The Covenant Is Broken
1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: 2 “Listen to the terms of this covenant and tell them to the people of Judah and to those who live in Jerusalem. 3 Tell them that this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Cursed is the man who does not obey the terms of this covenant— 4 the terms I commanded your forefathers when I brought them out of Egypt, out of the iron-smelting furnace.’ I said, ‘Obey me and do everything I command you, and you will be my people, and I will be your God. 5 Then I will fulfill the oath I swore to your forefathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey’—the land you possess today.”
I answered, “Amen, LORD.”
6 The LORD said to me, “Proclaim all these words in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: ‘Listen to the terms of this covenant and follow them. 7 From the time I brought your forefathers up from Egypt until today, I warned them again and again, saying, “Obey me.” 8 But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubbornness of their evil hearts. So I brought on them all the curses of the covenant I had commanded them to follow but that they did not keep.’”
9 Then the LORD said to me, “There is a conspiracy among the people of Judah and those who live in Jerusalem. 10 They have returned to the sins of their forefathers, who refused to listen to my words. They have followed other gods to serve them. Both the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken the covenant I made with their forefathers. 11 Therefore this is what the LORD says: ‘I will bring on them a disaster they cannot escape. Although they cry out to me, I will not listen to them. 12 The towns of Judah and the people of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they burn incense, but they will not help them at all when disaster strikes. 13 You have as many gods as you have towns, O Judah; and the altars you have set up to burn incense to that shameful god Baal are as many as the streets of Jerusalem.’
14 “Do not pray for this people nor offer any plea or petition for them, because I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their distress.
15 “What is my beloved doing in my temple
as she works out her evil schemes with many?
Can consecrated meat avert your punishment?
When you engage in your wickedness,
then you rejoice.”
16 The LORD called you a thriving olive tree
with fruit beautiful in form.
But with the roar of a mighty storm
he will set it on fire,
and its branches will be broken.
17 The LORD Almighty, who planted you, has decreed disaster for you, because the house of Israel and the house of Judah have done evil and provoked me to anger by burning incense to Baal.
My Understanding: In the tenth chapter of Jeremiah, God warned his people against learning and following the ways of the nations and the customs of the people, which were steeped in idolatry and were worthless to the people of God. He reminded them that the Lord is the true God; the living God; and the eternal King. Only he could meet the longings of their hearts. Only he could bring them salvation from their sins and deliverance in times of trouble. Only he could supply all that they need and could offer them comfort, joy, peace, assurance, freedom from fear and freedom from the penalty, bondage to and control of sin.
He was to be their God and they were to be his people, and yet they were following the ways of the people of the world, they were following after “other gods” that were not gods and were perishable, and they were forsaking the One and Only true and living God who had created them, saved them, delivered them time and time again, protected and watched over them, and had brought them to victory so many, many times. So, God said he would punish them because his tent was destroyed, his sons were gone from him, the leaders of the people were senseless and did not inquire of the Lord, and all the flock was scattered.
Times haven’t changed all that much. God is still giving the same warnings and promises to his people, his church. And his people, the church, are doing the same kinds of things as did the Israelites. Today’s church has become so much like the world and has adopted so many customs of the world that it is barely distinguishable between God’s church and the world these days. These worldly ways are not only incorporated into people’s daily lives and routines at home, work, etc., but the church uses all the same marketing schemes as the world uses for building and growing businesses. And, the flock is scattered as a result.
The church of today has idolized certain public religious figures and has adopted certain men’s teachings and philosophies for how to build and to grow churches, yet this is not God’s way. They are relying upon the ways of the world to reach the world, and by doing so they are attracting the world to the world, not to the cross of Christ. Yet, that is not how God builds his church, which is not a business but His holy temple and his people, whom he builds through changed hearts and lives, through salvation from sin, through lives committed to honor, serve, and obey their Lord God in all that they do 24/7, and through the light of the gospel that shines through the lives of his servants; his disciples; his people, so that others may be saved.
In the eleventh chapter of Jeremiah we learn that the people of God had broken covenant with God. They were under the Old Covenant. We are under the New Covenant. There are differences between the two covenants and yet there are similarities, too. A covenant relationship is a two-party agreement, not just a one-party agreement. Some people want to think God does it all and nothing is required of us, yet when we come to faith in Jesus Christ and we believe in him to save us from our sins, we are entering into a covenant relationship with him the same as when we enter into marriage and we vow to honor, love, respect and to be faithful to our spouses. To love God means that we obey him.
To love, honor and respect him means that we acknowledge our sin, we turn from it (repent) and we agree to follow him and his ways the rest of our lives. To be faithful to him means that we don’t follow after other gods and we don’t replace the affection, commitment, passion and desire in our hearts that should be for God and God alone with people, things, and our activities, etc. and then shove him into a corner and barely think about him and do not honor him enough to inquire of him and to hear his voice speaking to our hearts and to obey what he teaches us. It means we don’t follow the ways, patterns and attitudes of the world, and we don’t take into our minds willfully what is dishonoring to God and that glorifies and applauds sin or that makes sin entertaining to us so that we are desensitized to the seriousness of sin and how God feels about it when we sin against him.
God warned his people again and again, “Obey me.” Yet, they did not listen to him or pay attention. Instead, they followed the stubbornness of their evil hearts. They returned to the sins of their forefathers, who had also refused to listen to God. Generational influences are very strong. We are born with certain bents and personality dispositions that were passed down to us from previous generations. I noticed early on in my children’s lives how they favored certain members of our family, including me and my husband, but some they did not even know and yet were part of because of blood line. And, then we brought our children up, and they observed our behaviors and attitudes, and some of them adopted those same behaviors and attitudes, both good and bad, from us, and they followed in our footsteps. It is nice to see your children learn and follow your good example, but it is truly sad when you see the results in their lives of your bad example from sins you committed.
God said that he made us to be fruitful, i.e. to produce the fruit of the Spirit in our lives and to live out what he teaches us in all practicality and application to our daily lives, and to be servants and witnesses for him in loving and serving others, and in being a light for the gospel of Jesus Christ to those who need a Savior. He also made us to be beautiful in form, i.e. to be formed and conformed into the image of Christ via repentance and obedience and by how we live our lives each and every day to honor and obey him in all that we do, think, say and are. Yet, he will exercise divine discipline and correction against those who are his who are forsaking him for other gods if they do not repent of their ways. So, God is calling out to each and every one of us to follow him with our whole hearts and devotion, to love, honor and obey him in everything, and to be his faithful followers in all truth and sincerity of heart in being beautiful in form (God’s form) and in bearing much fruit for Him.
My Prayer / An Original Work / May 30, 2011
“Fill me with Your Spirit; help me to love others;
Let me know Your power; be an overcomer.
Show me how to follow Jesus Christ, my Savior;
Be His faithful servant to obey Him always.
“Lead me with Your presence; help me know the right way;
Teach me love and kindness, generous compassion.
Give me grace and courage to be Jesus’ witness,
Teaching His salvation to a world who needs Him.”
Won’t you come and follow Jesus Christ, your Savior?
He died so you’d be free of control of your sin;
Free to follow His ways in complete surrender;
Living sacrifices – let His grace transform you.
Song Lyrics @ Public Domain
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