“But from our youth the shameful thing has devoured all for which our fathers labored, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. Let us lie down in our shame, and let our dishonor cover us. For we have sinned against the Lord our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even to this day, and we have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God.”
(Jeremiah 3:24–25, ESV)
How many times have we seen people hit rock bottom due to sin and only then wise up. Many years ago, a prominent Chrisian evangelist was caught in sexual sin. I remember seeing him on the television with tears streaming down his face in public confession. The sin began long before this time. It was not until he was caught in the sin that he came to that place of public confession. It is a sad reality that so many must hit rock bottom before confession and repentance.
The question with this has always been, “Was their remorse godly sorrow over their sin or merely a worldly sorrow over getting caught?” I believe that only God can make that determination. Yet it poses a serious thought, “Is hitting the bottom an integral part of getting people to wake up?” I feel the answer is yes, though the motive behand the fallen one’s sorrow is a matter of the heart.
The Lord had spoken to the nation regarding their faithlessness. He continuously called them to repentance. Here, Jeremiah presented these thoughts in verses 24 and 25 that give us a picture of those who find themselves at rock-bottom and take a somber view of their life of folly. Israel had moved from blessing to disaster due to their gross apostasy and idolatry. The result was that they realized the blessings which the nation enjoyed at first were lost due to their own actions. They had missed the mark.
Many of us as believers had to hit rock-bottom before we were aroused from our unsaved condition. It was when we hit bottom that we turned to the Lord.
Yet there are many believers who after coming to faith fall to temptation. My question is this, “Should not these professing believers who fall in such a way come quickly to conviction, confession, and repentance?” Why would a Christian remain in sin until caught? This does not make sense to me. So, I leave the determination of whether the sorrow was godly or worldly to the Lord.
For us who believe, let us remember that the Lord is gracious and merciful. He like the father of the prodigal loves us and is eager to receive us when we fall. He just calls us to confess and repent.
Renewing the Heart 