Jeremiah 3:14-20

Read Jeremiah 3:14-20

Helpful Background Information: 

• Jeremiah lived and worked in Jerusalem as an Israelite priest during the last few decades of the southern kingdom of Judah. He was called as a prophet to warn Israel of the serious consequences that came with breaking their covenant relationship with God. In the book, Jeremiah puts forth a pretty sobering evaluation of Israel’s past before pointing to the future with a glimpse of hope—namely, that restoration would come when the people returned to God.

• Throughout the book, idolatry and injustice are (again) likened to spiritual adultery. These sins were serious, because the Israelite people were supposed to be modeling to the world what it looks like to live in relationship with God. Instead, their idolatry and injustice grossly misrepresented His character. 

• In (v.1), the people are spoken of as those who have divorced their God and prostituted themselves to other gods. Over and over in this chapter, the LORD is calling his people to return. The Hebrew word translated as “return” here, is the language of repentance that appears all throughout the prophetic texts in the Old Testament. Time and time again, after the people wander off into sin and idolatry, God is the One who calls them to come back and renew the covenant. 

Reflection Questions: 

• When people who are in a covenant relationship with God fall into sin, He consistently voices both His hatred for their sin and His desire for their return and reconciliation. What does this teach us about God’s desire for the treatment of sin and reconciliation in marriages?

• God was consistently committed to keeping a relationship with His people, even after they messed things up. How does that provide an example for husbands and wives to follow today?