Jeremiah 1-3
As I look at the history of both the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah, I tend to think of Israel as being worse than Judah. After all, the Bible’s assessment of each and every one of Israel’s kings is that they did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, whereas at least some of the kings of Judah are good like David and did what was right in the sight of the LORD, especially Hezekiah and Josiah. And then, of course, God’s judgment falls on Israel in the form of conquest and deportation by the Assyrians while Judah continues to survive. Surely Judah is better than Israel. But Jeremiah tells us something very interesting:
The LORD said to me in the days of King Josiah: “Have you seen what she did, that faithless one, Israel, how she went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and there played the whore? And I thought, ‘After she has done all this she will return to me,’ but she did not return, and her treacherous sister Judah saw it. She saw that for all the adulteries of that faithless one, Israel, I had sent her away with a decree of divorce. Yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but she too went and played the whore. Because she took her whoredom lightly, she polluted the land, committing adultery with stone and tree. Yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to me with her whole heart, but in pretense, declares the LORD.”
Jeremiah 3:6-11
And the LORD said to me, “Faithless Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah.”
So I have things backwards. God’s assessment is that Judah is worse than Israel. Hmmm. That little phrase “in pretense” illuminates the entire scene. God sees the heart, not just the outward show. Hezekiah and Josiah (for example) may well be good kings, serving the LORD faithfully and leading the people in the right direction. And I am sure that there are any number of faithful people supporting those kings in their endeavors. But then there’s the general populace who apparently are acting in pretense, with no true devotion to the LORD at all. They’re just following the king’s commands, going with the flow. So when the winds change direction, they do, too. And that is not what the LORD desires.
So how about us? Is our church life just a big put on, just a show? Do we sing songs and lift our hands in worship while harboring sin in our hearts? How easily swayed are we by the world, by the news media, by politicians or other leaders? Are we devoted to the LORD with our whole heart? Or only in pretense?
Of the 16 books of the Prophets in the Bible, Jeremiah is my favorite. His book is a mix of prophetic proclamations against Israel, Judah, and the surrounding nations, together with narrative that covers Jerusalem at the time immediately preceding the Jews’ exile to Babylon. We get to see a real personal side of Jeremiah, especially through the persecutions he endures. We see him advising Judah’s kings and speaking God’s words to the general population – words that are mostly ignored or railed against. I hope you enjoy reading Jeremiah as much as I do!