Have things ever been worse? When you look at the many faults of other generations or the evil agenda of the other political party (that one goes both ways), and the news keeps giving you more and more bad news, do you feel like the world that used to be good has been lost to hell? Ironically, though, we’re actually kind of doing alright—at least compared to Jeremiah’s time. Let’s not let our perspectives get too small; evil abounded around the end of the kingdom of Judah even more than it does now. That’s why the book of Jeremiah had to be so depressing.
Israel—the holy nation, the people who were supposed to be walking with the Lord—was being thoroughly unfaithful. The analogy of a marriage is apt, because in marriage, both spouses have a responsibility to love the other; plus, any of us who have been married can imagine the horror of an unfaithful spouse. This was Israel’s situation. They had betrayed that responsibility to their God over and over and over again. Sin really is a horrific crime of cosmic proportions! So why in the world should God be expected to keep entertaining an unfaithful, unloving spouse?
This prophecy of Jeremiah’s addresses the fact that Israel was still looking for blessings from God even while they were running from him. They expected God to give them good things regardless of how they were living. But the message of Jeremiah’s mocking tone is clear: God is not our good luck charm. God is not just an impersonal dispenser of happiness for us. He is very much alive, and rebellion against him truly devastates him. Sin really is a big deal. And when we abandon God, we should rightfully expect nothing short of God abandoning us.
Of course, the most important truth in the world is that this is not the end of the story. Yes, there is grace. In fact, compare Hosea’s prophecies in which God lovingly pursues a faithless nation anyway! But grace is a really big deal because sin is a really big deal first. We cannot use forgiveness as an excuse to diminish how devastating sin is. Jeremiah is meant to be read with hope in Jesus, but first and foremost with somberness, as we dwell in the crushing weight of sin and its effects. And yes, facing that horror and that shame is just about the last thing any of us want to do. But facing the truth is necessary. And once we have, the grace of Christ for our unfaithful souls is a thousand times more overwhelmingly beautiful and worship-worthy for those of us who are saved and redeemed.
