Repentance from the Adultery of Idolatry

Jeremiah 3:1-10 

1 "They say, 'If a man divorces his wife,
And she goes from him
And becomes another man's,
May he return to her again?'

Would not that land be greatly polluted?
But you have played the harlot with many lovers;
Yet return to Me," says the LORD.

2 "Lift up your eyes to the desolate heights and see:
Where have you not lain with men?
By the road you have sat for them
Like an Arabian in the wilderness;
And you have polluted the land
With your harlotries and your wickedness.

3 Therefore the showers have been withheld,
And there has been no latter rain.
You have had a harlot's forehead;
You refuse to be ashamed.

4 Will you not from this time cry to Me,
'My Father, You are the guide of my youth?

5 Will He remain angry forever?
Will He keep it to the end?'
Behold, you have spoken and done evil things,
As you were able."

6 The LORD said also to me in the days of Josiah the king: "Have you seen what backsliding Israel has done? She has gone up on every high mountain and under every green tree, and there played the harlot. 7 And I said, after she had done all these things, 'Return to Me.' But she did not return. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it. 8 Then I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but went and played the harlot also. 9 So it came to pass, through her casual harlotry, that she defiled the land and committed adultery with stones and trees. 10 And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah has not turned to Me with her whole heart, but in pretense," says the LORD.

God called to Israel His chosen people to repent, to turn away from their adultery of idolatry and find merciful forgiveness.  He likens them as a people to a woman who divorces, remarries, then returns to her original husband as defiled according to Deuteronomy 24:4.  The LORD goes further to describe His people as having gone to many lovers which are other gods of idolatry as spiritual adultery.  Even so, God invites them back with grace in forgiving arms of reconciliation, just as He accepts us in Christ in that same undeserved forgiveness of grace through repentance and faith (Mark 1:15, Acts 2:38, 20:21).  God’s dealings with Israel are a pattern for His gospel message of grace, in other words.  We also lacked shame as we pursued other objects of our worship and affection.  Though they may not have been idols of wood or stone, false religion near and far from the true God and His Son Jesus Christ are no better than other lifeless objects of worship.  There are also idols of dead people revered which are the closest to the Old Testament idols of God’s people in existence today.  These are no better and just as offensive to God.  He is yearning for us to cry out to Him alone to follow as faithful disciples, knowing that His wrath will be abated in our forgiveness in Christ.  We can backslide as Israel had done and pursue other objects of worship and still return as adulterous idolaters who can be forgiven and reconciled to God.  It is never too late.  May we not harden our hearts as treacherous Judah who not only imitated Israel, but far surpassed in treachery of rebellion against the living Lord God by refusing to repent and follow again.  Oh, may we all who wander in spiritual unfaithfulness turn back sincerely and wholeheartedly for reconciliation of forgiveness in that loving grace (Romans 5:10, 2 Corinthians 5:20-21)!  He wants us to turn to Him no matter what we have done and continues to offer restoration though our confession of our sins (1 John 1:9-2:1).