“O Israel,” says the LORD, “if you wanted to return to me, you could…throw away your detestable idols and stray away no more.” – Jeremiah 4:1 (NLT)
The book of Jeremiah paints a picture of the people of Israel that were, in those days, far removed from God. Their sins, especially their idolatry, had made them unsavoury in God’s sight. God, in His mercy and grace, however, sent His prophet Jeremiah to take His Word to them. He told Jeremiah to tell His people that He wanted them back. He said, “My wayward children… come back to me, and I will heal your wayward hearts…” (Jeremiah 3:22).
In the verses following God’s call for Israel’s repentance (Jeremiah 3:22-25), we see the people responding to God with much eagerness in their words, confessing their sins and aiming for repentance. In Chapter 4:1, however, God responded to their proclamation by admonishing them, saying that if they were indeed sure about their desire to repent and turn back to Him, they could start by throwing away their idols. Inferring that just saying they repent or acknowledged their wrongdoing was not enough.
True repentance is portrayed not only by acknowledgement and confession of sin but, most importantly, by the act of turning away from sinful behaviours!
In our walk with God, it is inevitable that we will sin (Romans 3:23). We may even fall into bondage to a particular sin like the people of Israel. However, God’s character never changes. He is saying to us today, just as He told the people of Israel, ‘If you want to return to me, you could. You could throw away your detestable idols and stray away no more.’ I urge you to take advantage of His grace and mercy and turn away from that sin with your words and actions. That may be a hard task for many of us to carry out on our own, but all it takes is the desire and a prayer to God for His help, He will never deny you. After all, He does want you back!
Prayer
Father, we come to You today, thanking You for Your grace and mercy. We ask forgiveness for every sin that we have committed against You. It is our earnest desire today to repent of every sin, especially those that have bound us, so we are asking You, Lord, for Your help because we know we cannot do it on our own. Help us, Lord, in Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Read: Psalm 37:4; Luke 15:20
Bible Reading Guide: Proverbs 15:11-20; Acts 14:8-28; I Kings 8:22-66; I Kings 9:1-9
