Jeremiah 3 -- The Spider

In the last chapter, Jeremiah had preached about their rebellion – that God sees His people’s sin.  Now, God’s given him a call to repentance, pleading for His people to return to Him.

Using images of an unfaithful wife, Jeremiah had them think about divorce.  “Mosaic Law permitted a man to divorce his wife, but it did not allow him to marry her again,” my commentary said.  “God had every right to reject His people, because they had abandoned Him, not in order to marry another husband, but in order to play the harlot with many lovers … They had acted worse than common prostitutes, who at least waited  for lovers to come to them, for Judah had pursued false gods and repeatedly committed spiritual adultery with them.”

“Instead of rejecting His people, however, the Lord patiently called for them to return and be restored as His wife.  What grace! … the people had called out to Him for help, but they had not really repented of their sins.”

Judah had become even more guilty  than Israel, because they’d seen Israel’s destruction and refused to learn from it and turn from their sins.  “They persisted in their sins as though it would never happen to them.”

Jeremiah was also given an image of an unhealthy patient.  “Like an infection entering the bloodstream, sin secretly gets into the system of the inner man and goes to work weakening and destroying.  It gradually infects the whole system, producing spiritual laziness and loss of spiritual appetite; and if not cared for, the sin sickness can lead to dire consequences.  When we hear about believers suddenly falling into open sin, in most cases a gradual slide preceded the sudden fall.”

My commentary mentioned a church member who always closed his public prayers with, “And Lord, take the cobwebs out of my heart!”  Another person, tired of hearing it, stood up and prayed, “And Lord, while You’re at it …. kill the spider!”

Father, my intentional sin is rebellion against You.  When I know I’m committing it, call me to acknowledge it and repent of it.  Don’t let me get away with feeling no remorse.  I need all traces of the sin infection removed from my heart and soul.  Kill the spider, Father.  Don’t just clean out the cobwebs.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford