have an extreme supernatural gift of getting lost wherever I go. It is something that I can depend on. If I am faced with two roads to take, I will inevitably chose the wrong one.

Knowing this about myself, I rarely put myself in a situation where I make the choice of which direction to go. It would not make sense for me to usurp my own authority and decide such things, knowing my propensity to judge poorly.

Jeremiah was speaking to a people who also had a record of going in the wrong direction. The unfortunate thing is that his people loved it like that. So, Jeremiah challenged them to think about the consequence of living their lives apart from God’s corrective instruction. If they kept walking in the wrong direction, they would eventually come to a place where even God could not rescue them. Hell is such a place.

Lord, give us the wisdom to pay attention to your word, and carefully follow your Son.

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1 חַטָּאת = failure. Jeremiah 5:25; 14:10; 15:13; 16:10, 18; 17:1, 3; 18:23; 30:14-15; 31:34; 36:3; 50:20.

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freedom from God

Posted on October 3, 2020 by Jefferson Vann

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freedom from God

Jeremiah 5:1-19 (JDV)

Jeremiah 5:1 Roam through the streets of Jerusalem. Investigate; search in her squares. If you find one person, any who acts justly, who pursues faithfulness, then I will forgive her.

Jeremiah 5:2 Even when they say, “As Yahveh lives,” they are swearing falsely.

Jeremiah 5:3 Lord, don’t your eyes look for faithfulness? You have struck them, but they felt no pain. You finished them off, but they refused to accept discipline. They made their faces harder than rock, and they refused to return.

Jeremiah 5:4 Then I thought: They are just the poor; they have been foolish, because they don’t understand the way of Yahveh, the justice of their God.

Jeremiah 5:5 I will go to the powerful and speak to them. Surely they know the way of Yahveh, the justice of their God. However, these also had broken the yoke and torn off the chains.

Jeremiah 5:6 Therefore, from the forest a lion will strike them down. From arid plains a wolf will ravage them. In their cities a leopard stalks. Anyone who leaves them will be torn to pieces because their revolts are many, their rebellious deeds numerous.

Jeremiah 5:7 Why should I forgive you? Your children have abandoned me and sworn by those who are not gods. I satisfied their needs, yet they committed adultery; they gashed themselves at the prostitute’s house.

Jeremiah 5:8 They are well-fed, eager stallions, each neighing after someone else’s wife.

Jeremiah 5:9 Should I not punish them for these things? This is what Yahveh declares. Should I not avenge myself on such a nation as this?

Jeremiah 5:10 Go up among her vineyard terraces and destroy them, but do not finish them off. Prune away her shoots, because they do not belong to Yahveh.

Jeremiah 5:11 They, the house of Israel and the house of Judah, have extremely betrayed me. This is what Yahveh declares.

Jeremiah 5:12 They have contradicted Yahveh and insisted, “It won’t happen. Harm won’t come to us; we won’t see sword or famine.”

Jeremiah 5:13 The prophets become only breath, for Yahveh’s word is not in them. This will in fact happen to them.

Jeremiah 5:14 Therefore, this is what Yahveh God of Armies says: Because you have spoken this word, notice, I am going to make my words become fire in your mouth. These people are the wood, and the fire will consume them.

Jeremiah 5:15 Notice I am about to bring a nation from far away against you, house of Israel. This is what Yahveh declares. It is an established nation, a nation from long ago, a nation whose language you do not know and whose speech you do not understand.

Jeremiah 5:16 Their quiver is like an open grave; they are all warriors.

Jeremiah 5:17 They will consume your harvest and your food. They will consume your sons and your daughters. They will consume your flocks and your herds. They will consume your vines and your fig trees. With the sword they will destroy your fortified cities in which you trust.

Jeremiah 5:18 “But even in those days”– this is what Yahveh declares — “I will not finish you off.

Jeremiah 5:19 When people ask, ‘For what offense has Yahveh our God done all these things to us? ‘ You will respond to them, ‘Just like you abandoned me and served foreign gods in your land, that is how you will serve strangers in a land that is not yours.’

freedom from God

Jeremiah thought he had found the reason for the rampant unfaithfulness of his people. He reckoned that he was only sampling a portion of the populace. He thought the reason there was so much disobedience and rebellion was that he was only looking among the poor and uneducated.

Then, he looked at the wealthy and sophisticated. He discovered that they too had “broken the yoke and torn off the chains.” The whole nation had set themselves free from God. And what a freedom it turned out to be. War, destruction, exile and bondage awaited them as a price for abandoning the God who had redeemed them.

All around me, I see the same thing Jeremiah saw. I see nations who were born from God, seeking to be unhindered by corruption and tyranny. But these same nations are now flagrantly boasting of their freedom from God. It is with pain and sorrow that I predict these nations are heading to the same place that Israel and Judah went. They were swallowed up by the nations around them. They wanted freedom from God, and God gave them what they wanted.

Lord, if by your mercy you can rescue a remnant from among us, please help us to be a part of that remnant. And help us to draw as many as we can to your ark of safety before the flood comes.

Posted in faithfulness, freedom, idolatry, judgment | Tagged Jeremiah 5 | Leave a comment

denial in a red dress

Posted on October 2, 2020 by Jefferson Vann

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denial in a red dress

Jeremiah 4:23-31 (JDV)

Jeremiah 4:23 I looked at the land, and noticed it was formless and empty. And into the sky, and there were no lights.

Jeremiah 4:24 I looked at the mountains, and noticed they were quaking; all the hills had been shaken loose.

Jeremiah 4:25 I looked, and noticed there was no human being, and all the birds of the sky had fled.

Jeremiah 4:26 I looked, and noticed the fertile field was an open country. All its cities were broken up because of Yahveh and his burning anger.

Jeremiah 4:27 You see, this is what Yahveh says: The whole land will be a desolation, but I will not finish it off.

Jeremiah 4:28 Because of this, the land will mourn; the skies above will grow dark. I have spoken; I have planned, and I will not relent or turn back from it.

Jeremiah 4:29 Every city runs away at the sound of the horseman and the archer. They enter the bushes and climb among the rocks. Every city is abandoned; no inhabitant is left.

Jeremiah 4:30 And you, devastated one, what are you doing that you dress yourself in scarlet, that you furnish¹ yourself with gold jewelry, that you enhance your eyes with makeup? You beautify yourself for nothing. Your lovers reject you; they seek to cut your throat.

Jeremiah 4:31 I hear a cry like a woman in labor, a cry of anguish like one bearing her first child. The cry of Daughter Zion gasping for breath, stretching out her hands: “Tragedy has come to me, because my throat is exhausted because of the murderers!”

denial in a red dress

The prophet sees the impending destruction coming upon God’s people. He sees the soldiers and archers killing. He sees the land laid waste, and the people all running away to hide from the onslaught. But then he sees something incongruous. There is his nation, dressed in a slick red dress, decked out in makeup and jewels. She is dressed to impress as before, yet there is nobody left to impress. All her former boyfriends now want to cut her throat.

It is human nature, when faced with a tragic situation, to try to pretend it isn’t happening. It is pathetic – really, but that is what we do. Jeremiah faced a nation in denial, strutting around in its finest, hoping nobody will notice what a shambles it was in.

Lord, we come to you as we are today. No need to impress anyone that we are better. We need you, or we are lost. Come Lord Jesus.

________________________________

¹ עָדָה = furnish. Jeremiah 4:30; 31:4.

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pain in his heart

Posted on October 1, 2020 by Jefferson Vann

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pain in his heart

Jeremiah 4:19-22 (JDV)

Jeremiah 4:19 My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in agony! Oh, the pain in my heart! My heart pounds; I cannot be silent, because you, my throat, have heard the sound of the ram’s horn – the shout of battle.

Jeremiah 4:20 Disaster after disaster is reported because the whole land is destroyed. Suddenly my tents are destroyed, my tent curtains, in a moment.

Jeremiah 4:21 How long must I see the signal flag and hear the sound of the ram’s horn?

Jeremiah 4:22 “You see, my people are fools; they do not know me. They are foolish children, without understanding. They are skilled in doing what is evil, but they do not know how to do what is good.”

pain in his heart

God speaks to the prophet and tells him how he sees things. He feels pain in his heart. He knows the disaster after disaster that is ripping apart his nation the way soldiers would rip apart a tent. He sees the destruction, and hears the sounds of battle.

But he has to send the battle. He has to send the disaster because his own people keep acting like fools, skilled in nothing but evil.

The Lord knows the evil that we do, and it breaks his heart. He knows the consequences we must face, and he longs for us to change, so that we can avert the coming disasters.

Lord, change our hearts, so that we can stop breaking yours.

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wholehearted surrender

Posted on September 30, 2020 by Jefferson Vann

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wholehearted surrender

Jeremiah 4:3-18 (JDV)

Jeremiah 4:3 You see, this is what Yahveh says to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: Break up the unplowed ground; do not sow among the thorns.

Jeremiah 4:4 Circumcise yourselves to Yahveh; remove the foreskin of your hearts, men of Judah and residents of Jerusalem. Otherwise, my wrath will break out like fire and burn with no one to extinguish it because of your evil deeds.

Jeremiah 4:5 Declare in Judah, proclaim in Jerusalem, and say: Blow the ram’s horn throughout the land. Cry out loudly and say: Assemble yourselves, and let’s flee to the fortified cities.

Jeremiah 4:6 Lift up a signal flag toward Zion. Run for cover! Don’t stand still! For I am bringing disaster from the north – a crushing blow.

Jeremiah 4:7 A lion has gone up from his thicket; a destroyer of nations has set out. He has left his lair to make your land a waste. Your cities will be reduced to uninhabited ruins.

Jeremiah 4:8 Because of this, put on sackcloth; mourn and wail, for Yahveh’s burning anger has not turned away from us.

Jeremiah 4:9 “On that day” – this is what Yahveh declares – “the king and the officials will lose their courage. The priests will tremble in fear, and the prophets will be scared speechless.”

Jeremiah 4:10 I said, “Oh no, Lord Yahveh, you have certainly deceived this people and Jerusalem, by announcing, ‘You will have peace,’ while a sword is at our throats.”

Jeremiah 4:11 “At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, ‘A searing wind blows from the barren heights in the open country on the way to my dear people. It comes not to winnow or to sift;

Jeremiah 4:12 a wind too strong for this comes at my call. Now I will also pronounce judgments against them.'”

Jeremiah 4:13 Look, he advances like clouds; his chariots are like a storm. His horses are swifter than eagles. Tragedy¹ to us, for we are ruined!

Jeremiah 4:14 Wash the evil from your heart, Jerusalem, so that you will be delivered. How long will you harbor malicious thoughts?

Jeremiah 4:15 For a voice announces from Dan, proclaiming malice from Mount Ephraim.

Jeremiah 4:16 Warn the nations: Look! Proclaim to Jerusalem: Those who besiege are coming from a distant land; they raise their voices against the cities of Judah.

Jeremiah 4:17 They have her surrounded like those who guard a field, because she has rebelled against me. this is what Yahveh declares.

Jeremiah 4:18 Your way and your actions have brought this on you. This is your punishment. It is very bitter, because it has reached your heart!

wholehearted surrender

Rev. Joe Pritchett, of Garner NC says that this text speaks of a coming judgment of God upon his people:

“But as is always the case with our long-suffering God, even when judgment is about to fall, he continues to reach out his hand of grace and forgiveness for a heart that genuinely returns to him. The Lord makes it clear, however, that he is not interested in any half-hearted apologies. They must respond to the Lord in a “truthful, just and righteous way.” He goes on to explain that they are to circumcise (or consecrate) themselves to him, but not simply in a symbolic, fleshly fashion, instead it is to be a circumcision of their hearts.”²

Lord, we surrender our whole hearts – our whole lives to you.

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1 אוֹי = tragedy. Jeremiah 4:13, 31; 6:4; 10:19; 13:27; 15:10; 45:3; 48:46.

2 Maranatha Daily Devotional “Truthful, Just and Righteous” Monday, November 2, 2015.

Posted in change, commitment, integrity, repentance | Tagged Jeremiah 4 | Leave a comment

they will come together

Posted on September 29, 2020 by Jefferson Vann

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they will come together

Jeremiah 3:11-4:2 (JDV)

Jeremiah 3:11 Yahveh announced to me, “Unfaithful Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah.
Jeremiah 3:12 Go, proclaim these words to the north, and say, ‘Return, unfaithful Israel. this is what Yahveh declares. I will not look on you with anger, because I am unfailing in my love. this is what Yahveh declares. I will not be angry permanently.
Jeremiah 3:13 Only acknowledge your violation—you have rebelled against Yahveh your God. You have dispersed your favors to strangers under every green tree and have not obeyed me. this is what Yahveh declares.
Jeremiah 3:14 ” ‘Return, you faithless children — this is what Yahveh declares — because I am your master, and I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion.
Jeremiah 3:15 I will give you shepherds who are loyal to me, and they will shepherd you with knowledge and skill.
Jeremiah 3:16 When you multiply and increase in the land, in those days — this is what Yahveh declares — no one will say again, “The ark of Yahveh ‘s covenant.” It will never come to mind, and no one will remember or miss it. Another one will not be made.
Jeremiah 3:17 At that time Jerusalem will be called Yahveh’s Throne, and all the nations will be gathered to it, to the name of Yahveh in Jerusalem. They will cease to follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts.
Jeremiah 3:18 In those days the house of Judah will join with the house of Israel, and they will come together from the land of the north to the land I have given your fathers to inherit.'”
Jeremiah 3:19 I thought, “How I long to make you my sons and give you a desirable land, the most beautiful inheritance of all the nations.” I thought, “You will call me ‘My Father’ and never turn away from me.”
Jeremiah 3:20 However, as a woman may betray her lover, so you have betrayed me, house of Israel. this is what Yahveh declares.
Jeremiah 3:21 A sound is heard on the barren heights: the children of Israel weeping and begging for mercy, for they have perverted their way; they have forgotten Yahveh their God.
Jeremiah 3:22 Return, you faithless children. I will heal your unfaithfulness. “Here we are, coming to you, because you are Yahveh our God.
Jeremiah 3:23 Surely, falsehood comes from the hills, commotion from the mountains, but the salvation of Israel is only in Yahveh our God.
Jeremiah 3:24 From the time of our youth the shameful one has consumed what our fathers have worked for — their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters.
Jeremiah 3:25 Let us lie down in our shame; let our disgrace cover us. We have failed Yahveh our God, both we and our fathers, from the time of our youth even to this day. We have not obeyed Yahveh our God.”
Jeremiah 4:1 If you return, Israel – this is what Yahveh declares – you will return to me, if you remove your repulsive idols from my presence and do not waver,
Jeremiah 4:2 then you can swear, “As Yahveh lives,” in truth, in justice, and in righteousness, then the nations will be blessed by him and will pride themselves in him.

they will come together

Jeremiah’s call for both Israel and Judah to return and be healed of their unfaithfulness is for a larger purpose. He sees a time in the future when all the nations will be gathered to Yahveh’s throne, will be blessed by him,and will pride themselves in him. This is the Mosaic covenant commission. The people of God were to be a sacred nation in order to draw all the other nations to him.

The same is true of new covenant congregations as well. It does not help for us to unify if we remain unfaithful to the one who called us. Our unity needs to be in truth, justice and righteousness. We need to draw people to the holiness of God — to a relationship with him based on truth.

Lord, unify us with a shared faithfulness to your truth.

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Posted in commitment, faithfulness, new covenant, unity | Tagged Jeremiah 3 | Leave a comment

stones and trees

Posted on September 28, 2020 by Jefferson Vann

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stones and trees

Jeremiah 3:6-10 (JDV)

Jeremiah 3:6 In the days of King Josiah Yahveh asked me, “Have you seen what unfaithful Israel has done? She has gone up every high hill and gone under every green tree to prostitute herself there.
Jeremiah 3:7 I thought, ‘After she has done all these things, she will return to me.’ But she did not return, and her faithless sister Judah saw it.
Jeremiah 3:8 I observed that it was because unfaithful Israel had committed adultery that I had sent her away and had given her a certificate of divorce. Nevertheless, her treacherous sister Judah was not afraid but also went and prostituted herself.
Jeremiah 3:9 Indifferent to her prostitution, she defiled the land and committed adultery with stones and trees.
Jeremiah 3:10 Yet in spite of all this, her faithless sister Judah didn’t return to me with all her heart—only in pretense.” This is what Yahveh declares.

stones and trees

I can picture an angry husband here, saying incredulously, “She left me for that?” And, what was it that led both Israel and Judah to prostitute themselves? It was “stones and trees.” It does seem ridiculous that all it took was some chiseled stones and carved trees. God had rescued his bride from an idolatrous nation that had enslaved them, and she decided to become enslaved again.

All sin is like that. It is the choice of the impure instead of the pure, the paltry instead of the magnificent. No wonder God can speak through his prophet with an incredulous tone.

Father, forgive us for our ridiculous choices. Free us from the tyrany of the stones and trees we have wedded ourselves to.

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we are all guilty

Posted on September 27, 2020 by Jefferson Vann

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we are all guilty

Jeremiah 2:23-3:5 (JDV)

Jeremiah 2:23 How can you say, “I am not defiled; I have not followed the Baals”? Look at the road you took in the valley; acknowledge what you have done. You are a swift young cow-camel twisting and turning on her way,
Jeremiah 2:24 a wild donkey at home in the open country. She sniffs the wind in the heat of her desire. Who can control her passion? Anyone looking for her need not tire himself out; they will find her in her mating season.
Jeremiah 2:25 Keep your feet from going bare and your throat from thirst. But you say, “It’s hopeless; I love strangers, and I will continue to follow them.”
Jeremiah 2:26 Like the a thief experiences shame when he is caught, so the house of Israel has been put to shame. They, their kings, their officials, their priests, and their prophets
Jeremiah 2:27 say to a tree, “You are my father,” and to a stone, “You gave birth to me.” You see, they have turned their back to me and not their face, yet in their time of disaster they beg, “Rise up and save us!”
Jeremiah 2:28 But where are your gods you made for yourself? Let them rise up and save you in your time of disaster if they can, because your gods are as numerous as your cities, Judah.
Jeremiah 2:29 Why do you bring a case against me? All of you have rebelled against me. This is what Yahveh declares.
Jeremiah 2:30 I have struck down your children for nothing; they would not accept discipline. Your own sword has devoured your prophets like a ravaging lion.
Jeremiah 2:31 Evil generation, pay attention to the word of Yahveh! Have I been an open country to Israel or a land of dense darkness? Why do my people say, “We will go where we want; we will no longer come to you”?
Jeremiah 2:32 Can a young woman forget her jewelry or a bride her wedding sash? Yet my people have forgotten me for innumerable days.
Jeremiah 2:33 How skillfully you pursue love; you also teach evil women your ways.
Jeremiah 2:34 Also, your skirts are stained with the blood of the innocent poor. You did not catch them breaking and entering. But in spite of all these things
Jeremiah 2:35 you say, “I am innocent. His anger is sure to turn away from me.” But notice, I will certainly judge you because you have said, “I have not made a mistake.”
Jeremiah 2:36 How unstable you are, constantly changing your ways! You will be put to shame by Egypt just as you were put to shame by Assyria.
Jeremiah 2:37 Moreover, you will be led out from here with your hands on your head since Yahveh has rejected those you trust; you will not succeed even with their help.
Jeremiah 3:1 If a man divorces his wife and she leaves him to marry another, can he ever return to her? Wouldn’t that land become totally defiled? But you! You have prostituted yourself with many partners—can you return to me? This is what Yahveh declares.
Jeremiah 3:2 Look to the barren heights and see. Where have you not been immoral? You sat waiting for them beside the highways like a nomad in the open country. You have defiled the land with your prostitution and wickedness.
Jeremiah 3:3 This is why the showers haven’t come—why there has been no spring rain. You have the brazen look of a prostitute and refuse to be ashamed.
Jeremiah 3:4 Haven’t you recently called to me, “My Father. You were my friend in my youth.
Jeremiah 3:5 Will he bear a grudge permanently? Will his wrath never end?” Notice, this is what you have said, but you have done every evil thing you could do.

we are all guilty

What Jeremiah is drawing attention to in today’s text is what I call depravity denial. It’s when a sinner looks at God square in the face and says “I am innocent, and you are punishing me anyway.” No one is innocent. We are all guilty enough to deserve permanent destruction. The good news of the gospel is not that there are a few of us who are good enough to rescue. The good news is that God allows some of us condemned criminals to be pardoned on the basis of Christ’s goodness and sacrifice on the cross.

Think about that the next time you are tempted to come to God with a “not guilty” plea. It does not work, because it is not true. Our only possible plea is the blood of the Lamb.

Lord, remove from us the sham of claiming our own innocence.

Watch the video below.

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stubborn stain

Posted on September 26, 2020 by Jefferson Vann

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stubborn stain

Jeremiah 2:14-22 (JDV)

Jeremiah 2:14 Is Israel a slave? Was he born into slavery? Why else has he become a seized property?
Jeremiah 2:15 The young lions have roared at him; they have roared loudly. They have laid waste his land. His cities are in ruins, without inhabitants.
Jeremiah 2:16 The men of Memphis and Tahpanhes have also cracked your forehead.
Jeremiah 2:17 Did you not bring this on yourself by leaving Yahveh your God while he was leading you along the way?
Jeremiah 2:18 Now what would you gain by traveling along the way to Egypt to drink the water of the Nile? What would you gain by traveling along the way to Assyria to drink the water of the Euphrates?
Jeremiah 2:19 Your own evil will discipline you; your own acts of rebellion will reprimand you. Recognize how evil and bitter it is for you to leave Yahveh your God and to have no fear of me. This is the declaration of the Lord Yahveh of Armies.
Jeremiah 2:20 You see, long ago I broke your yoke; I tore off your chains. You insisted, “I will not serve!” On every high hill and under every green tree you lay down like a prostitute.
Jeremiah 2:21 I planted you, a choice vine from the very best seed. How then could you turn into a disloyal, foreign vine?
Jeremiah 2:22 Even if you wash with strong soap and use lots of alkali, the stain of your violation still stares me in the face. This is the Lord Yahveh’s declaration.

stubborn stain

Don’t you hate it when you get a stain on your favorite article of clothing, and have to throw it out? It feels unfair. You have all those dopey things you wouldn’t mind getting rid of, but they remain serviceable. But your favorite thing now has to be discarded! Well, that’s how God felt about the Israelites. He rescued them from slavery, and how did they respond? They decided they would not serve him out of appreciation. Instead, they prostituted themselves to the gods of the nations. God cannot stand to look at that stubborn stain. Out they have to go.

Lord, forgive us for our stubborn independence. We surrender all.

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Posted in destruction in hell, ethnic Israel, rebellion, sin, slavery | Tagged Jeremiah 2 | Leave a comment

they quit asking

Posted on September 25, 2020 by Jefferson Vann

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they quit asking

Jeremiah 2:1-13 (JDV)

Jeremiah 2:1 The word of Yahveh came to me:
Jeremiah 2:2 “Go and call in the ears of Jerusalem that this is what Yahveh says: I remember the covenant loyalty of your youth, your care as a bride—how you followed me in the open country, in a land not sown.
Jeremiah 2:3 Israel was holy to Yahveh, the first of his harvest. All who ate of it found themselves guilty; disaster came on them.” This is Yahveh’s declaration.
Jeremiah 2:4 Hear the word of Yahveh, house of Jacob and all families of the house of Israel.
Jeremiah 2:5 This is what Yahveh says: What fault did your fathers find in me that they went so far from me, followed temporary idols, and became temporary themselves?
Jeremiah 2:6 They stopped asking, “Where is Yahveh who brought us from the land of Egypt, who led us through the open country, through a land of deserts and ravines, through a land of drought and darkness, a land no one traveled through and where no one lived?”
Jeremiah 2:7 I brought you to a fertile land to eat its fruit and bounty, but after you entered, you defiled my land; you made my inheritance repulsive.
Jeremiah 2:8 The priests quit asking, “Where is Yahveh?” The experts in the law no longer knew me, and the rulers rebelled against me. The prophets prophesied by Baal and followed useless idols.
Jeremiah 2:9 Therefore, I will bring a case against you again. This is Yahveh’s declaration. I will bring a case against your children’s children.
Jeremiah 2:10 Cross over to the coasts of Cyprus and take a look. Send someone to Kedar and consider carefully; see if there has ever been anything like this:
Jeremiah 2:11 Has a nation ever exchanged its gods? (But they were not gods!) Yet my people have exchanged what brought them glory for worthless idols.
Jeremiah 2:12 Be appalled at this, sky; be shocked and utterly desolated! This is Yahveh’s declaration.
Jeremiah 2:13 You see, my people have committed a double evil: They have abandoned me, the fountain of living water, and dug cisterns for themselves—cracked cisterns that cannot hold water.

they quit asking

God’s condemnation of his own people through Jeremiah is this: they used to have a relationship with the LORD but they lost it. They became so dull in their covenant loyalty that they even stopped asking where God was. They had become religiously desensitized. Even the priests and experts in the Bible were just going through the motions, with no awareness of the presence and power of God all around them.

Do we dare ask where God is today? Most of our cultures are okay with a personal, private belief, as long as it doesn’t get out of hand, or challenge our ethics. Yes, our nations are in the same boat as the nation Jeremiah was called to condemn. Jeremiah said “Israel was holy to Yahveh” — but not anymore.

Lord, rescue us from our own ignorance of you. So many of us are so spiritually dull that we don’t know you, and don’t even know to ask for you.

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