Jeremiah 14-15
Though our iniquities testify against us,
Jeremiah 14:7
act, O LORD, for your name’s sake;
for our backslidings are many;
we have sinned against you.
Thus begins a seemingly good and proper prayer of confession and contrition in Jeremiah 14:7-9, looking for relief from the LORD. We see another such prayer in Jeremiah 14:19-22. Yet the LORD’s response is a firm rejection of each of these prayers in Jeremiah 14:10-11 and Jeremiah 15:1-4, respectively. My sense here is that Jeremiah is “putting words into the mouths of” the people of Judah, that he sets them an example, hoping that they would turn to the LORD this way. But even if the people were to say these words themselves, the LORD knows better, because He sees the heart. He knows that such a prayer from the people would be fake and not backed by any true repentance.
Have you ever prayed such a fake prayer? Perhaps more pointedly, is fake prayer your habit? Do you come to church and go through the liturgy mouthing the prayers while harboring sin in your heart? Have you come to confession to acknowledge your sin and look for forgiveness, but with no real intention of turning away from that same sin? It’s one thing to confess sin from which you earnestly desire to be set free; it’s quite another to confess sin with the full intention of continuing in it. The latter is a sham, and the LORD knows it full well. Deep down, so do we.
See also: July 11 (2023) / Jeremiah 14:1-15:9; 16-17.