ESOCS Devotional 3 February 2025 – Repentance: A Total Commitment to God
MEMORY VERSE: “If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the Lord, return unto me: and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shall thou not remove.” Jeremiah 4:1 KJV
TEXT: JEREMIAH 4:1-13
“If you will return, O Israel,” says the Lord,
“Return to Me;
And if you will put away your abominations out of My sight,
Then you shall not be moved.
2 And you shall swear, ‘The Lord lives,’
In truth, in [a]judgment, and in righteousness;
The nations shall bless themselves in Him,
And in Him they shall glory.”
3 For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem:
“Break up your [b]fallow ground,
And do not sow among thorns.
4 Circumcise yourselves to the Lord,
And take away the foreskins of your hearts,
You men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
Lest My fury come forth like fire,
And burn so that no one can quench it,
Because of the evil of your doings.”
5 Declare in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say:
“Blow the trumpet in the land;
Cry, ‘Gather together,’
And say, ‘Assemble yourselves,
And let us go into the fortified cities.’
6 Set up the [c]standard toward Zion.
Take refuge! Do not delay!
For I will bring disaster from the north,
And great destruction.”
7 The lion has come up from his thicket,
And the destroyer of nations is on his way.
He has gone forth from his place
To make your land desolate.
Your cities will be laid waste,
Without inhabitant.
8 For this, clothe yourself with sackcloth,
Lament and wail.
For the fierce anger of the Lord
Has not turned back from us.
9 “And it shall come to pass in that day,” says the Lord,
“That the heart of the king shall perish,
And the heart of the princes;
The priests shall be astonished,
And the prophets shall wonder.”
10 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God!
Surely You have greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem,
Saying, ‘You shall have peace,’
Whereas the sword reaches to the [d]heart.”
11 At that time it will be said
To this people and to Jerusalem,
“A dry wind of the desolate heights blows in the wilderness
Toward the daughter of My people—
Not to fan or to cleanse—
12 A wind too strong for these will come for Me;
Now I will also speak judgment against them.”
13 “Behold, he shall come up like clouds,
And his chariots like a whirlwind.
His horses are swifter than eagles.
Woe to us, for we are plundered!”
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Throughout the Old Testament, God consistently revealed His intentions to bless the nations of the world. His global vision included a central role for the people of Israel, as the channel through which God would pour out His blessings on all nations. But their privilege as the chosen was in jeopardy as long as they insisted on disobedience and idolatry. Good kings like Josiah had tried to turn them back to God but they continued their idolatry in secret. Their old habits and hidden sins had to be uprooted and rejected. Unfortunately, this did not happen, so they were punished. Destruction from the north came from Babylon when Nabopolassar and Nebuchadnezzar II attacked (2 Chronicles 36).
Israel’s repentance involved a total commitment to God. They had to turn from following after their own desires (idol worship) and return to obedience to the law of God. There had to be a change in attitude and in behaviour. Genuine repentance would make God not to remove them from the land into exile.
What we can learn from the above is that we must remove our heart-hardening sin if we expect God’s word to take root and grow in our hearts. Unless our hearts are broken and cleaned up, the good seed of God’s word will not take root. Off and on sin (like the Israelites) cannot do us any good. Sin attracts punishment from God because it is a rebellion against Him. The central message therefore is that repentance must be a total commitment to God.
CHALLENGES
- Some repentance are wishful thinking.
PRAYER POINT
- Dear Lord, give me the ability to repent and have a total commitment unto you.
FURTHER READING: 2 Chronicles 36; Psalm 95:7-11
ESOCS Devotional 3 February 2025
