Never Forget

“Hear ye the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel: Thus saith the LORD, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain?” (Jeremiah 2:4–5, KJV)

Memory loss is a serious issue, but it seems to happen. I have learned a lot of things in my lifetime. I was educated as a mechanical engineer and had to take two courses in Calculus as part of my education. I excelled in both courses. However, a short time ago I looked at a problem of which I thought applied calculus would give a solution. The problem was that it had ben so long since I used calculus that I could not remember some of the most basic calculations.

The same thing happened in foreign languages. I took four years of French while I was in high school. We watched a television show in French with English subtitles. I tried hard to listen to the French dialogue. However, I had forgotten so much that could make out very little. The problem is that we often forget things.

The Israelites suffered from memory loss. However, their memory loss was inexcusable. We rarely forget the great things that we have experienced in life. I can remember epic events in my past, things that I have seen that are indelibly etched in my mind. Yet Israel had forgotten the awesome things God had done.

The context of the word of the Lord presented to the Israelites seen in verses 4 and 5, revealed that they had forgotten the works that the Lord had done for them. There was a time in generations past when Israel was devoted to the Lord. In verses 1-3 we read this.

“. . . Thus says the Lord, “I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you followed me in the wilderness, in a land not sown. Israel was holy to the Lord, the firstfruits of his harvest. All who ate of it incurred guilt; disaster came upon them, declares the Lord.”” (Jeremiah 2:1–3, ESV)

Though formerly there was a wonderful and close relationship between Israel and the Lord, something changed. Thus, the Lord declared,

“What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain?”

After this declaration, in verses 6-8, the Lord presented the case, the supporting evidence that testified against the nation. The Lord led them into and gave them a land flowing with milk and honey. However, in time they did not honor Him in the land. They turned their back on the Lord and divorced Him, going for false gods, worshipping idols. They failed to seek after the Lord with the devotion they had at first. They turned their back on His blessings and pursued their own earthly devices.

We might say that this does not happen today. Yet we would be wrong. Today we see churches turning away from the authority of the Scriptures. Many are disregarding the infallibility, inerrancy, and full authority of the words given to us in all 66 books of the Bible. Many churches are taking a cut and paste approach to the Scriptures, cutting out what they like and pasting it into a new theology. These churches have lost their first love and turned to the wisdom of this world, devoid of truth. Along with this, individuals who have made a verbal profession of faith often turn to these churches that tickle the itching ear and compromise the truth.

Yet there is another problem. I have seen some who once had tremendous enthusiasm for the Lord, who had demonstrated vibrant faith, suddenly disappear. They have not left one church to join another. They have just walked away from the Lord altogether. These have gone the way of the world, pursuing things that are contrary to the principles of the heavenly kingdom. Their fleshly appetites have become their god and they pursue things that can never truly satisfy the longing of the soul. This is a puzzle to me, one that I cannot explain. My hope is that they will return to the joy of their salvation.

The good new is this. It is the same message that the Lord God was giving to Judah. The Lord is always gracious and compassionate. He offers an open invitation to all to come to Him by faith. This turning back to Him is an act of repentance.

Let us guard ourselves from the lure of this evil age. Moreover, let us pray for those who have wandered from the path of righteousness that they may once again experience the joy of the Lord in their lives.