Good morning. My name is Sean. If you're a guest here with us, I'm one of the pastors of Trinity
Cambridge Church, and I have the privilege of bringing God's Word to you on most Sundays.
And today, as Ruth read from, we're in Jeremiah 2, 1 to 4, 4, but because it's a long passage,
I didn't read, we didn't read the whole thing. But that means as I'm preaching, because I'm
preaching from the whole passage, I will be reading extended portions of it from God's Word.
And so I really encourage you to open your Bibles if you haven't already. Don't rely,
because I'm not going to be putting the main passage of Scripture on the screen. And I know
some of you guys might find that a little bit frustrating. Like, why doesn't he just preach?
Why does he have to keep going back to the Bible and read all this? Just tell us what it says. But
that it's a strong conviction of mine that it's God's Word that is efficacious unto our salvation,
not my words. And my words are just unpacking God's Word so that the effect of God's Word bears on us.
And that's why in 1 Timothy, in Paul's letter to Timothy, Paul says,
devote yourselves to the public reading of Scripture and to exhortation and to teaching.
Not just to exhortation and teaching, to the reading of Scripture, because it's God's Word that is
effective in changing our lives. So please be patient with me. I'll refer you back to Scripture
and go with me and read with me as I go. You've all heard the phrase, oh, it's nothing personal.
And ironically, sometimes people say that to you before they hurl their most personal criticisms at you.
As if merely saying it's not personal now gives them the license to vent all of their frustrations and anger.
And sometimes we think of our offenses against God, our sins, in the same exact way. We think of sin in
this abstract, impersonal terms. And we say, oh, it's nothing personal, God. I love you and I think
you're great, but I really can't resist this. I really need this right now. And we sin.
But today's passage talks about sin in concrete and intensely personal terms. Sin is not an
abstract. It's always personal. It's an offense against. To sin is to choose something or someone
instead of God and to take concrete steps away from God. And for that reason, all who sin must truly,
genuinely, wholeheartedly return to God. That's the main point of this passage. That those who have turned
away from the Lord must return to Him wholeheartedly. And we'll see that in two parts. First, we'll talk
about how Israel turned away in chapter 2. And then we'll talk about how Israel should return to Him
in chapters 3 and the beginning in 4. In chapter 1, we saw the word of the Lord come to Jeremiah to call
him and consecrate him and then commission him as a prophet to the nations. And then here in chapter 2,
we begin to see Jeremiah's obedience to God's commission. So read verses 1 to 3 with me.
The word of the Lord came to me saying,
Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem,
Thus says the Lord,
I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride,
how you followed me in the wilderness, in a land not sown.
Israel was holy to the Lord,
the first fruits of His harvest.
All who ate of it incurred guilt.
But disaster came upon them,
declares the Lord.
In their youth, this is a picture of Israel.
Israel was devoted to God.
The word devoted is the same word that is used to describe God's covenant love toward His people,
His steadfast love, His loving kindness.
As they should be, Israel was once loyal to God and faithful to God.
They once loved Him like a bride who loves her husband and follows him anywhere he's willing to go.
Like a bride, Israel followed God out of Egypt into the wilderness to a land not sown,
to a land that is not until before.
This is a beautiful image of a bride giving herself complete to her husband
and leaving her household to start a new place, in a new place, a new life together.
That's what Israel was like to God, a bride for Him.
And yet, and they were holy to the Lord, it says,
consecrated to belong exclusively to Him.
And they were the first fruits of His harvest.
First fruits was a stipulation in the Old Testament
where all the first fruits of your produce and livestock
were supposed to be given to the Lord as an offering of thanksgiving.
And so by recognizing giving a portion, the first fruits of your produce to God,
you recognize that all that you have ultimately came from God.
And so that first fruit was considered sacred, devoted to the Lord,
His special portion, symbolizing that everything belongs to Him.
And Israel was that first fruit for God,
meaning that there would be in the future, the rest of the fruits would come,
all the nations, people would come from all nations to be saved by Him.
But Israel was the first fruits, and because of His special possession,
all who tampered with the first fruits that belonged to God,
all who messed with Israel,
incurred guilt and invited the wrath of God.
That's the picture of intimacy and trust we find here.
But that is a thing of the past.
The present state of things is quite different.
Read verses 4 to 7 with me.
Follow with me as I read.
Hear the word of the Lord.
O house of Jacob and all the clans of the house of Israel,
Thus says the Lord,
What wrong did your fathers find in me,
that they went far from me,
and went after worthlessness,
and became worthless?
They did not say,
Where is the Lord,
who brought us up from the land of Egypt,
who led us in the wilderness,
in a land of deserts and pits,
in a land of drought and deep darkness,
in a land that none passes deep,
where none dwells.
And I brought you into a plentiful land
to enjoy its fruits and its good things.
But when you came in,
you defiled my land
and made my heritage an abomination.
At this point of Jeremiah's ministry,
the northern kingdom of Israel
has already been conquered by Assyria,
but some of them would have taken refuge
in the southern kingdom of Judah,
and that's where Jeremiah is based
and is ministering.
And so Jeremiah's here,
he's addressing all the clans
of the house of Israel,
and asked them a rhetorical question,
What wrong did your fathers find in me,
that they went far from me?
This is God speaking.
Of course, the answer is nothing.
There was no wrong in God.
God was always faithful to them.
No one has found fault with God,
because God has been faultless with them,
yet still they found fault.
Yet still they went far from him.
And because they went after worthlessness,
they themselves became worthless.
The spelling and pronunciation in Hebrew
of the word worthless
is very much the same as the word Baal,
who is the main pagan god,
the Canaanite deity.
And so every time in these passages
and throughout Jeremiah,
you hear phrases and words like worthless
or unprofitable, good for nothing, useless,
those are all kind of references to Baal.
Saying that you abandoned me,
the true God who saved you,
and you went after worthless things,
and in worshiping worthless things,
you became worthless yourself.
And then look in verse 8 with me.
All Israel forsook the Lord, it says.
And not just the people,
all the leaders of Israel.
It says in verse 8,
The priests did not say,
Where is the Lord?
They didn't search for him.
Those who handled the law did not know me.
The shepherds transgressed against me.
The prophets prophesied by Baal
and went after things that do not profit.
Again, Baal, right?
The priests who are responsible for seeking the Lord
did not ask, Where is the Lord?
The scribes and Levites who are responsible
for teaching about God themselves
did not know God.
And the shepherds are metaphors for kings
and rulers of Israel.
And these rulers, these shepherds,
did not lead people in God's way,
but they themselves transgressed the ways of God,
went across the boundaries
that were forbidden to them.
And finally, even the prophets
who are supposed to speak by the Lord
and reveal His will,
prophesied by Baal instead.
For this reason,
God must bring His charge against them.
And this is what He says in verse 9 to 13.
He contends with them.
Therefore, I still contend with you,
declares the Lord,
and with your children's children
I will contend.
For cross to the coast of Cyprus and sea,
or send to Kedar and examine with care.
See if there has been such a thing.
Has a nation changed its gods,
even though they are no gods?
But my people have changed their glory
for that which does not profit.
Be appalled, O heavens, at this.
Be shocked.
Be utterly desolate, declares the Lord.
For my people have committed two evils.
They have forsaken me,
the fountain of living waters,
and hewed out cisterns for themselves,
broken cisterns that can hold no water.
The main thrust of God's contention is this.
Israel, what Israel has done,
is so wicked,
so treacherous,
that it has not been done
in the history of any nation around them.
Nations in the ancient Near East
were polytheistic,
so they might add deities
to their pantheon of deities.
They might reorder their deities
in their prominence,
but they never changed their gods.
They never abandoned the gods
that their ancestors worshipped completely.
Yet Israel
have abandoned the one true God.
They have changed their God
and worshipped idols.
And then God specifies their offense
to two parts in verse 13.
My people have committed two evils.
They have forsaken me,
the fountain of living waters,
and hewed out cisterns for themselves,
broken cisterns that can hold no water.
Many people in this geographic area
where Jeremiah is writing from
did not have access to living waters.
So living water is referenced
to a live water source.
It could be a river
or it could be a spring
that spews forth water.
And because most people
didn't have access to such living water,
they had to resort to rainwater.
And the way they saved rainwater
is by digging a cistern
into these rocky lime hills.
They would dig a cistern out,
hew it out,
and then they would plaster the walls
with lime plaster
to make sure that the water
doesn't leak.
And then they would use irrigation
to direct the water,
the rainwater,
into the cistern
and store it for further use.
But such cisterns
frequently developed leaks
and cracks,
and it drained
the very life source
of their people
who were depending on them.
So this is an image
that's very familiar
to God's people.
And God says to them,
I am the fountain
of living waters.
Yet you have abandoned me
to hew out broken cisterns
that can hold no water.
Let that image
just be etched indelibly
on your minds.
God is the fountain
of living waters.
The God is the eternal life.
And only He can satisfy you.
We were created
for eternity
to glorify God
and to enjoy Him forever.
And nothing less than that
can ever satisfy us.
whatever else
you might turn to
for joy,
for purpose,
for fulfillment,
whether it's other gods
or success,
job,
wealth,
charitable work,
beauty,
fitness,
or power,
whatever it might be.
It doesn't matter
how good these things are
in and of themselves.
If you turn to them
for your ultimate fulfillment,
if you turn to them
as your ultimate goal in life,
they will turn out
to be broken cisterns
that can hold no water.
It might seem like
it's working for you
for a little while,
but it's just a matter of time
and you'll discover
a crack here,
a leak there,
and find that
your cistern is empty
and that your life
is running dry.
The same has happened
to Israel at this point
and we see the consequences
of their idolatry
in verses 14 to 19.
Follow with me
as I read.
Is Israel a slave?
Is he a home-born servant?
Why then has he become a prey?
The lions have roared against him.
They have roared loudly.
They have his land a waste.
His cities are in ruins
without inhabitant.
Moreover,
the men of Memphis
and Tapanis
have shaved the crown
of your head.
Have you not
brought upon yourself
by forsaking the Lord your God
when he led you in the way?
And now,
what do you gain
by going to Egypt
to drink the waters of the Nile?
Or what do you gain
by going to Assyria
to drink the waters
of the Euphrates?
Your evil will chastise you
and your apostasy
will reprove you.
Know and see
that it is evil
and bitter for you
to forsake the Lord your God.
The fear of me
is not in you,
declares the Lord God of hosts.
God has bestowed
great honor in Israel
by calling them
in Exodus 4.22
the firstborn son.
And he rescued them
out of their slavery in Egypt.
But by turning to
these idolatrous pagan nations,
to the broken cisterns
that can hold no water,
instead of turning to God
the fountain of living waters,
these people
have enslaved themselves
all over again.
And so God asks them,
is Israel indeed a son?
Is Israel indeed free?
Why then are they wasted
and enslaved to other nations?
Even the Nile of the Egyptians,
the famed Euphrates
of the Assyrians,
are just broken cisterns
that can hold no water.
So don't turn to them,
turn to me.
And then using a series
of hard-hitting images,
and this is how personally
God takes this,
God describes the apostasy
in verses 20 to 25.
First, he describes it
in verse 20 this way,
For long ago I broke your yoke
and burst your bonds,
but you said,
I will not serve.
God freed them
from their slavery,
but still they said,
No, we will not serve the Lord.
We will serve these idols instead.
And then this analogy
is used of prostitution.
Yes, on every high hill
and under every green tree,
you bow down like a whore.
Baal, the Canaanite idol,
was considered a god
of rain and fertility.
And so because of that,
those who worshipped Baal
performed sexual rituals
at local shrines
that were located
on the high hills.
And even though
they had been freed
by the sovereign Lord,
these Israelites
sprawled themselves out
under leafy trees
like a common harlot.
Then the second analogy
is in verses 21 to 22.
God says,
He planted them
as a choice vine,
holy of pure seed,
to bear grapes
of the highest quality,
sweet grapes
that can yield premium wine.
Yet,
they became like a wild vine
that yields bitter fruit.
And they stain themselves
with scents
that not even soap
can wash them clean.
And then in verse 23,
God compares Israel
to a restless she-camel.
He says,
How can you say
I am not unclean?
I have not gone
after the Baals.
Look at your way
in the valley.
Know what you have done.
A restless young camel
running here and there.
The word Baal here
is important
because even though
Baal is one Canaanite God,
there were many centers
of Baal worship.
It's almost as if
there are many Baals.
And Israelites,
as if worshipping Baal
wasn't enough
in one place,
they worshipped him
at every high hill,
under every green tree.
And in their idolatry,
they were like a restless
young camel running
here and there.
It's a well-known fact
among cultures
that use camels
that a young female camel
is very skittish and jumpy.
And so they are considered
very unreliable for riding.
They kind of run around,
jig-jag like this,
like,
and very fickle.
And so God's comparing Israel
to this she-camel
that goes from one camel
to another.
And according to verse 24,
Israel was also like
a wild donkey
used to the wilderness,
in her heat,
sniffing the wind,
who can restrain lust.
A wild female donkey,
when in heat,
almost becomes violent.
Sniff the wind,
trying to pick up
the scent of the male donkey
from their urine.
When she does catch the scent,
she races down the wilderness
in trying to find
this male donkey.
And so because of that,
God says,
none who seek her
need weary themselves.
In her month,
they will find her.
There was no need
for the adherents of Baal
to plant alatize
because Israel
was so eager
to chase after Baals
like a wild donkey
whose lusts
cannot be restrained.
And that God commands
Israel in verse 25,
keep your feet
from going unshod
and your throat
from thirst.
Don't let your sandals
wear out
and your throats
parched
from going after
these idols.
Return to me.
But Israel responds,
it is hopeless,
for I have loved
foreigners,
and after them
I will go.
Given Israel's
stubborn refusal
to repent
of their idolatry,
God denounces
and derides,
really mocks
the futility
of their idols
in verses 26 to 28.
Read with me,
verses 26 to 28,
chapter 2.
As a thief
is shamed
when caught,
so the house
of Israel
shall be shamed.
They,
their kings,
their officials,
their priests,
and their prophets
who say to a tree,
you are my father
and to a stone
you gave me birth,
for they have
turned back to me
and looked at their face.
But in the time
of their trouble,
they say,
arise and save us.
But where are your gods
that you made for yourself?
Let them arise
if they can save you
in your time of trouble.
For where are your gods,
O Judah?
Is this something
bothering you guys?
Should I just grab a mic,
hand out a mic?
I'll just keep going.
So this is really ironic
because in Canaanite worship,
idolatry,
on the high hills,
they would usually have
two symbols.
One would be a tree
that is supposed
to represent
a male deity
or a female deity.
It would be a stone
representing a male deity.
And so they're turning,
so it's ironic
that people made
in God's image
are turning to these creatures
and saying,
oh,
this tree,
you are my father.
And then to a stone
who gave me birth.
And there's bitter irony here.
Jeremiah is using satire
because notice that
even though the tree
is supposed to represent
the female deity,
they turn to a tree
and say,
you are my father.
Even the stone
is supposed to represent
the female deity,
they turn to the stone
and say,
you gave me birth.
So God's painting
this picture
of Israelites' idolatry
and pointing out
the absurdity of it.
They are devoted
to these idols
and as devoted
they have been,
they're still utterly confused.
They have no idea
what they're doing.
They're turning to sticks
and stones,
literally,
and saying,
you are my father,
you are my mother.
And then even then,
they say in verse 27,
when times of trouble come,
they say to God,
arise and save us.
Like an adulterous wife
who returns to her husband
only when she runs out of money.
Or like a rebel,
a son who calls his father
only when he is in trouble
with the law
and needs to be bailed out of jail.
When they are in trouble,
Israel still cries out to God,
arise and save us.
But God will not be mocked
by such hypocrisy.
And he says in verse 28,
but where are your gods
that you made for yourself?
Let them arise
if they can save you
in your time of trouble.
For as many as your cities
are your gods,
O Judah.
There are as many idols in Judah
as there are cities.
Why don't you ask one of them
to save you?
Statement is dripping with irony.
Can the gods you have made
with your own hands
really save you?
It's easy for us
to dismiss these kinds
of idolatry
as something of the past,
as superstitions of people,
of gullible people
in the ancient world.
And idolatry
have not diminished
over the years.
We may not worship
sticks and stones,
but we too worship
the work of our own hands.
And instead of
worshiping the God
who created us,
we may not worship
the work of our own hands.
Hopefully that's better.
Let's not let ourselves
off the hook
as we look at the idolatry
of these Israelites
because he's saying
that as much as they
have worshipped
the works of their own hands,
we too worship
the work of our own hands
because instead of
worshipping the God
who created us
in his image,
we often worship
a God whom we have
fashioned in our own image.
We reduce God
to amulets,
pendants,
and talismans
as if we can put God
in our pockets
and carry him around
with us
and use him
when we want.
We reduce God
to rituals,
formulas,
and legal requirements
as if we can
manipulate God
by performing
the right rituals,
saying the right things,
pressing the right buttons.
Instead of doing
the things
that God
purposed
and God
prioritizes,
we ask
God
to align himself
to our purposes
and priorities.
Instead of letting
God's word
challenge us
and change
our perspectives,
we do elaborate
interpretive acrobatics
and water down
God's word
to avoid
the clear teaching
of scripture
and make it
suit our whims
and wishes.
We pay lip service
to God
but give our hearts
to the idols
of this world
to fame
and acclaim
to beauty
to wealth
to comfort
to power.
God
It's no different
from worshiping
sticks and stones.
It's no wonder
that such
a domesticated
God
can't do us
any good.
And after we do this,
we are surprised
that our spiritual
lives lack
vitality.
And after living
as we have
no need
for God,
when crises come,
we turn to God
for help
and God asks
us,
where are your
gods?
that you
have made
for yourself.
Let them arise
if they can save you.
And then
in verses
29 to 37,
God continues
his charge
and expresses
his grievance
comparing Israel
to a bride
that forgets
the attire
that marks her
as a bride,
someone who is
betrothed to someone.
Israel likewise
has been unfaithful
and Israel has become
an expert in wickedness
that they are now
even teaching
prostitutes.
So that's how
Israel has turned
away.
It sounds pretty bad.
I'm sorry it's so heavy
for the first part
of the sermon.
But there's hope
because God calls
us to return.
And that's the second
part of the sermon.
Chapter 3,
verses 1,
and all the way
to chapter 4,
verse 4,
it tells us how
Israel should return
to the Lord.
And King Josiah
did begin
a nationwide
reformation
during his reign
and that's a time
when Jeremiah
is ministering.
But much of Israel's
repentance,
it turns out,
was short-lived
and it wasn't
really genuine.
And so God
addresses that situation
here in verses 1-5
of chapter 3.
Follow along with me.
If a man divorces
his wife
and she goes
from him
and becomes
another man's wife,
will he return
to her?
Would not that land
be greatly polluted?
You have played
the whore
with many lovers
and would you
return to me?
Declares the Lord.
Lift up your eyes
to the bare heights
and see.
Where have you
not been ravished?
By the wayside
you have sat
awaiting lovers
like an Arab
in the wilderness.
You have polluted
the land
with your vile whoredom.
Therefore,
the showers
have been withheld
and the spring rain
has not come.
Yet you have
the forehead
of a whore.
You refuse
to be ashamed.
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?
Behold,
you have spoken
but you have done
all the evil
that you could.
Chapter 3,
verse 1
is referring to
Deuteronomy 24,
1-4
which forbids
a man
who divorced
his wife
from remarrying her
if she had
in the intervening period
been married
and divorced
or widowed
from a second husband.
If the woman
had not remarried
in the intervening period
it would be
a happy reconciliation
for her to return
to her husband.
But because
the woman
had remarried
and then subsequently
been divorced
or widowed
for her to get back
with her husband
was tantamount
to adultery.
And so that command
in Deuteronomy 24
outlawed
basically prevented
serial divorce
and remarriage
that could be used
as a form
of legal adultery.
right?
Well I've divorced
and you can take
back your own wife
you can pass
along wives
among yourselves
among immoral men
and so that's
what the law
prevented
and so if
that's the case
even with this
human marriage
God asks Israel
you who have
whored with many
idols
can you just
return to me
in this glib
casual way?
This is a serious
matter that requires
true repentance
and transformation.
Israel has been
like an Arab
in the wilderness
so this is
a proverbial
expression from
this time
an Arab waits
in the wilderness
a marauder
waits for the
caravans to come
to raid them
in the same way
Israel has waited
for lovers to come
by to pounce
on them
and yet
will they return
this casually
to the Lord?
Then in verse 4
Jeremiah shifts
metaphors
and compares
Israel's relationship
to God
with the relationship
between a son
and a father
after being afflicted
with droughts
and recognizing
that their devotion
to Baal
the so-called
God of rain
has been futile
Israel says to God
glibly
my father
you are the friend
of my youth
will he be angry
forever?
Will he be indignant
to the end?
But God knows
that Israel's insincere
because what they have said
and what they are doing
does not line up
so he says
behold you have spoken
but you have done
all the evil
that you could
and their evil deeds
have belied
the smooth words
that they speak
and not only Israel
Judah has fallen
into the same trap
and Israel
at least
you know
didn't have anyone
to go before them
to show them
that this will be
the consequence
of their evil doing
but Judah had Israel
going before them
they should have known better
yet Judah has
one-upped really Israel
in their wickedness
and they have not
returned to God
but they have instead
returned to him
as it says in verses
8 to 10
in pretense
they have not returned
with their whole heart
and so God says
in verses 12 to 14
return
faithless Israel
declares the Lord
I will not look on you
in anger
for I am merciful
declares the Lord
I will not be angry forever
only acknowledge
your guilt
that you rebelled
against the Lord
your God
and scattered
your favors
among foreigners
under every green tree
and that you have not
obeyed my voice
declares the Lord
return
oh faithless children
declares the Lord
for I am your master
I will take you
one from a city
and two from a family
and I will bring you
to Zion
notwithstanding
the earlier teaching
that a man
may not
remarry
his ex-wife
who was
remarried
in the intervening period
Jeremiah declares
that God
is still
willing to take
Israel back
as his spiritual bride
and this passage
really beautifully
captures God's mercy
and grace
towards sinners
because God says
over and over again
return
he used the language
return
oh faithless Israel
return
oh faithless children
for I am your master
the word master
is Baal
in Hebrew
he's saying no
I am your true master
not Baal
and so God is
and he exhorts them
to return repeatedly
in chapter 322
he says it again
return
oh faithless sons
I will heal
your faithlessness
and then again
in chapter 4
verse 1
if you return
oh Israel
declares the Lord
to me
you should
return
the words
return
and faithless
actually come from
the same
Hebrew root word
so the two words
form a poetic wordplay
that reveals
God's gracious
character
it's as if
he's saying
to us
saying to Israel
come back
to me
backsliders
return
to me
you who have
turned away
from me
God gives us
a second chance
God calls us
to himself
not when we are
faithful to him
but when we are
still unfaithful
while we're in
the middle
of our adultery
he calls us
to himself
not when we are
remorseful
repenting
of our sins
but while we are
still rebellious
he calls out
to us
when we are
still in our
sins
and backsliding
headlong
away from
God
he calls
to us
come back
to me
return
to me
and not only
does it reveal
God's heart
for us
that word
return
which is used
16 times
just in chapter
3 alone
perfectly captures
what our response
to God
should be
in order
to return
to God
we must
trace
our path
and renounce
all of our
sinful ways
we can't
simply continue
in sin
and say
to God
God
I return
to you
I'm here
because every
sin is a step
away from God
you can't take
a step forward
and backwards
at the same time
but when it comes
to sin
and repentance
going backward
is sometimes
the best way
forward
C.S. Lewis
illustrates this
in his book
Mere Christianity
he says
we all want
progress
but progress
means getting
nearer to the
place where you
want to be
and if you have
taken a wrong
turning
then to go
forward
does not
get you
any nearer
if you're
on the wrong
road
progress
means doing
an about
turn
and walking
back
to the right
road
and in that
case
the man
who turns
back
soonest
is the
most progressive
man
there's nothing
progressive
about being
pigheaded
and refusing
to admit
a mistake
and I think
if you look
at the present
state of the
world
it's pretty
plain
that humanity
has been
making some
big mistake
we're on
the wrong
road
and if that
is so
we must
go
back
going back
is the
quickest
way
on
that's
what it
means
to repent
of our sins
and to believe
in Jesus
Christ
you turn
from
your sins
away
from your
sins
and you
turn
toward
God
in faith
and you
cling
to him
and for
those of
you who
are not
yet a
follower
of Jesus
this is
how you
become
a follower
of Jesus
Christ
how you
become
a Christian
you might
be an
honest
person
that's
trying
to live
a good
life
but that's
not
good
enough
you might
be
imagine
this
think about
this
imagine
a very
dutiful
wife
right
she
fulfills
all
the
things
that
society
might
expect
her
to do
as a
good
wife
she
raises
her
children
well
she's
an
amazing
chef
who
prepares
a meal
for all
her
household
so that
they are
well
fed
and
in the
midst
of all
of that
she
still
has
time
to
get
some
extra
income
to
help
supplement
the
income
that her
husband
brings
in
she
does
everything
well
except
she
doesn't
love
her
husband
in fact
she
doesn't
even
acknowledge
him
if you
were to
observe
her life
you would
not even
know
that her
husband
exists
when you
ask her
why she
does all
of these
things
she
simply
says
it's
just
the
right
thing
to do
she
is
not
doing
any
of
this
for
her
husband
she
is
doing
it
for
herself
she
is
doing
it
for
her
children
she
is
doing
it
for
others
do you
think
she
is
a
good
wife
absolutely
not
she
is
derelict
in her
primary
duty
to
love
and
to
belong
to
and
to
support
her
husband
god
created
us
his
people
are
supposed
to
be
a
bride
for
him
he
created
us
to
have
a
relationship
with
him
and
that's
our
ultimate
eternal
divinely
ordained
purpose
he
designed
us
to
know
him
and
to
trust
him
and
to
love
him
and
he
pledged
his
people
as
a
bride
for
himself
yet
we
have
refused
to
acknowledge
him
in
our
ways
and
we
have
lived
not
for
him
but
for
ourselves
and
in
doing
so
we
have
effectively
turned
to
other
lovers
have
committed
adultery
against
God
that
prideful
unbelief
that
refusal
to
acknowledge
God
is at
the
root
of
all
sin
and
that's
why
every
sin
is a
personal
affront
to
God
and
if
you
are
not
yet
a
follower
of
Christ
that
describes
you
now
and
you
must
repent
of
your
sins
and
believe
in
Jesus
for
salvation
and
that
means
a
fresh
start
a
new
beginning
look
at
chapter
4
verses
3
to
4
with
me
God
says
break
up
your
fallow
ground
and
sow
not
among
thorns
circumcise
yourselves
to the
Lord
remove
the
foreskin
of
your
hearts
O
men
of
Judah
and
inhabitants
of
Jerusalem
lest
my
wrath
go
forth
like
fire
and
burn
with
none
to
quench
it
because
of
your
evil
deeds
a
fallow
ground
soil
a
ground
that
has
never
been
tilled
before
and
a
land
that
is
tilled
of
course
is
easier
to
farm
but
a
land
that
is
tilled
also
more
readily
grows
thorns
and
thistles
and
so
often
Israelite
farmers
were
sowing
on
thorns
and
so
here
by
saying
break
up
your
fallow
ground
and
sow
not
among
thorns
he's
saying
the
same
thing
he's
saying
you
can't
just
change
what
you
have
you
need
a
complete
new
start
it
means
if
we
want
to
turn
to
the
Lord
it's
not
enough
to
get
a
little
modification
here
and
there
in
our
lives
a
little
alteration
here
and
there
we
need
not
a
mere
reformation
of
some
aspects
of
our
life
we
need
a
complete
transformation
God
says
circumcise
yourselves
to
the
Lord
but
lest
you
think
that
he's
merely
referring
to
the
physical
circumcision
that
marked
the
Jewish
people
as
God's
own
he
adds
remove
the
foreskin
of
your
hearts
external
conformity
to
God
is
not
enough
going
to
church
is
not
enough
doing
good
deeds
is
not
enough
you
need
to
become
a
new
person
in
order
to
be
saved
you
need
a
changed
heart
and
that's
why
it's
impossible
for us
to
return
to
God
on
our
own
that's
not
something
that
we
can
do
in
our
own
strength
despite
God's
offer
of
forgiveness
and
his
restoration
Israel
and
Judah
never
fully
return
to
God
they
become
repeat
offenders
over
and over
again
committing
this
adultery
and we
likewise
are
incapable
of being
faithful
to
God
because
of our
hearts
which
are
fickle
and
incorrigible
so
then
how
can
we
be
saved
Paul
picks up
this
idea
of the
circumcision
of the
heart
in
Romans
chapter
2
29
and
he
says
but a
Jew
is one
inwardly
and
circumcision
is a
matter
of the
heart
by the
spirit
not
by the
ladder
and
later
in
chapter
3
of
Romans
he
says
that
there
is
no
distinction
between
the
circumcised
Jew
and the
uncircumcised
Gentile
because
circumcision
is a
matter
of the
heart
and
then
he
says
this
all
have
sinned
and fall
short
of the
glory
of God
and are
justified
by his
grace
as a
gift
through
the
redemption
that is
in
Christ
Jesus
whom
God
put
forward
as a
propitiation
by his
blood
to be
received
by
faith
Jesus
is the
one
who
can
circumcise
your
heart
Jesus
is the
one
who
can
redeem
us
from
slavery
Jesus
is the
one
who
can
atorn
for
our
sins
and
Jesus
accomplished
this
because
he
became
the
good
shepherd
that
lays
down
his
life
for
his
sheep
as he
said
in
John
he
was the
shepherd
after God's
own
heart
that
God
promised
he
will
return
to
that
final
promise
in
chapter
3
verses
15
to
18
go
back
with
me
to
chapter
3
verses
15
to
18
this
is
how
we
know
how
God
saves
how
God
intends
to
save
us
through
Jesus
he
says
and
I
will
give
you
shepherds
after
my
own
heart
who
will
feed
you
with
knowledge
and
understanding
and
when
you
have
multiplied
and
been
fruitful
in
the
land
in
not
be
made
again
at
that
time
Jerusalem
shall
be
called
the
throne
of
the
Lord
and
all
nations
shall
gather
to
it
to
the
presence
of
the
Lord
in
Jerusalem
and
they
shall
no
more
stubbornly
follow
their
own
evil
heart
in
those
days
the
house
of
Judah
shall
join
the
house
of
Israel
and
together
they
shall
come
from
the
land
of
the
north
to
the
land
that
I
gave
your
fathers
for
a
heritage
these
shepherds
that
God
promised
these
rulers
after
God's
own
heart
that's
a
phrase
that's
derived
from
how
God
described
David
as
a
man
after
his
own
heart
this
is
a
prophecy
of
a
true
king
in
the
line
of
David
that
will
come
and
that
was
Jesus
who
was
the
new
David
the
ultimate
Davidic
king
he
was
the
one
who
was
fully
after
God's
own
heart
and
he
came
as
a
shepherd
he
said
he
is
the
good
shepherd
that
lays
down
his
life
for
sheep
in
John
10
and
he
died
on
the
cross
for
our
sins
because
he
knew
that
we
could
not
earn
and
attain
this
righteousness
that
we
need
on
our
own
Jesus
died
for
our
sins
and
gave
his
perfect
righteousness
to
us
on
the
cross
and
he
rose
again
and
sent
his
Holy
the
covenant
of
the
Lord
will
be
no
more
at
that
time
Jerusalem
shall
be
called
the
throne
of
the
Lord
the
ark
which
represented
the
presence
of
God
Israelites
envisioned
the
ark
as
the
footstool
of
God
they
believed
that
the
throne
of
God
was
in
heaven
and
the
footstool
of
God
was
on
earth
and
by
God's
what
is
God
saying
now
he
is
saying
the
footstool
will
be
no
more
because
the
very
throne
of
God
will
be
in
our
midst
that's
in
Jesus
Christ
and
he
reigns
from
the
cross
he
ascends
his throne
on the
cross
dies
for
our
sins
and
he
rises
victoriously
now
he's
seated
at
the
father's
right
hand
in
heaven
and
he
is
beckoning
us
to
come
if
you
are
not
yet
a
follower
of
Christ
I want
to
invite
you
to
this
remind
you
again
that
he's
the
fountain
of
living
waters
that
rather
than
hewing
out
broken
cisterns
that
can
hold
no
water
that
you
should
come
to
him
in
John
4
14
Jesus
says
this
to
Samaritan
woman
whoever
drinks
of
the
water
that
I
will
give
him
will
never
be
thirsty
again
the
water
that
I
will
give
him
will
become
in
him
a
spring
of
water
welling
up
to
eternal
life
I
don't
know what
you're
turning
to
if you're
not a
follower
of Christ
what
broken
cisterns
that
you
have
in
your
life
but
you
must
come
to
Christ
he's
the
only
one
that
can
give
you
this
wellspring
that's
eternal
it
doesn't
matter
how
much
you
have
sinned
it
doesn't
matter
how
much
you
have
fallen
back
and
turned
away
from
him
and
this
passage
teaches
it
clearly
that
God's
not
asking
you
to
come
halfway
and
meet
him
if
you're
an
unbeliever
God's
not
asking
you
to
come
halfway
and
meet
him
he's
come
all
the
way
every
gift
in
your
life
everything
that
is
beautiful
and
good
and
glorious
in
your
life
is
a
gift
from
God
that's
intended
to
point
you
to
the
Lord
and
every
sin
that
you
have
committed
against
him
God
has
offered
forgiveness
and
paved
the way
for
you
to
come
to
him
through
Jesus
Christ
he's
come
all
the
way
for
you
and
you
are
still
turning
your
back
to
him
and
not
your
face
turn
return
to
him
and
drink
deeply
from
the
living
water
and
for
brothers
and
sisters
in
Christ
I
urge
you
also
to
come
to
the
waters
stop
seeking
to
save
yourselves
with
your
own
good
works
come
to
Jesus
for
strength
and
stop
trying
to
serve
and
live
and
obey
in
your
own
strength
return
again
and
again
to
this
fountain
of
living
water
when
you
feel
discouraged
when
you
feel
that
you
failed
God
again
when
you
feel
like
you
disappointed
him
when
you
feel
like
giving
up
return
again
and
again
to
this
fountain
because
there
is
grace
enough
for
you
there
is
mercy
enough
for
you
and
only
by
drinking
deeply
of
this
living
water
can
we
have
the
spiritual
life
the
vigor
and
vitality
to
love
and
obey
him
in
this
life
please
close
your eyes
with
me
and
reflect
for a
try to
picture
God
beckoning
you
to
come
and
try to
reflect
on what
it is
that is
holding
you
back
the
broken
systems
that
you
keep
returning
to
and
after
you
have
reflected
for some
moment
we'll
pray
spend
our
time
praying
together
as
the
body
of
Christ