We're not pretending

 

Jeremiah 3:6-14

In scripture, the image of a faithful marriage is a reflection of our communion with God. And God's faithfulness to us. Of course, the opposite is true, too. We know what adultery is and what it does to a family. Do we know what unfaithfulness does to God? Thankfully, God receives his adulterine children. But God also knows who we are. A parent can sense when her child just wants to return to good graces. The child will say they are sorry. They may even clean their room or take out the trash. When Mom or Dad seem satisfied, the child carries on like before. God's people fit that bill. Israel had turned from God and Judah followed her example. Notice words like divorce, faithless and "prostituted herself" in today's reading. God saw how the people chose to live and saw their lives as adulterous. This was adultery in the extreme. Still, the Lord told Irsrael, "I am your husband" (Jeremiah 3:14). Judah, apparently, said they were sorry. Who knows if they would have used apologetic words. At the very least, they knew what they could do to appease God. The Lord said, "Judah did not return to me with her whole heart but only in pretense" (Jeremiah 3:10). Most likely, their returning act including forms of worship. That was the central piece of their communion with God. So, they gave offerings. They listened to the words of the covenant. Maybe they even went to Sunday School and signed up for church committees :) But they weren't interested in living out their covenant with God. As a result, the Lord says they are more guilty than Israel (3:11). Today's passage gives us a chance to reflect on our worship and what we do with our lives. The question is worth asking, How faithful are we to God? To be sure, we aren't talking about mere religious practice. And I don't mean to suggest our faithfulness only amounts to our willingness to do "work" for God. Rather, what does our communion with God look like? Are we being true to who God is and what God has called us to be? Praise the Lord, even when we haven't, the Lord receives us back! Stay blessed...john