S) " 8 'And I saw that for all the adulteries of faithless Israel, I had sent her away and given her a writ of divorce, yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear; but she went and was a harlot also.'"
Jeremiah 3:8 (NASB)
O) Israel and Judah were the two kingdoms that were split at this time. God often uses the analogy of marriage and infidelity to describe the way that these respective nations turned away from Him to pursue false gods. Israel had more issues with this than Judah did and, figuratively speaking, God had divorced Himself from Israel first for this "cheating". Consequently, when Israel was under attack and God did not help them, they were conquered. Their downfall was before Judah's, which is impending here. In this verse He's showing that, despite Judah seeing how Israel was destroyed for their unfaithfulness, they too continued to be unfaithful. This is a striking parallel to how it is sometimes when we see fellow Christians turn their backs on God and then face calamity and catastrophe without Him. It should grab our attention and remind us that, no matter how hard serving God may get, and it is hard sometimes, it's always better than the alternative.
A) Thankfully, because of the sacrifice of Jesus, we have a perpetual mercy. Having said that, we still cannot practice sin (Hebrews 10:26), which would be the same thing that Israel and Judah were doing. Still, I should have 3 responses when I hear about a brother or sister in Christ who falls away from their faithfulness and into their own destruction.
1) Thank God for His goodness to me, right where I am, regardless of my own circumstances.
2) Pray for my own heart to be softened to Him so that I will humbly continue to pursue Him.
3) Pray for my brother or sister who has been deceived into thinking they could do it without Him.
A) Thankfully, because of the sacrifice of Jesus, we have a perpetual mercy. Having said that, we still cannot practice sin (Hebrews 10:26), which would be the same thing that Israel and Judah were doing. Still, I should have 3 responses when I hear about a brother or sister in Christ who falls away from their faithfulness and into their own destruction.
1) Thank God for His goodness to me, right where I am, regardless of my own circumstances.
2) Pray for my own heart to be softened to Him so that I will humbly continue to pursue Him.
3) Pray for my brother or sister who has been deceived into thinking they could do it without Him.
P) Father, You are so good to me; may Your grace never cease to amaze me. Continue to give me a humble heart, Lord, so that I am constantly aware of Your goodness and my need for You. Remind me that I am dependent on You for everyting, because I am a limited creation and that's exactly how You intended it to be. Holy Spirit, continue to call out to my brothers and sisters who have fallen away from You, God. Draw them in, to the Father, and remind them of His compassion and loving-kindness and mercy. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.
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