“If
you will return, O Israel”, says the Lord, “return to Me; and if you will put
away your abominations out of My sight, then you shall not be moved. And
you shall swear, ‘The Lord lives’. In truth, in judgment, and in
righteousness, the nations shall bless themselves in the Lord, and in the Lord
they shall glory.” Jeremiah 4:1-2
Like
every other chapter and verse written in Scripture, this passage requires
earnest engagement and not simply reading the words on the page. The
Lord’s love is steadfast, but His blessing is conditional upon His people to
“put away your abominations”. Though there is no list of specific
“abominations” in the immediate context, they are all contained in the Law of
Moses and summarized in one word: adultery. It is Israel betraying the
True God who delivered them from slavery in Egypt and gave to them the Promised
Land as a witness to all the nations. Rather than make the most of all
they had been given to use toward Divine purpose, they took the Lord’s favor
and blessing for granted, and used what they had only for themselves.
Rather than using all they had as means to give the Lord His due glory, all
they had became ends themselves – and Israel fell into Exile.
We
are compelled to consider all the Lord has entrusted to our care and decide how
we use all we have been given. Do we believe they are given to us
personally – OR – do we believe these things have been entrusted to our care
for a much greater purpose? It is not always an easy question to answer,
but answer it we must … truthfully. For the Lord already knows the
answer.
Blessings,
Michael
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