Many years ago one of my friends told me that he had decided to give into the full lusts of his flesh into sexual sin. He said he knew it was wrong, but he was going to go all out anyway and “get it out of my system.” The only problem is that sexual sin doesn’t work that way. Once one goes down the path of sexual sin, their hearts harden and their theology is kept, but abruptly is modified (Rom 1).

I thought of this when reading Jeremiah 3 because God face this problem originally. His people had prostituted to themselves with other gods and other lovers. This was both spiritually a prostitution to their covenant with god and literally as almost all the gods were about sex.

“But you! You have played the prostitute with many partners–can you return to Me? This is the LORD’s declaration. 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 desert. You have defiled the land with your prostitution and wickedness” (v. 2).

Because of this God had brought judgment to bring them back. But they didn’t come back.

“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. Have you not lately called to Me, “My Father. You were my friend in my youth. Will He bear a grudge forever? Will He be endlessly infuriated?” This is what you have said, but you have done the evil things you are capable of” (v. 4-5).

They wanted God and their sin too. They just didn’t want to call what they did as sin. But God still saw it as such.

God too had hoped that after they got it out of their system, there would be repentance.

“I thought: After she has done all these things, she will return to Me. But she didn’t return, and her treacherous sister Judah saw it” (Jer 3:7).

Judah was the southern kingdom and Israel was the northern kingdom. It actually says that God gave Israel, the northern kingdom, a certificate of divorce.

“I had sent her away and had given her a certificate of divorce” (v. 8).

Startling. Especially considering to this day that these 10 “lost tribes of Israel” are still a mystery. Many indigenous peoples throughout the world declare themselves as one of the lost tribes. But that’s a topic for another day.

The problem was that northern Israel’s sin was so bad that God wrote them a “certificate of divorce” in a sense. And yet this still didn’t wake up the southern tribes of Judah.

“Yet in spite of all this, her treacherous sister Judah didn’t return to Me with all her heart–only in pretense” (v. 10).

Surprisingly in all this, why God had to deal with both kingdoms with hard discipline, he still longed for them to come back. To repent.

“Return, unfaithful Israel. This is the LORD’s declaration. I will not look on you with anger, for I am unfailing in My love. This is the LORD’s declaration. I will not be angry forever” (v. 12).

Clearly the emphasis here is “return to me” in this chapter. This is the question at hand:

• “can he ever return to her” (v. 1)
• “Can you return to me” (v. 1)
• “I thought…she will “return to Me” (v. 7)
• “But she didn’t return” (v. 7)
• “Judah didn’t return to Me with all her heart–only in pretense” (v. 10)

And then the direct calls to return:

• “return, unfaithful Israel” (v. 12)
• “Return, you faithless children” (v. 14)
• “Return, you faithless children” (v. 22)
  

Although he said this as a stipulation.

“Only acknowledge your guilt–you have rebelled against the LORD your God. You have scattered your favors to strangers under every green tree and have not obeyed My voice. This is the LORD’s declaration” (v. 13).

What would be the point of returning if there is no change of ways? No repentance or change of practice that led to the problems in the first place? It would be like a wife or husband saying I will return to you but I still want my lovers. The Lord says no. I want you to come back but if you do, you need to acknowledge your guilt and turn from it.

When they do, God will restore them. Jerusalem will become a place of glory, and the nations will come to it saying that Yahweh is there.

Then the Lord reminisces. He talks about how when he delivered them from Egypt and brought them to the land that was lush and full of food, that they would follow Him. That they would see His great love for them. But it wasn’t the case. They found other lovers.

And then he comes to the present where he calls them to return. To leave their wickedness and falsehood and come back to him. Then comes the beginning of repentance:

“Let us lie down in our shame; let our disgrace cover us. We have sinned against the LORD our God, both we and our fathers, from the time of our youth even to this day. We have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God” (v. 25).

What about Us? How does this apply?

On so many levels it applies, both corporately and personally. It’s not hard to see that the church has not just allowed sin in but welcomed it. Gone are the days of preaching truth because in these days and times, to do so comes at a cost. So instead of cost, many endorse compromise.

And it is hard. Because so many we love and care about are in the place of sin. It’s hard to call sin a sin when it’s someone we love. And yet we cannot reduce God’s righteousness for the sake of our comfort.

Then there is our own lives. Do we follow God with our hearts but only in pretense (v. 10). What do our actions really say we believe? Where are we at when we hit a rough patch in our walk with the Lord?

I think we can appreciate the Scripture and the love of God when he invites us over and over to “return.” That is a beautiful word that implies that we can come back home, even though he doesn’t have to do so. There is room for repentance (v. 13) which is one of God’s greatest gifts.