“Be astonished, O heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid; be very desolate,” says the Lord. “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.” (vv.12-13)
Here in chapter 2 Jeremiah condemns the Israelites for turning away from God, and chasing “worthless idols.” They had “forgotten” the power the Lord displayed in bringing them out of slavery in Egypt, and the love He showed them during their wilderness wanderings. The Israelites were living as if they no longer needed Him. They had entrusted themselves to other gods, “who like broken cisterns, that could not even hold water.”
What happens when a person abandons their faith in God? Inevitably, they turn to a God-substitute to fill their void. Almost anything can serve as a God-substitute—sports, art, sex, music, work, gambling, drugs, alcohol, TV—even another person. To abandon God means we risk being made “desolate” (v.12). But obedience to Christ brings complete fulfillment that gives life, peace, and hope.
Jeremiah’s warning applies to us as much as it did to the Israelites. And we would do well to remember, the one who tries to abandon God, may find (after a time) that God will let him. For His Spirit shall not always strive with man (Genesis 6:3). Man is flesh, mortal, weak, self-willed, and resistant. How long the Spirit will strive with an individual who has abandoned God, no one can tell. But, the longer a person rejects the work of the Spirit in their life (statistically), the less likely they are to return.
Therefore, pray that the Holy Spirit continues to strive with your loved ones who have abandoned God. And that He will continue to pursue them and break down the walls of resistance around them before it's too late.
The Truth: “For nothing is impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37)
Here in chapter 2 Jeremiah condemns the Israelites for turning away from God, and chasing “worthless idols.” They had “forgotten” the power the Lord displayed in bringing them out of slavery in Egypt, and the love He showed them during their wilderness wanderings. The Israelites were living as if they no longer needed Him. They had entrusted themselves to other gods, “who like broken cisterns, that could not even hold water.”
What happens when a person abandons their faith in God? Inevitably, they turn to a God-substitute to fill their void. Almost anything can serve as a God-substitute—sports, art, sex, music, work, gambling, drugs, alcohol, TV—even another person. To abandon God means we risk being made “desolate” (v.12). But obedience to Christ brings complete fulfillment that gives life, peace, and hope.
Jeremiah’s warning applies to us as much as it did to the Israelites. And we would do well to remember, the one who tries to abandon God, may find (after a time) that God will let him. For His Spirit shall not always strive with man (Genesis 6:3). Man is flesh, mortal, weak, self-willed, and resistant. How long the Spirit will strive with an individual who has abandoned God, no one can tell. But, the longer a person rejects the work of the Spirit in their life (statistically), the less likely they are to return.
Therefore, pray that the Holy Spirit continues to strive with your loved ones who have abandoned God. And that He will continue to pursue them and break down the walls of resistance around them before it's too late.
The Truth: “For nothing is impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37)
