Jeremiah 4:1-4 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)
“1 If you will return, O Israel,
return to Me,” declares the LORD.
“If you will remove your detestable idols from My sight
and no longer waver,
2and if you can swear, ‘As surely as the LORD lives,’
in truth, in justice, and in righteousness,
then the nations will be blessed by Him,
and in Him they will glory.”
3For this is what the LORD says to the men of Judah and Jerusalem:
“Break up your unplowed ground,
and do not sow among the thorns.
4Circumcise yourselves to the LORD,
and remove the foreskins of your hearts,
O men of Judah and people of Jerusalem.
Otherwise, My wrath will break out like fire
and burn with no one to extinguish it,
because of your evil deeds.”
Biblical Israel Today
Biblical Israel today is all who are of genuine faith in
Jesus Christ, who by faith in the Lord Jesus have denied self, died to sin, and
who are following Jesus Christ in obedience to His commands in holy living. But
it is possible for those who are of genuine faith in the Lord to fall back into
sin and to be those who are in need to repent of (die to) their sin and to
return to walks of obedience to the Lord (see the letters to the churches in
Revelation 2-3).
But there are also many who call themselves “Christians” but
who are “Christians” in name only, but not in practice. They may have “prayed
the prayer to receive Christ,” but they never did deny self, die to sin, and
walk with God (in conduct) in obedience to His commands. So their professions
of faith in Jesus are in lip service only. For if sin remained their practice,
and not obedience to God, they never did know God in truth and in godliness.
A Call to Return (to Turn)
So this is a call for the unfaithful to return to walks of
obedience to God in surrender to His will, and to forsake their sinful
practices. And it is a call to the faithless to believe in the Lord Jesus in
truth, to be crucified with Christ in death to sin, and to be raised with
Christ to walk in newness of life in Him, no longer to live as slaves to sin,
but now as servants of righteousness in walks of obedience to the Lord and to
His commands, in the power of God.
For if sin remains their practice, and not obedience to God,
and if they do not repent of their sinful ways and now walk worthy of the grace
of God, but if they continue to choose their sins over obedience to God, then according
to God’s Word they will not enter into the kingdom of heaven. And they will not
inherit eternal life with God. For God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation,
is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live
self-controlled, upright, and godly lives until the return of our Lord.
Detestable Idols
So, what are these “detestable idols” God wants removed from
His sight? In the previous chapter they mention idolatry, adultery, sexual
immorality, prostitution, wickedness, faithlessness, unfaithfulness,
infidelity, indifference to God and to His commands, and indifference to their
own sins of adultery and idolatry, pretense, fakery, rebellion against God, betrayal,
perverted ways, deception, disobedience to God, and worship of foreign gods,
etc.
Unplowed Ground
So this is a call, not only to rid oneself of all detestable
idols which are contrary to God and to His will, but it is a call to “break up
your unplowed ground.” So, what does that mean? With regard to literal ground,
which is unplowed, this is referring to literal ground which is not useful for
planting seeds or for producing a harvest.
And the way we break up our own “unplowed ground” in our
hearts is through prayerful heart examination before the Lord in truth where we
turn away from our sin by forsaking and/or throwing off anything that is
leading us into sin or that has become the object of our affections over and
above or in place of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
Circumcise Yourselves
Physical
circumcision involves the cutting away of flesh, so to circumcise our hearts
involves the cutting away of our fleshly appetites and desires that stand in
opposition to our holy God and to His will for our lives. So, God is calling
out to His church to come to Him in humility, to allow the Holy Spirit to
examine our hearts and to put His finger on areas of our lives that are sinful
and that we know are against God’s will for our lives, and then for us to turn
from our sin and then to turn to walk in obedience to Christ.
[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts
26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans
8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1
Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians
5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14;
Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24;
1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation
3:1-22]
If You Will Return
An Original Work / October 20,
2026
Christ’s Free
Servant, Sue J Love
In Keeping Them
Based off Psalm 111:10; Psalm 19:7-11
An Original Work /
June 3, 2014
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
Stand in awe of your
Lord. Harken to His teachings.
Follow where He
leads you. Live for Him today.
Through Him you gain
wisdom; knowledge; understanding.
To my Lord belongs
all worship and my praise.
Perfect is the Word,
refreshing souls in His love.
His commands are
faithful, guiding us each day.
Joy comes to the
heart of those who love His teachings;
Follow His
instructions. He will light their way.
Abide in the Lord,
and obey His commandments.
His Word is more
precious than all of our gold.
By His Word He warns
us, comforts, and implores us.
When we follow His
Word, there is great reward.
