Jeremiah (1-31) 5:7 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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Jeremiah (1-31) 5:7

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‘How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery,’ – that is, they went over to false gods – ‘and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses’, which signifies that this was a massively popular thing to do: idol worship. It wasn't practised by just a few, yet they could not charge God with any fault. Not one of his promises towards them had failed. They went out in crowds from Jerusalem. They went up to the hilltop Canaanite shrines that they had made, and they worshipped other gods. That fervour for their false gods added to their guilt. ‘They were as fed horses in the morning:’, pampered horses, which are full of lust – ‘every one neighed after his neighbour's wife.’ They were so keen on their idols. This could also refer to literal adultery. They had no sense of boundaries set by God. Their lusts guided their every decision. They never said to themselves: that is forbidden by God, and for good reason. If I go that way it will lead to death, for the wages of sin is death.‘Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?’ God, speaking through Jeremiah, puts the question to the people for them to decide. Shouldn’t’ they be punished for behaving in this way? Isn’t it entirely reasonable that God should avenge himself on a people that has so disobeyed him? We might use this approach with a rebellious child, and ask them how they should be treated, in order to imprint on their minds the justice of their punishment, and get them to look at their conduct in a new way.

Application

Today’s society is the same. There is no gratitude to God. The only gods so many people want are the gods of materialism: possessions, earthly security, expensive holidays, eating out at the most upmarket restaurants we can afford. We want the gods of acclaim and fame, and experiences that are sensational in different ways. These are the things that we want; these are the things we trust in.

And in the churches, there is far more enthusiasm for contemporary Christian worship, than there is for the worship of God. That is what draws them. That is where the excitement is. That is where all the applause goes. That is what the people look forward to. That is what they want. It is exactly what is said here of the people of Jerusalem and Judah regarding their idols. Their enthusiasm is so great. Those who have fed on a diet of this sort for a while, find the reverent worship of God something onerous to them. Their tastes have been spoiled, and they urgently need to pray for God to change them in a profound way. If there is any real love for God in them, they need to revive what remains. The slide and the diminution of the churches is going to go faster. It is going to get worse. Because it's not just a matter of God's blessing being withdrawn. He is moving to judgment in some shape or form.

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Jeremiah (1-31) 5:7 Commentary and Bible Study