ESOCS Devotional 5 April 2024 – Real Reconciliation
MEMORY VERSE: Because Israel’s immorality mattered so little to her, she defiled the land and committed adultery with stone and wood. In spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not return to me with all her heart, but only in pretense,’ declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 3:9-10
TEXT: JEREMIAH 3:6-18
When Josiah was king of Judah, the Lord said to me, “Jeremiah, you have no doubt seen what wayward Israel has done. You have seen how she went up to every high hill and under every green tree to give herself like a prostitute to other gods. 7 Yet even after she had done all that, I thought that she might come back to me. But she did not. Her sister, unfaithful Judah, saw what she did. 8 She also saw that, because of wayward Israel’s adulterous worship of other gods, I sent her away and gave her divorce papers. But still her unfaithful sister Judah was not afraid, and she too went and gave herself like a prostitute to other gods.9 Because she took her prostitution so lightly, she defiled the land through her adulterous worship of gods made of wood and stone.[i] 10 In spite of all this, Israel’s sister, unfaithful Judah, has not turned back to me with any sincerity; she has only pretended to do so,” says the Lord. 11 Then the Lord said to me, “Under the circumstances, wayward Israel could even be considered less guilty than unfaithful Judah.
12 “Go and shout this message to my people in the countries in the north. Tell them:
‘Come back to me, wayward Israel,’ says the Lord.
‘I will not continue to look on you with displeasure.
For I am merciful,’ says the Lord.
‘I will not be angry with you forever.
13 However, you must confess that you have done wrong
and that you have rebelled against the Lord your God.
You must confess that you have given yourself to foreign gods under every green tree
and have not obeyed my commands,’ says the Lord.
14 “Come back to me, my wayward sons,” says the Lord, “for I am your true master. If you do, I will take one of you from each town and two of you from each family group, and I will bring you back to Zion. 15 I will give you leaders who will be faithful to me. They will lead you with knowledge and insight. 16 In those days, your population will greatly increase in the land. At that time,” says the Lord, “people will no longer talk about having the ark that contains the Lord’s covenant with us. They will not call it to mind, remember it, or miss it. No, that will not be done anymore! 17 At that time the city of Jerusalem will be called the Lord’s throne. All nations will gather there in Jerusalem to honor the Lord’s name. They will no longer follow the stubborn inclinations of their own evil hearts. 18 At that time the nation of Judah and the nation of Israel will be reunited. Together they will come back from a land in the north to the land that I gave to your ancestors as a permanent possession.
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Was the breach irreparable? Was the relationship irreconcilable? Had Israel, to use language from chapter three, backslid so far past the point of no return that any previous promises that God had made towards them or any future plans that God had for them were annulled? Not according to Jeremiah chapter three. Amidst the calls to repent and the promises of forthcoming judgment came a declarative promise of future restoration.
God promised that at a future time (then it shall come to pass) when the backsliding children of Israel have repented and returned (vv. 13-14), that they would be multiplied and increased in the land. So, although Babylon was coming and exile was inevitable, exile was not Israel’s ultimate destiny. The returning people would be brought back to Zion (v 14b); they would have shepherds that would feed them with knowledge and understanding (v 15); and they, having returned to the land, would grow and multiply in the land. But it gets better. The Lord said that the people would not say anymore, ‘The ark of the covenant of the Lord.’ The restoration would be so great that the people wouldn’t long for the ark of the covenant; they wouldn’t wonder if it was still hidden somewhere on the earth, or whether it had been destroyed, or if an Indiana Jones-type could retrieve it. In those days, they would no longer look for the symbol of God’s presence because they would enjoy the reality of His presence.
Dearly beloved, the truth remains that we humans excel at avoiding real reconciliation. We seem to think that ruptures in relationships will simply blow over with time. We offer excuses for the ways in which we break harmony: “I was tired.” “I had a long day.” We offer non-apologies such as, “I’m sorry you feel that way.” When sinned against and actually given a confession, we avoid using the word “forgiveness.” Instead of, “I forgive you,” which would imply forgiveness is necessary, we say, “Don’t worry about it”, which implies that there was no problem in the relationship even though there clearly was. We excel at avoiding real reconciliation.
The same goes for us and God. We seem to think that He considers sin to be the sort of trouble that should simply blow over if we give it enough time. We offer non-confessions, “I guess I’m sorry, but I don’t really know what else I could have done.” We avoid using the word “sin” even in our confessions of sin; we use the words like “mistakes” or “struggles.” We excel at avoiding real reconciliation.
- We can be true Christians if we truly ask for forgiveness with a contrite heart.
- Holy Spirit, please strengthen me to be truthful and broken in my heart.
Further Reading: 1 Samuel 4:1-18; Matthew 15:1-20; Galatians 2:11-10
ESOCS Devotional 5 April 2024
