Jeremiah was a prophet who prophesied for 42 years, ministering from the reign of the last good king of Judah, Josiah, to the final destruction of the city of Jerusalem.
Politically, the region was going through many changes as the Assyrian Empire got smaller and Egypt, Babylon, the Medes, and the Persians, all tried to grab the remains of the Assyrian Empire. Jeremiah saw these events as directed by God who intended on bringing destruction to the wicked, His people included.
Jeremiah’s message in this context is clear. Babylon is coming. Repent and the coming invasion from the north won’t be as brutal. Keep with your wicked ways, and the destruction will be thorough.
In chapter two of this book, God sends Jeremiah and tells him what to say. I call this “The Case Against the Backslider.”
Jer 2:1 Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Jer 2:2 "Go and cry in the hearing of Jerusalem, saying…”
God doesn’t tell Jeremiah to write a book and deliver it to Jerusalem; He commands Jeremiah to “Go and cry in the hearing of Jerusalem…” As a result of preaching an unpopular message of the impending judgment, Jeremiah mocked and ridiculed; he was beat up, his books were burned and he was thrown in prison.
We still need some people today who will “Go and cry in the hearing” of people who need to hear the Lord’s Words. The Gospel is unpopular and needs to be heard. People still need to be told that they are in sin and need cleansing by the shed blood of the Savior.
Jeremiah was dispatched by God to “Go and cry in the hearing of Jerusalem.”
Jer 2:2 "Go and cry in the hearing of Jerusalem, saying, 'Thus says the LORD: "I remember you, The kindness of your youth, The love of your betrothal, When you went after Me in the wilderness, In a land not sown.
In this verse God speaks to the children of Israel as He would a wife who went after other lovers. Later in chapter three God would say to His people:
“"Return, O backsliding children," says the LORD; "for I am married to you…” (Jeremiah 3:14 )
So in chapter two God begins to lament concerning his people’s backslidden condition. He was grieving that His people had turned their backs on Him and played the harlot.
God says “I remember you…” There are some things that we would like to forget. Obviously, here God is remembering the nation of Israel before she turned away from God to pursue other interests.
Perhaps there are some among us who have bitter memories of love gone sour. You would much rather forget the times when love was in full bloom because associated with these memories is hurt and pain.
“I remember you” says God to Israel. He goes on to say “I remember…the kindness of your youth.”
For many couples it is in the youth of marriage that everything is so nice. The husband opens the door for his new wife. The wife doesn’t mind keeping the home clean for her new husband. She cooks his favorite meals. They are constantly holding hands and cuddling up next to each other every chance they get.
There used to be a time when couples were on guard for the “seven-year-itch” But now research shows they are far more likely to separate after about two years of marriage. One in 12 couples is heading for the divorce courts after 24 months - more than double the figure for seven years.
God tells Israel that He remembers the kindness of her youth. Then He tells Israel He remembers the “love of her betrothal.” This was like the engagement of today but with a greater commitment. In fact the Jewish betrothal was binding like marriage. The actual marriage took place when their union was consummated on the wedding night.
It was during the betrothal that love blossomed. During this time the bridegroom would prepare a wedding chamber for the honeymoon. This chamber was typically built in the bridegroom's father's house or on his father's property. The wedding chamber had to be a beautiful place to bring the bride.
In Jeremiah 2:7 God tells Israel he had prepared for them a beautiful wedding chamber:
Jer 2:7 I brought you into a bountiful country, To eat its fruit and its goodness.
In other words, Israel was set. God had given her everything she could ever need. God had prepared the wedding chamber—it was a land “flowing with milk and honey.”
While the groom was preparing the wedding chamber, the bride was considered to be consecrated, set apart or "bought with a price". If she went out, she would wear a veil so others would know she was betrothed. During this time she prepared herself for the marriage. She likely had saved money all her life for this time. She would purchase expensive cosmetics and learn to apply them to make herself more beautiful for the bridegroom.
God says to Israel in verse 2: "I remember you, The kindness of your youth, The love of your betrothal, When you went after Me in the wilderness, In a land not sown.”
God is saying that He can remember when all His bride Israel thought about was Him. God was not only her lover, He was her protector. He was her shield.
Jeremiah 2:3 says, “Israel was holiness to the LORD, The firstfruits of His increase. All that devour him will offend; Disaster will come upon them," says the LORD.'"
Israel was set apart to the Lord—she belonged to Him! Anyone who came against the nation of Israel, God would come against them. Israel basked in this love; she relaxed in God’s provision and protection.
Some of you may be able to remember the days when you first got saved.
You remember the sweetness of the relationship you had with the Lord.
You remember the passion and the fervor you had for the things of the Lord.
You remember the days when you didn’t get tired of praying.
You may remember the days when you couldn’t put down the Word of God.
You may remember the days when all you could talk about was your Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ!
Like the Jewish bride-to-be you took pains to make yourself more attractive for the Savior; you wanted to live your best for Him.
You went to church because you know His presence would be there in abundance.
You went to prayer meetings and Bible study because you knew that He would be praised, worshipped, adored and spoken of in reverence. You couldn’t get enough of Him.
But there is something about human nature that happens once a couple have been married.
Many of the women who wouldn’t have been caught with rollers and pins in their hair in the presence of their intended, begin to loosen up.
Many of the men who would make double sure they were bathed and clean shaven if they intended to spend time with their lady friend begin to loosen up.
Once they have bagged their prey, they no longer feel the need to look “good.”
I am reminded of the story of a man who fell in love with an opera singer. He fell in love with her voice without really getting to know her. All he knew was that she had a beautiful singing voice.
After courting her and a whirl-wind marriage, they began their honeymoon. At the hotel, she disappeared into the bathroom where she removed her false eyelashes, her wig, her false teeth, her makeup, and her artificial leg.
She reappeared at the bathroom door and asked, “What do you think?” He replied, “Sing baby, sing!”
When Adam saw his wife for the first time He shouts, ”bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh!” After sin enters the world, 14 verses later it was, “This woman you gave me…”
God says to Israel: "I remember you, The kindness of your youth, The love of your betrothal, When you went after Me in the wilderness, In a land not sown.”
Just like God remembered Israel for the “kindness of her youth, the love of her betrothal, When she went after Him in the wilderness, In a land not sown” He remembers how you were when you were still madly in love with Him.
But for some of us things have changed. We no longer revere the Savior—we present ourselves to Him just any old way.
God continues through the prophet Jeremiah. This could be called, “The Accusations of the Backslider.”
Jer 2:4 Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob and all the families of the house of Israel.
Jer 2:5 Thus says the LORD: "What injustice have your fathers found in Me, That they have gone far from Me, Have followed idols, And have become idolaters?
This could be called, “The Contentions of the Backslider.” Here God is saying, “Did I do anything wrong.?”
If you have ever been the victim of an unfaithful spouse, one of the first questions that come to your mind is, “Did I do anything wrong.?” And these feelings are intensified when the cheating spouse tries to blame you for their infidelity.
God asks, "What injustice have your fathers found in Me, That they have gone far from Me, Have followed idols, And have become idolaters?”
This is a rhetorical question to those who know the attributes of God.
God is holy; there is no injustice in Him—He is righteous—He is without fault—He is pure. So the problem does not lie with Him, it lies with Israel.
But like Israel, we tend to want to place the blame on God for our spiritual infidelity.
We blame God on our situation, like Adam did when he said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” (Genesis 3:12) And, Even who put the blame for her sin on the serpent.
We blame God for our infidelity with reasoning like, “God, I don’t come to church” or “I don’t serve regularly” because that job you gave me to take care of those children you gave is wearing me out and I just need to get some rest—I just got to have some ‘me time’.”.
In verse six, God tells Israel that they have taken His blessings and made them into curses. You can add to your outline, “The Contempt of the Backslider.”
Jer 2:6 Neither did they say, 'Where is the LORD, Who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, Who led us through the wilderness, Through a land of deserts and pits, Through a land of drought and the shadow of death, Through a land that no one crossed And where no one dwelt?'
Jer 2:7 I brought you into a bountiful country, To eat its fruit and its goodness. But when you entered, you defiled My land And made My heritage an abomination.
The things God blessed them with they defiled.
The blessings and provision of God were consumed by their lust (James).
They began to worship their things instead of the Creator who blessed them with their things.
They took the bountiful country and its fruit and goodness and defiled it and need I have to remind you that we have done the same with the land that God has given to us?
Remember the words of this song?
O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee…
The fruited plain has been transformed into drug infested towns and cities. America’s streets reek with homosexuality, abuse, neglect, divorce, pornography, greed, vice and other immorality. Today the stench of sin fills her airwaves.
God could truly say to us, “I brought you into a bountiful country, To eat its fruit and its goodness. But when you entered, you defiled My land And made My heritage an abomination.”
And before we nod our heads too fast because we think that this indictment is being leveled against the unbelieving population of the land—God was speaking to His people through the prophet Jeremiah.
I believe that this indictment can also be leveled against the people of God, the Christian community in the USA who have left their first love. We were saved to be salt and light in the world but our lights are now dim and our salt has lost its saltiness. As a result, spiritual darkness is overcoming this land of ours and moral decay is spreading from sea to shining sea.
Instead of living righteous lives we are sinning like the unbelievers. We have lost our saltiness because were are more concerned about the fashions and trends of this world than the righteousness of God. We are more concerned about what is coming on TV than what is in the Bible.
Fire goes out because of lack of oxygen. Our fiery zeal for the things of the Lord is weakening because of a lack of the Word of God and prayer in our lives. I am reminded of this sad truth each Wednesday and Sunday morning as the so-called believers of our church stay home.
God continues to speak through the prophet Jeremiah in verse eight of our text:
Jer 2:8 The priests did not say, 'Where is the LORD?' And those who handle the law did not know Me; The rulers also transgressed against Me; The prophets prophesied by Baal, And walked after things that do not profit.
This is “The Clergy Who Were Backsliders.”
While Jerusalem was obviously spiritually bankrupt, God’s charge here is that the priests of Israel did not question it. They did not question this because their fellowship with the Lord had gotten cold. Because of their own sin, they did not notice that God wasn’t among His people.
The ironic thing was that while they handled the Law, they did not know the God of the Law.
Jerusalem was a mess; the rulers sinned against the Lord and the prophets got their prophesies from the devil who was the energy behind the false-god Baal.
This is a word against the spiritual leaders of our day. When the land in which we live falls to sin and spiritual decay, God places the responsibility on its spiritual leadership.
J. Vernon McGee writes that, “No nation falls until it first falls spiritually. There is first of all spiritual apostasy, then a moral awfulness, and finally a political anarchy. That is the way every nation makes its exit as a great nation.”
There are many today who claim to be pastors and teachers but don’t accurately handle the Word of Truth (2 Tim 2:15). In 2 Timothy 2:15 Paul tells Timothy to “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth.”
Today many of the people who are in the limelight as Christian leaders do not accurately handle the Word of Truth.
Every now and then I turn on the TV to what is billed as “Christian Television” and more times than not hear someone teaching something that is not the truth.
They take the Word of God and twist it to their own selfish ends.
They teach the Word of God in such a way as to pull money into their ministries.
This is why Paul writes to Timothy:
2 Tim 4:2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
2 Tim 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;
2 Tim 4:4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.
Some time ago I dealt with some of these teachers who say what people want to hear and then hold out their offering plates to “support the ministry.” Many of these TV preachers are living lavish lifestyles with their expensive clothing and jewelry and cars and mansions and private jets. Many of their kids are brought into the ministry to share the wealth.
Back in our text, God says through Jeremiah, “The prophets prophesied by Baal, And walked after things that do not profit.”
They got their direction from the false god Baal. The devil was energizing their ministries. They were accomplishing his will, not the Lords. Thus they walked after things that did not profit God’s people.
The prophets of our day preach a “gospel of prosperity.” They speak only of this world; they only deal with the issues that are important to this world—power, sex and money—but of course they spiritualize it using words like “authority, prosperity and blessing.
With the deception of the devil, they sprinkle a little truth “here and there” but the core of their teaching is not consistent with Scripture. Their message does not profit the hearers eternally.
It is a “feel good” message. It is a message that scratches ears that are itching to hear something new. Their messages sooth the flesh and not the spirit.
The flesh likes the sound of catch phrases such as,
"I’m walking in prosperity”
“Name it and claim it”
“Blab it and grab it”
"Confession brings possession,”
"I am expecting a supernatural increase this week!"
"I am expecting debt-cancellation this week!"
So Jeremiah continues to bring God’s Word to the people and says in verse 9. This is “The Charge Against the Backslider”:
Jer 2:9 "Therefore I will yet bring charges against you," says the LORD, "And against your children's children I will bring charges.
The KJV uses the Word “plead.” God is saying, “Wherefore I will yet plead with you, saith the LORD, and with your children's children will I plead.”
God is not begging or pleading they way we use the word “plead” today. The Hebrew term translated "plead" is a legal term denoting "contending." The people of Israel have put themselves in the position of defendant. God is both plaintiff and judge, setting forth His accusations. (Ryrie) God is charging His people with sin.
Notice what God says in verses 10-12.
Jer 2:10 For pass beyond the coasts of Cyprus and see, Send to Kedar and consider diligently, And see if there has been such a thing.
Jer 2:11 Has a nation changed its gods, Which are not gods? But My people have changed their Glory For what does not profit.
Jer 2:12 Be astonished, O heavens, at this, And be horribly afraid; Be very desolate," says the LORD.
God is telling His people to look around; look at the other nations and see if their people are doing to their gods what you Israel are doing to Me.
If we were to go to the Middle East and look at the Muslim nations—they serve their god Allah to the point of death if they believe their Koran requires it. Go to Africa or South America and the peoples of these regions of the world serve their superstitions with zeal—they do not change their gods though it has been thousands of years.
Yet we change our allegiance to the God of the Bible out of the blue. It has been a little more than 200 hundred years since the birth of our nation whose money says, “In God We Trust” and already we have thrown prayer and the Ten Commandments out of our schools and at least one courtroom.
Already we have perverted the holy matrimony of marriage that was created by God who said, “Therefore shall a man leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” (Gen 2:24)
Already we have taken His Sabbath that He said was holy and treat it just like any other day. (Exodus 20:8)
Already we have moved from condemning adultery to celebrating it in the text and the script.
How soon we have moved as a nation from one whose parents and others in authority were given honor and respect to a nation where children are suing their parents and having sex with their teachers.
God says in Jer 2:12 “Be astonished, O heavens, at this, And be horribly afraid; Be very desolate," says the LORD.”
This indictment ought to be a cause for fear because the hand of the Lord is against us.
Now in verse 13 God gets specific and lets His people know how they have sinned against Him. This is how you and I can tell if we have become Backsliders.
This is the point in our outline I call: “The Certification of the Backslider”
Jer 2:13 "For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns; broken cisterns that can hold no water.
Let’s look at each of the two evils:
They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters,
They forsook the Lord—they left the Lord. They turned their backs on God.
Three months after Israel was delivered from Egyptian bondage God told Moses,
"Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: 'You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself. 'Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. 'And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel."
So Moses called for the elders of the people, and laid before them all these words which the LORD commanded him. Then all the people answered together and said, "All that the LORD has spoken we will do." (Exodus 19)
Later God would give the Ten Commandments and other laws and principles of how to live, the people got together and answered with one voice and said, "All the words which the LORD has said we will do."
The very next morning Moses got up early and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel. Then he sent young men of the children of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the LORD. He took half the blood and put it in basins, and half the blood he sprinkled on the altar. Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, "All that the LORD has said we will do, and be obedient."
(Exodus 24)
After Moses dies God commissions Joshua to take his place as the leader of Israel. Joshua assembles the people and reminds them of God’s covenant with them and the people respond:
“"All that you command us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. "Just as we heeded Moses in all things, so we will heed you. Only the LORD your God be with you, as He was with Moses. "Whoever rebels against your command and does not heed your words, in all that you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and of good courage."” (Josh 1)
These words were coming back to haunt them. Over and over they said their vows and reaffirmed their commitment and now God has to come and charge them with breaking their vows and forsaking the Lord.
God was their “fountain of living water.” He supplied their needs. He provided for them; He protected them from their enemies. He kept them from diseases that were consuming other nations.
* The LORD was their shepherd; They didn’t want for anything
* He made them to lie down in green pastures; He led them beside the still waters.
* He restored their souls; He led them in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake.
* Even though they would walk through the valley of the shadow of death, they would fear no evil; * * For He was with them; His rod and His staff comforted them.
* He prepared a table before them in the presence of their enemies;
* He anointed their heads with oil; Their cup ran over.
* God’s goodness and mercy followed them all the days of their lives; And they comfortably dwelt in the house of the LORD forever.
He was their fountain of living water and they had forsaken Him!
And how many times each month do some of us go to bed Saturday night or lie in bed Sunday morning wondering whether or not we are going to church?
How many times each month do some of us opt to work or to participate in some other less important activity rather than attend church to worship and praise God or to intercede for the lost who are on their way to Hell?
How many of us are not giving an amount proportional to the increase God blesses us with each pay period?
How many of them hardly come to church to learn the Word of God for just a couple of hours each week and have no problem sitting in front of the TV for several hours each week?
There was a time when you were at church every time the doors were open.
There was a time when you read the Word of God daily and feasted on its wisdom and encouragement and warnings.
There was a time when you prayed for the lost to be saved as fervently as if they were trapped in a house on fire.
God was your fountain of living water. You could not live without Him; You could not go on with life without Him. You could not function without Him. You could not go a day without telling someone about Him.
But now you rarely go to the fountain for this living water and the sad thing is that you no longer thirst for it.
I love food. But this week I was not thinking about food that much. I was engrossed in a construction project at home and I was working on that thing from morning until late in the evening.
My wife told me that she noticed that I do not eat when I am busily working on this kind of project.
And you know, that is how the children of Israel were. They were so busily pursuing their own interests they rarely came to the fountain for living water.
But notice in Jeremiah chapter two that it wasn’t that they were not thirsty. They were undoubtedly drinking water from somewhere. This is why God brings His second indictment.
They have hewn themselves cisterns; broken cisterns that can hold no water.
Ancient landowners would dig cisterns to collect the rainwater. God was telling His people that they would rather drink from their own cistern than from His fountain.
They were committing idolatry in that they were putting other gods before the one true God. Back in verse eight God says their “prophets prophesied by Baal, And walked after things that do not profit.”
As the prophets prophesied by Baal, the people followed the prophecies. They substituted something man-made for God and bowed down in allegiance to it
And how often is it that we, rather than take God at His Word, create our own version of His Word? We create something that is easier for our flesh to keep. We take the easy road; we take the broad road (Mat. 7:13)
Mat 7:13 "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.
Mat 7:14 "Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
* We take the broad road and the easy way because everyone else is doing it.
* We set our own schedule for church attendance.
* We pick the days that are suitable for us to worship God.
* We set our own amount when giving from the income that God provided.
* We witness when it is convenient for us.
* We serve in ministries that meet our agenda
We dig our own cisterns. In Jeremiah 2, God describes these cisterns as, “broken cisterns that cannot hold water.”
Often cracks would develop and the water would leak out of these cisterns. God was saying to his people that when you dig cisterns for yourself to get your own water, rather than trust in Me, the Fountain of Living Water, you will never get enough water.
Your cisterns are broken—you will always thirst, you will never be satisfied.
Some of you have noticed that the more you work, the more you have to do. Whether you know it or not, the less you give to God and the more you give to yourself never satisfies you—your flesh always craves for more!
In the book of Haggai God tells His people, "You have sown much, and bring in little; You eat, but do not have enough; You drink, but you are not filled with drink; You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; And he who earns wages, Earns wages to put into a bag with holes." (Hag 1:6)
The flesh is never satisfied; this is why we must deny the flesh and run to the fountain of living water that satisfies!
Jesus told the Samaritan woman that He knew she had five husbands and the one she was living with was not her husband. She was looking for satisfaction in a man; in a relationship. She tried one man and it didn’t work so she tried another and another and another.
Jesus told her that what she was looking for was a relationship with substance—though she didn’t know it, she was looking for Him. Thus He says to her, "whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:14)
And many of us, even those who say they are Christians, are looking to be fulfilled and satisfied by everyone and everything. You have dug your own cistern and it constantly leaks—you are never satisfied.
God says to His people in Jeremiah 2:18:
And now why take the road to Egypt, To drink the waters of Sihor? Or why take the road to Assyria, To drink the waters of the River?
Their own cisterns have failed them so they now go to the enemies of God to get some water! That is so pathetic—still rejecting the living water that God has to offer, they go to God’s enemies.
This is why you don’t come to church regularly. This is why you don’t come to prayer meetings and Sunday school on a regular basis if you come at all.
You are out there trying to find something that will quench your thirsty soul and in the process you have forsaken God, the fountain of living waters, and have hewn yourselves cisterns; broken cisterns that can hold no water.
You spend more time pursuing the world’s water than the fountain of living water.
The sad thing is that when you drink other water you are taking a chance. When you go to vacation in Mexico or another country, one of the first warnings you are given is “Don’t drink the water.”
In verse 19 God tells His people that with their actions, they bring judgment on themselves. How many times have you gotten yourself in a jam because you ignored God’s Word and went about to do it your own way?
Your own wickedness will correct you, And your backslidings will rebuke you. Know therefore and see that it is an evil and bitter thing That you have forsaken the LORD your God, And the fear of Me is not in you," Says the Lord GOD of hosts.
How do we get right with God?
This is our last point: “God’s Compassion for the Backslider”
In Jeremiah 3:12-14, God tells Jeremiah, “Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say:
'Return, backsliding Israel,' says the LORD; 'I will not cause My anger to fall on you. For I am merciful,' says the LORD; 'I will not remain angry forever.
Only acknowledge your iniquity, That you have transgressed against the LORD your God, And have scattered your charms to alien deities under every green tree, And you have not obeyed My voice,' says the LORD.
"Return, O backsliding children," says the LORD; "for I am married to you. I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion.”
The solution for us is to return to the Lord.
God says, “Only acknowledge your iniquity.” The Bible says, “If you confess your sins He is faithful and just to forgive you of your sins and cleanse you of all unrighteousness.”
Israel’s iniquity was threefold:
They transgressed against the LORD their God
They scattered their favors to the strangers under every green tree… in other words, the world benefited from their time, treasures, talents and temple, not God.
They had not obeyed the voice of the Lord.
God says, “Acknowledge your iniquity.”
Confess to the Lord that you have transgressed His commands.
Confess to the Lord that you have not been living sold out to Him
Confess to the Lord that you have not obeyed His Word.
The don’t let your confession be all talk and no walk. Exalt Him in your lives. Make Him first again. Throw away your broken cisterns and fling yourself at the Fountain of Living Water.
Revise your schedule around Him.
Stop running from Him and turn around and run to Him.
Seek Him first.
Call unto Him.
Draw near to Him.
