GRACE BIBLE FELLOWSHIP | 恩道堂

. Immediately after the commission of Jeremiah, God pronounces indictment upon Israel through Jeremiah. This chapter focuses on God’s sacred love for His people and Israel’s love of idols. To show how far Israel has plunged into apostasy, God reminds them how much they had loved Him during the time of Exodus (vv. 2-3; cf Hosea 1-3). But the whole nation, including priests, rulers and prophets, is now worshipping worthless gods and they will become worthless themselves.

The root sin of Israel is idolatry. They sought out the nations, like Egypt and Assyria for protection and other perceived needs and desires. They also worship their debased idols and they have become even worse than their pagan neighbors.

Because of Israel’s idolatry, it also commits gross immorality, of which, sexual immorality and child sacrifice are often mentioned. They performed ritualistic sex under green trees and on mountains. The people have become hopelessly idolaters. It is in their nature. They are like a wild female donkey in heat seeking out a male donkey to mate. They are corrupted to the very core of their nature.

They are so corrupted, but yet they deny any wrong doing, instead they put the blame on God (v. 29a). Not even punishment can change them. Because they will not admit any wrong, they either deny any future punishment by God or they think God is an unreasonable, angry scrooge whose ultimate desire is not to love them but to desolate them. They are incorrigibly irrational.

Idolatry is the root sin of people. It is the first sin forbidden in the Ten Commandments. Idolatry is anything that we trust to give us pleasure, security, identity and meaning in life, instead of trusting in God’s lordship to define and give all these things. Idolatry is the nature state of all non-believers. But even for believers, God continues to re-orientate our hearts to Him so that we would get rid of remaining idols in our heart (1 John 5:21). Pray that whenever you disobey God or when your sin pops up, ask yourself what lies or lust are you pursuing that causes you to disobey God. Pray that God will convict you of the ugliness of your idolatry and to get rid of your idols in your heart.

在委任耶利米之后，神迅速地通过他宣告对以色列的谴责。这段经文的重点是神对其子民神圣的爱以及以色列对偶像的爱。为了显明以色列离经叛道之深，神提醒他们在出埃及时期，他们是多么地爱神（2-3节；参考何1-3）。但是，以色列全国，包括众祭司、君王和先知，都在敬拜虚无的神，而他们自己也将会成为虚妄的人。

以色列犯罪的根源是偶像崇拜。他们向埃及和亚述这样的国家寻求保护及满足自己其他的需要和欲望。他们也敬拜他国败坏的偶像，变得比自己的外邦邻国更糟糕。

因着偶像崇拜，以色列也严重地触犯了道德规则，其中以淫乱和儿童献祭最为普遍。他们在青翠树下和高岗上行仪式性的性行为。这些人成为无望的偶像崇拜者。偶像崇拜存于他们的本性中。他们好像雌性的野驴，欲心发动时寻找雄性的驴交配。他们的败坏及至内心深处。

以色列如此败坏，但却否认有罪，甚至还责怪神（29节上）；惩罚也无法改变他们了。由于他们不肯承认错误，他们不是拒绝神未来的任何惩罚，就是认为神是不及人情又愤怒的吝啬鬼，以为神最终渴望的不是要爱他们，而是将他们变为凄凉。他们已经失去理性，无可救药了。