Jeremiah Three

The Book of the Prophet
Jeremiah
Chapter 3
See what God does with a nation
that rejects His words!

Verse 1 They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man's, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD.
There is that phrase that a pastor hears all too often, "They say..." Who is "they"? In this case, God is extremely displeased with his people for they have been 'messing around'. So, God divorces them! This would be a great time to show the problems God has with divorce, except Paul's Book of Romans wasn't written at this time. God's grace today deals with adultery, divorce, remarriage, etc. It is a totally different issue to be saved by Jesus Christ and to have received that spiritual operation, etc. etc. etc. The TIONS are a marvelous thing to get 'settled' in your life! Absolutely Marvelous!

Verse 2 Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness.
But I must say, Jeremiah sure knew how to preach about adultery, fornication all otherwise known as whoredom, amen! No place better to read exactly what God thinks about it as in the King James Bible!

Verse 3 Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; and thou hadst a whore's forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed.
Jeremiah 6:15 - Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the LORD.

Verses 4-9 Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My father, thou art the guide of my youth? Will he reserve his anger for ever? will he keep it to the end? Behold, thou hast spoken and done evil things as thou couldest. The LORD said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot. And I said after she had done all these things, Turn thou unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it. And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also. And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks.

Verses 10,11 And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD. And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah.
Here ya go - more example of people justifying their sin. We have those in the Christian family who say they are walking clean and on the outside, they give the same appearance, but God knows:

Do a word study on 'lips'. This is just a sampling.
Psalm 12:2: They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak.
Psalm 12:3: The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things:
Psalm 59:12: For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips let them even be taken in their pride: and for cursing and lying which they speak.
Proverbs 12:22: Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight.
Proverbs 17:4: A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips; and a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue.
Proverbs 18:6: A fool's lips enter into contention, and his mouth calleth for strokes.
Matthew 15:8: This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

Verse 12 Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever.
Boy, that is an amen! Longsuffering He calls it! Again, proof that after the Tribulation, God will take His people back! God is NOT through with the Jews, as so many believe (and wish!).

13: Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD.
Now, here is a sneak preview towards a NT salvation. Acknowledge thine iniquity - know that your sins were against God! Psalm 51:1-4+ says it well: Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

Verse 14 Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:
So, according to verse 13, we acknowledge our sin, and then in verse 14, we TURN! Seems like the right thing to do, amen? amen!

Verse 15 And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.
There is the kind of pastor you want to pray for! A pastor that knows and READS God's heart - and one that FEEDS the sheep the right food - the King James Bible!

The more I view the internet pastors out there and all their 'answers' to questions about bible versions, I just can not get over what "DAMNAGING" Bible college education has done to the pastors of America. I have never seen such wishy washy round about yet outward lies about the words of God - and the people out there who are so brainless and gullible to not see that those answers SAY NOTHING! THEY SAY NOTHING!

We see throughout Jeremiah what God has to say
about these 'pastors' who teach lies and confusion to their people
instead of knowledge and understanding!

Jeremiah 10:21: For the pastors are become brutish, and have not sought the LORD: therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered.

12:10: Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness.

22:22: The wind shall eat up all thy pastors, and thy lovers shall go into captivity: surely then shalt thou be ashamed and confounded for all thy wickedness.

23:1,2: Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD. Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD.

23:13: And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied in Baal, and caused my people Israel to err.

23:16-18: Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD. They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you. For who hath stood in the counsel of the LORD, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it?

23:21,22: I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.

23:25,26: I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed. How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart;

23:29-32: Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour. Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith. Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD.

Verse 16 And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the LORD, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the LORD: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more.
In other words, when God blesses folks, they still seem to turn on him. Naturally, in the OT, what was obviously something of God, the ark - now today, we have the Book. How many get caught up in their riches and cares of this life - a life that God blessed America with in so many ways - now look at us! America has turned it's back on its creator. But that is to be expected - the Scriptures tell us all about it in Jeremiah (there is more coming) and in Romans 1:25 and Psalms 106:13, Luke 8:14. Ezekiel has plenty to say about God's own folks turning their back on His blessings!

Verse 17 At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart.
Yes, some day the Lord will be reigning on this earth!

Verses 18-20 In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers. But I said, How shall I put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations? and I said, Thou shalt call me, My father; and shalt not turn away from me. Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the LORD.
Oh, oh - there is that comparison again! Such a thing, eh!

Verse 21 A voice was heard upon the high places, weeping and supplications of the children of Israel: for they have perverted their way, and they have forgotten the LORD their God.
You will see this theme constantly throughout Jeremiah. America follows a perverted way because it has forgotten that God was their God at one time - at least America use to have ONE Book, anyway.

Verse 22 Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the LORD our God.
Again, God mentions backsliding with a heavy emphasis on how much He doesn't like it!
Jeremiah 2:19: Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.
Jeremiah 3:6,8,11,12,14,22: The LORD said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot. And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also. And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah. Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever. Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion: Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the LORD our God.
Jeremiah 5:6: Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, and a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them, a leopard shall watch over their cities: every one that goeth out thence shall be torn in pieces: because their transgressions are many, and their backslidings are increased.
Jeremiah 8:5: Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return.
Jeremiah 14:7: O LORD, though our iniquities testify against us, do thou it for thy name's sake: for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against thee.
Jeremiah 31:22: How long wilt thou go about, O thou backsliding daughter? for the LORD hath created a new thing in the earth, A woman shall compass a man.
Jeremiah 49:4: Wherefore gloriest thou in the valleys, thy flowing valley, O backsliding daughter? that trusted in her treasures, saying, Who shall come unto me?
Hosea 4:16: For Israel slideth back as a backsliding heifer: now the LORD will feed them as a lamb in a large place.
Hosea 11:7: And my people are bent to backsliding from me: though they called them to the most High, none at all would exalt him.
Hosea 14:4: I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him. Now, there is a good promise. Sooooo, God is NOT through with them, eh, even in spite of their perpetual backsliding!

Verse 23 Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel.
No salvation from sea to shining sea - Ye ole King James Bible is getting closer and closer to the prophetic famine stage of Amos 8:11-13 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it. In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst.
And it is the children of today that are the young adults of tomorrow that will faint for thirst when they 'realize' that they truly need God and His words!

Verses 24-25 For shame hath devoured the labour of our fathers from our youth; their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us: for we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.
Shame and Confusion - the New America. Just keep watching the news and see all the confusion that the government is wreaking upon America from security, environmental issues, minority and immigrant decisions, new laws against the freedoms that America once had - all to worship the new ecumenical god of America the voice of the Stranger - the voice of the Devil!

GOD WILL SHAME & CONFUSE AMERICA!

For us King James Bible Believers, we must upgrade our aim and Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. Colossians 3:2,3

We MUST be comforted with the words of I Thessalonians 4:16-18 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.