Sin and Punishment

Jeremiah 17:1-13 

1 "The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron;
With the point of a diamond it is engraved
On the tablet of their heart,
And on the horns of your altars,
2 While their children remember
Their altars and their wooden images
By the green trees on the high hills.

3 O My mountain in the field,
I will give as plunder your wealth, all your treasures,
And your high places of sin within all your borders.
4 And you, even yourself,
Shall let go of your heritage which I gave you;
And I will cause you to serve your enemies
In the land which you do not know;
For you have kindled a fire in My anger which shall burn forever."

5 Thus says the LORD:
"Cursed is the man who trusts in man
And makes flesh his strength,
Whose heart departs from the LORD.
6 For he shall be like a shrub in the desert,
And shall not see when good comes,
But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness,
In a salt land which is not inhabited.

7 "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
And whose hope is the LORD.
8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,
Which spreads out its roots by the river,
And will not fear when heat comes;
But its leaf will be green,
And will not be anxious in the year of drought,
Nor will cease from yielding fruit.

9 "The heart is deceitful above all things,
And desperately wicked;
Who can know it?
10 I, the LORD, search the heart,
I test the mind,
Even to give every man according to his ways,
According to the fruit of his doings.

11 "As a partridge that broods but does not hatch,
So is he who gets riches, but not by right;
It will leave him in the midst of his days,
And at his end he will be a fool."

12 A glorious high throne from the beginning
Is the place of our sanctuary.

13 O LORD, the hope of Israel,
All who forsake You shall be ashamed.
"Those who depart from Me
Shall be written in the earth,
Because they have forsaken the LORD,
The fountain of living waters."

The sin of man is engraved on his heart since his fall in the Garden of Eden from the very beginning.  Our hearts are born corrupt (Romans 3:20-23) because of our rebellion of disobedience to God’s simple commandment to trust Him (Genesis 2:16-17, 3:5-6) to teach us good and evil (Hebrews 5:14) instead of seeking to understand it apart from Him, thus making ourselves as God in knowledge from our own efforts as the created desiring to be the Creator.  Israel had been given this reminder through Jeremiah of their sin engraved on their corrupt hearts and on the altar’s horns of atoning sacrifices which never were enough to change their hearts, just their accountability through that temporary forgiveness.  Their continuing sin earned them the wage of death (Romans 6:23) and bondage under their enemies due to angering the LORD with their willful and ongoing disregard for His word.  They did not understand or strive to be holy as He is (Leviticus 11:44, 1 Peter 1:15-16) because they were not in Him as we are in Christ with a new heart and indwelling Spirit to enable a growing righteousness and holiness.  This scripture and others throughout the Old Testament show us these truths of our need for redemption because we are utter unable to do righteously on our own.  Punishment is all we earn in our best endeavors because the source of all we are is still corrupt apart from a radical change by God’s hand.  He emphasized this by calling down a curse on all who trust in man’s ability for strength and knowledge for the wisdom needed to follow Him rightly righteously.  He also promised blessings on us if we trust and hope in Him alone, for then we gain fruitfulness without the fear of failure to death.  The bottom line is that our hearts are not to be trusted because they are desperately evil and deceptive.  Only God know our every thought and motive and He tests us to bring these things out.  God reigns on high and that is where our true sanctuary lies.  In Him alone is hope for Israel and all His called out and chosen people.  Those who forsake His call and trust themselves instead suffer eternal consequences because they refuse the fountain of living water (Jeremiah 2:13, John 7:38) who is God in us.  Sin and punishment can only be atoned by God Himself and not by our efforts to earn enough favor to esc judgment.  Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift (2 Corinthians 9:15, Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 6:23)!  Yes, God knows what we think and feel, who we really are.  We deceive ourselves in our understanding, and must rely on God alone, not trusting our own feelings or reason.  His ways are so infinite that we only catch a glimpse of them, and His power to work in our hearts and the world go far beyond what we can grasp.  This should lead to awe, wonder, and worship from within (Job 26:14).  Sanctification results as God works through our obedience.  He tests us so we rely on Him and, in so pleasing, become more as Jesus, conformed to His image.  Our ways in obedience do not earn salvation nor earn grace - but God still wants our hearts in it.  We still reap what we sow, and what is not honoring to Him will burn up in the end.  What glorifies God will bring reward, pleasing as a good and faithful servant toward eternity.  Remember 1 Corinthians 3:11-15.