Scripture: Jeremiah
8:5
Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by
a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return.”
Insights:
The ninth evidence of a backslidden heart is you have a propagating
heart. Jeremiah states in verses
thirty-three and thirty-four, “"How well you prepare your way To seek
love! Therefore even the wicked women You have taught your ways. "Also
on your skirts is found The lifeblood of the innocent poor; You did not find
them breaking in.” What happens to this backslidden individual is that they are
not satisfied to dwell and waller in their sin by themselves. What these people of Judah are doing is going
out and spreading their deceitful lies of sin.
In the process, they are corrupting those around them to also forsake the
Lord God. The final evidence is you have
a comparative heart. Jeremiah states in verses
ten and eleven of the third chapter, “"Yet in spite of all this her
treacherous sister Judah did not return to Me with all her heart, but rather in
deception," declares the LORD. And the LORD said to me,
"Faithless Israel has proved herself more righteous than treacherous
Judah.” God is the one here speaking for
Judah and what you find them doing is playing the comparative game with their
faithless sister Israel. They had
attempted to lie to God and had successfully deceived themselves into believing
they were the faithful child of God and that Israel was the faithless one. God is declaring in these two verses that at
this point Judah’s sin had become so grievous that Israel looked more faithful
than treacherous Judah. Backslidden
believers play this same game. We act as
if our sins are not as bad as so and suches sin. How pathetic!
Because at the end of the day, the one individual that we ought to
compare our lives against is Jesus and He is the only One that can bring us to
a correct state of righteousness before God.
In spite of their backsliding, listen to God’s words to them if they
would repent of their sinful ways, “'Return, faithless Israel,' declares the
LORD; 'I will not look upon you in anger. For I am gracious,' declares the
LORD; 'I will not be angry forever. 'Only acknowledge your iniquity,
That you have transgressed against the LORD your God And have scattered your
favors to the strangers under every green tree, And you have not obeyed My
voice,' declares the LORD. 'Return, O faithless sons (3:12-14).'”
Questions:
- Are you in the habit of getting people to join you in
your backslidden condition in order to make your sin feel better?
- Do you compare your life against other people and say, “I am not as bad as _________”?
Prayer: Father, there
is only one person with whom I ought to compare my life and that is Your Son,
Jesus. If He is my standard, then I will
not drag others into my sin. Amen.
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