Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by
a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return.”
Insights:
In Jeremiah 8:5 the Lord says of Israel, “Why then is this people
of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit,
they refuse to return.” The New American
Standard Bible uses the word apostasy to describe this backsliding condition of
Israel. If we go back to chapters two
and three we will find ten evidences of the backslidden heart of Israel. Each day this week we will look at two of
those evidences and give a brief explanation.
The first nine evidences are all found in chapter two. Then tenth evidence is found in chapter
three. Evidence one is you have a vain
heart. Jeremiah wrote in verse five, “Thus
says the LORD, "What injustice did your fathers find in Me, That they went
far from Me And walked after emptiness and became empty?” The King James Version of the Bible renders
the word emptiness and empty as vanity and vain. In other words, these people forgot about the
Lord and thought only of themselves and their desires. They had foolishly come to believe that they
had picked themselves up by the bootstraps and made their lives something to
behold. As a result their lives had no
real substance, but were rather filled with empty or vain self-promotion. Evidence two is you have a thankless
heart. Jeremiah wrote in verses six and
seven, “"They did not say, 'Where is the LORD Who brought us up out of the
land of Egypt, Who led us through the wilderness, Through a land of deserts and
of pits, Through a land of drought and of deep darkness, Through a land that no
one crossed And where no man dwelt?' "I brought you into the fruitful
land To eat its fruit and its good things. But you came and defiled My land,
And My inheritance you made an abomination.”
The people had forgotten what the Lord had done for them in the past and
as a result they no longer had a thankful heart or a heart of gratitude. This second evidence flows right out of the
first. If you had believed you were the
one that accomplished all of your greatness, then why would you show gratitude
and thankfulness to God or anyone else for that matter? If these are true of you, you need to repent.
Questions:
- Do you have a self-serving and self-seeking heart that
promotes your vanity and false greatness?
- Do you have a thankless heart that believes you have accomplished all the great things in your life?
Prayer: Father, as we
look at these ten evidences of a backslidden heart I pray You convict my heart
when they are true of me. That You stir
me to biblical repentance and give me the courage to walk resolutely with You
and give You the praise, honor and glory You rightfully deserve. Amen.
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