Jeremiah 3:1-5

“They say, ‘If a man divorces his wife, And she goes from him And becomes another man’s, May he return to her again?’ Would not that land be greatly polluted? But you have played the harlot with many lovers; Yet return to Me,” says the LORD. “Lift up your eyes to the desolate heights and see: Where have you not lain with men? By the road you have sat for them Like an Arabian in the wilderness; And you have polluted the land With your harlotries and your wickedness. Therefore the showers have been withheld, And there has been no latter rain. You have had a harlot’s forehead; You refuse to be ashamed. Will you not from this time cry to Me, ‘My Father, You are the guide of my youth? Will He remain angry forever? Will He keep it to the end?’ Behold, you have spoken and done evil things, As you were able.”
Jeremiah 3:1-5 NKJV

The nation of Judah is pictured as the wife of the Lord. The church today is also pictured as the bride and wife of the Lord. It is relatively common in the Bible to compare the unfaithfulness of Judah and Israel towards God with the actions of an unfaithful wife towards her husband. Spiritual adultery was a problem for the nation of Judah. The people would declare their commitment to serve God, then worship every idol and false god that they came in contact with. The unfaithfulness of Judah is spoken of as harlotry and they are pictured as having many lovers and it is represented that they looked for false gods to serve wherever they could find them. They wantonly abandoned worship of the God of heaven with worship of every rock and stone and natural object they could find. They were not ashamed of their acts of wickedness, brazenly and openly running after the false gods of the nations around. Today God's people, the church, are also tempted to forsake worship of its husband, the God of heaven, and find false gods to serve. In our modern society there are many things that call for our worship. People in the form of athletes, movie stars, TV actors, musicians, politicians, and other notables are treated as if they are all knowing and all caring. Sometimes a Christian will place a spouse or a boyfriend or girlfriend in such a place that they would do anything, including abandoning God, to keep that person close to them. Many people have certain possessions that are given more respect and adoration than God. Some will place such importance on their career or building wealth that they serve money, allowing the acquisition of cash or possessions or 'new things' to determine the choices they make. False gods abound in our American society and it seems that many call to me with the siren call for my destruction.
Despite the past and current unfaithfulness of Judah and its people, God called them to return to Him. The latter rains were withheld as an object lesson of the results of the lack of life giving water in their lives. As the land withered without the falling rain to replenish and give life to the crops, so their spiritual lives withered when they refused to let the words of God replenish them and give life to love and obedience to God. Josiah's reforms had given them an opportunity to see the futility of the other gods that they had served for so long. The rocks and sticks that they worshipped never spoke to them and was in stark contrast to the God who sent messengers to build and warn. The results of listening to these messengers of God were clear, but they chose to turn away and continue doing the evil things they desired to do. As leader of Judah, Josiah could destroy the false gods and remove the spiritual leaders who taught the people to worship that which could not save them, but each individual then had to choose for themselves whether or not to allow God to rule their lives. Most spoke the words they thought would keep the reformers happy, saying, 'You are the guide of my youth', yet they did not allow God to cleanse their hearts and rule their lives. Outwardly they pretended for awhile to serve God, in their hearts they continued to wickedly serve the false gods they were accustomed to.

Lord,
Help me today to not become distracted by the world so that I serve the things in the world. Help me to allow You to reign supreme in my life. Help me to recognize that the friends and possessions You put in my life are blessings from You because You love me, not things that I should esteem more than You. Help me to allow You to rule my life today and every future day, giving You the honor and praise You deserve.