3:2“Like a nomad in the desert” means that Judah anticipated idolatry as a thief might hide in the wilderness to plunder a passing caravan.
Life Application Study BibleJeremiahChapter 3
Jeremiah 3
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 1205, 1206, 1207
A few verse numbers on this page were hard to read in the scan and are marked with a dotted underline — compare with the original page image if in doubt.
3Jeremiah 3
1says the LORD.
2“Look at the shrines on every hilltop.Is there any place you have not been defiledby your adultery with other gods?You sit like a prostitute beside the road waiting for a customer.You sit alone like a nomad in the desert.You have polluted the land with your prostitutionand your wickedness.
3That's why even the spring rains have failed.For you are a brazen prostitute and completely shameless.
4Yet you say to me,‘Father, you have been my guide since my youth.
5Surely you won't be angry forever!Surely you can forget about it!’So you talk,but you Keep on doing all the evil you can.”
Judah Follows Israel’s Example
66During the reign of King Josiah, the LORD said to me, “Have you seen what fickle Israel has done? Like a wife who commits adultery, Israel has worshiped other gods on every hill and under every green tree. 7I thought, ‘After she has done all this, she will return to me.’ But she did not return, and her faithless sister Judah saw this. 8She saw that I divorced faithless Israel because of her adultery. But that treacherous sister Judah had no fear, and now she, too, has left me and given herself to prostitution. 9Israel treated it all so lightly—she thought nothing of committing adultery by worshiping idols made of wood and stone. So now the land has been polluted. 10But despite all this, her faithless sister Judah has never sincerely returned to me. She has only pretended to be sorry. I, the LORD, have spoken!”
Hope for Wayward Israel
1111Then the LORD said to me, “Even faithless Israel is less guilty than treacherous Judah!
12Therefore, go and give this message to Israel.* This is what the LORD says:“O Israel, my faithless people,come home to me again,for I am merciful.I will not be angry with you forever.
13Only acknowledge your guilt.Admit that you rebelled against the LORD your Godand committed adultery against himby worshiping idols under every green tree.Confess that you refused to listen to my voice.I, the Lor, have spoken!
14“Return home, you wayward children,” says the LORD, “for lam your master. I will bring you back to the land of Israel*— one from this town and two from that fammily— from wherever you are scattered. 15And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will guide you with knowledge and understanding. 16“And when your land is once more filled with people,” says the LORD, “you will no longer wish for ‘the good old days’ when you possessed the Ark of the LORD’s Covenant. You will not miss those days or even remember them, and there will be no need to rebuild the Ark. 17In that day Jerusalem will be known as ‘The Throne of the Lor.’ All nations willcome there to honor the LORD. They will no longer stubbornly follow their own evil desires. 18In those days the people of Judah and Israel will return together from exile in the north. They will return to the land I gave their ancestors as an inheritance forever.
19“I thought to myself,‘T would love to treat you as my own children!’I wanted nothing more than to give you this beautiful land—the finest possession in the world.I looked forward to your calling me ‘Father,’and I wanted you never to turn from me.
20But you have been unfaithful to me, you people of Israel!You have been like a faithless wife who leaves her husband.I, the LORD, have spoken.”
21Voices are heard high on the windswept mountains,the weeping and pleading of Israel’s people.For they have chosen crooked pathsand have forgotten the LORD their God.
22“My wayward children,” says the LORD,“come back to me, and I will heal your wayward hearts.”“Yes, we're coming,” the people reply,“for you are the LORD our God.
23Our worship of idols on the hillsand our religious orgies on the mountainsare a delusion.Only in the LORD our Godwill Israel ever find salvation.
24From childhood we have watchedas everything our ancestors worked for—their flocks and herds, their sons and daughters—was squandered on a delusion.
25Let us now lie down in shameand cover ourselves with dishonor,for we and our ancestors have sinnedagainst the LORD our God.From our childhood to this daywe have never obeyed him.”41 “O Israel,” says the LORD,“if you wanted to return to me, you could.You could throw away your detestable idols
Textual footnotes
- 3:12 Hebrew toward the north.
- 3:14 Hebrew to Zion.
Life Application Notes 8 notes
3:4,5In spite of their great sin, the people of Israel continued to talk like they were God's children. The only way they could do this was to minimize their sin. When we know we've done Something wrong, we want to downplay the error and relieve Some of the guilt we feel. As we minimize our sinfulness, we Naturally shy away from making changes, and so we keep on Sinning. But if we view every wrong attitude and action as a Serious offense against God, we will begin to understand what living for God is all about. Is there any sin in your life that you’ve Written off as too small to worry about? God says that we must Confess and turn away from every sin.
3:6-6:30The northern kingdom, Israel, had fallen to Assyria, and its people had been taken into captivity. The tragic lesson of their fall should have caused the southern kingdom, Judah, to return to God, but Judah paid no attention. Jeremiah urged Judah to return to God to avoid certain disaster. This message came between 627 and 621 B.C., during Josiah’s reign. Although Josiah obeyed God's commands, his example apparently did not penetrate the hearts of the people. If the people refused to repent, God said he would destroy the nation because of the evils of Josiah’s grandfather, King Manasseh (2 Kings 23:25-27).
3:11-13israel was not even trying to look as if it were obeying God, but Judah maintained the appearance of faith without a true heart. Believing the right doctrines without heartfelt commitment is like offering sacrifices without true repentance. Judah’s false repentance brought Jeremiah’s words of condemnation. To live without faith is hopeless; to express sorrow without change is hypocritical. Being sorry for sin is not enough. Repentance demands a change of mind and heart that results in changed behavior.
3:12-18The northern kingdom, Israel, was in captivity, being punished for its sins. The people of Judah undoubtedly looked down on these northern neighbors for their blatant heresy and degraded morals. Even so, Jeremiah promised the remnant of Israel God’s blessings if they would turn to him. Judah, still secure in its own mind, should have turned to God after seeing the destruction of israel. But the people of Judah refused, so Jeremiah startled them by reaffirming God's promise to Israel's remnant if they would repent.
3:15God promised to give his people leaders (shepherds) who would follow him, filled with knowledge (wisdom) and understanding. God saw Israel’s lack of direction, so he promised to provide the right kind of leadership. We look to and trust our leaders for guidance and direction. But if they do not follow God, they will lead us astray. Pray for God-honoring leaders in our nations, communities, and churches—those who will be good examples and bring us God's wisdom.
3:16,17In the days of David and Solomon’s reign over a united Israel, the people had a beautiful Temple, where they worshiped God. The Temple housed the Ark of the Covenant, the symbol of God’s presence with the people. The Ark held the tablets of the Ten Commandments (see Exodus 25:10-22). Those days with the Ark wouldn't be missed in the future Kingdom because God’s presence by the Holy Spirit would be there personally among his people.
3:22-25Jeremiah predicted a day when the nation would be reunited, true worship would be reinstated, and sin would be Seen for what it is. Our world glorifies the thrill that comes from wealth, winning, and sexual pleasure, and it ignores the sin that is so often associated with these thrills. It is sad that so few see sin as it really is—a deception. Most people can’t see this until they are destroyed by the sin they pursue. The advantage of believing God’s Word is that we don’t have to learn by hard experience the destructive results of sin.