The Unfaithful Bride

Jeremiah 2:32

“A young woman can’t forget her jewelry or a bride her veils.

    Yet, my people have forgotten me for countless days.” NOG

Read Jeremiah 2

Remember how you used to be?

Anybody ever said those words, or something similar? Sometimes that can be the most painful thing about a tough relationship; looking back on days when it was better, easier. When there was more love.

(Why is it we all want love so badly anyway? Perhaps because our souls are pre-wired to be incomplete without God, and God is love (I Jn 4:8). Just a thought.)

Is this ringing familiar to anyone? It hits especially close to home for me.

Now let’s take a closer look at our text. Jeremiah 2. Who is speaking here? And who is being addressed? It is God speaking to His beloved people.

Read Jeremiah 2:1-2

Jeremiah 2:2b “I remember how eager you were to please me    as a young bride long ago,how you loved me and followed me    even through the barren wilderness.” NLT

Even through the barren wilderness. No matter what.

Then, as only God can, He asks a rhetorical question- see verse 5.

“What did you find wrong with me?”

Something caused them to stray, and God is asking them to identify what it is. So often we find ourselves in a place we don’t like, full of hurt or disappointment and we look and ask God “why?” and wonder why He let us down. Conciously or not, we often blame God when we feel separated from Him.

Are you feeling me?

“What did you find wrong with me?”

Let’s read this next segment replacing ‘they’ with ‘you’. See if it hits your heart a little deeper like it did mine.

Jeremiah 2:3-13

 You worshipped idols and thus made yourselves worthless.You did not recognize My Hand that delivered you.You trashed what good things I gave you.You ignored me even in your Bible study.

Is this breaking your heart? It is mine.

Because we’ve all done it.

The unfaithful bride has no excuse.

Romans 1:20-2520 “For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. 21 Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. 22 Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. 23 And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles. 24 So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. 25 They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.” NLT

Be appalled.

Read Jeremiah 2:23-25

God wants us to look square-on at what we’ve done: You’ve made yourself cheap.

God cries out to His beloved,

“When will you stop running?”

He has not given up on you. He IS still waiting, even when you have given up on yourself.

Do not fool yourself, sister. God IS hurt when we act this way.

Read 27-28

He recognizes the way we turn our back on Him until things get bad. Do you see it? The hurt in His Holy voice in verse 28?
“Why not call on these gods you have made?”

Because, dear sisters, in our heart of hearts, no matter now deeply we have given up on God, we know He is the only real answer.

When we have given up on God it is exactly that- (verse 29) we are the ones who are quitting. God never failed- we did.

Read verses 29-36

God says even an experienced prostitute could learn from this behavior.

This is serious.

And there are serious consequenses. (verse 37)

Always.

Because whether or not we realize it, God is faithful.

I think of no better way to close than with God’s own question:

“How long will you keep running?”