"Presumptious Folly" May 29 Readings: Jeremiah 1-6

Today's Reading - Jeremiah 1-6

Background

Jeremiah was a reluctant prophet, but faithful. In today’s readings we are introduced to the man.

Devotional - Presumptious Folly

"I can't believe you did that."

I've heard that phrase more than once, especially in my earlier years when I tended to do crazy things for attention and fun. In Jeremiah 3, he expresses his utter amazement at the foolish behavior of his chosen people.

Israel was in sin. Deep sin. Abiding sin. Idolatrous sin. Year after year they drifted farther from God, became more like the nations around them and less pleasing to the God who had redeemed them from the Egyptians, given them the land and blessed them richly. They ignored his laws and embraced the idols he had warned them against. He sent his prophets to warn them to change their ways. Some of them they just ignored. Others they silenced in various forms.

And Jeremiah, speaking for God, was absolutely amazed at their brazen sin. They were sure that God was on their side, that their status as the chosen people meant that no matter how they lived, God would protect them and bless them. In verses 4 and 5, their view is expressed.

Have you not just now called to me,

    ‘My father, you are the friend of my youth—

will he be angry forever,

    will he be indignant to the end? 

We are God's favorites, they thought. He's not going to really judge us, like the prophets have warned.  He's our buddy and no matter how we live, he will take up for us.

But God just reiterated his word, in verse 14. "Return." Time and again he called them to repent of their sin and return to loyalty to him. Repent. Return. Renew your passion and fidelity to the God of Israel.

But, as verse 5 says,

Behold, you have spoken,

    but you have done all the evil that you could.”

They spoke of God as their friend and assumed he would never be angry at them, but they continued to live in sin without any regard to what pleased God.

Sometimes, we forget the grace of God and think that God loves us because of how great we are and saved us because of our good works. But the Bible makes it clear that no one is righteous and that none of us is worthy of God's love and forgiveness. We must never forget the grace of God.

But it is equally evil to forget the holiness of God and to assume that because we are saved by grace we can live any way we please. Like Israel, we will love the blessing of God's intimacy and his favor over our lives when we embrace sin and flaunt God's will. We are created by God's grace to live for his pleasure. The pleasure of God ought to be the highest passion of any believer.

I am thankful, Lord, for your grace that saves me and sustains me. But may I never use that grace as an excuse to live in sin. May I learn from the failures of Israel to live daily for the pleasure of the one who bought me by his grace. 

Think and Pray

Do you deal seriously and faithfully with your sin as you walk in grace.