Jeremiah 2, 3 and 4 give a beautiful unfolding of the deep distress that it is to the Lord if His people are not near Him. Ah, beloved, nothing can satisfy the heart of the Lord Jesus but having you and me near Him. And nothing can satisfy our hearts but being near Him, for “the backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways” (Prov. 14:1414The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself. (Proverbs 14:14)). It does not say the backslider outwardly, but the backslider in heart.
How wise is God to say, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” (Prov. 4:2323Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. (Proverbs 4:23)). Again, as a man “thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Prov. 23:77For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee. (Proverbs 23:7)). It is not what I do or say, but what my heart is — what the affections are occupied with. In spiritual things, intelligence often goes ahead of the heart, and the main reason for a lack of spiritual power is pride of heart. Let us beware of backsliding in heart; God must have reality.
Now look at these three exceedingly interesting chapters of Jeremiah. They show us that in days gone by God had a people whom He loved with a very deep love — a love He was continually expressing. They show also the beautiful way in which He seeks to win His people back to Himself, after they have wandered. Nothing could be more touching. Look at the deep-toned affection of God for His people! In the people themselves too we may see the picture of what our own hearts are, and the only way of restoration, when they have wandered from God.
God’s Way of Restoration
Now God’s way of dealing with a backslider is surely not our way. God’s way is beautiful and perfect. There had been a great outward revival in Judah, during the reign of King Josiah (2 Chronicles 34- 35). But God looked underneath, and He saw that it was only feigned. “Judah hath not turned unto Me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD” (Jer. 3:1010And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the Lord. (Jeremiah 3:10)). Therefore, Jeremiah is selected to bring this word to them!
“Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after Me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown. Israel was holiness unto the LORD, and the firstfruits of His increase: all that devour him shall offend; evil shall come upon them, saith the LORD” (Jer. 2:1-31Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown. 3Israel was holiness unto the Lord, and the firstfruits of his increase: all that devour him shall offend; evil shall come upon them, saith the Lord. (Jeremiah 2:1‑3)).
I love to see the affection of soul, and fervency, that mark a young convert. Let us ask our hearts, Is the simple love of Jesus, the delight in Jesus, and the desire to be anything and everything for Him, the same as it was when we were first saved? You may have forgotten that early thrill of affection, but God has not forgotten. He says to Israel, “I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after Me.” Where? Into a wilderness. What was in the desert? Only two things — God and the sand.
First Love
The second chapter of Jeremiah is very like the second chapter of Revelation. The Lord there says to the church of Ephesus, “I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love” (Rev. 2:44Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. (Revelation 2:4)). Something has come in, says that blessed Lover in Revelation 2, that has eclipsed me, and all your affection for me. Ah, beloved, where are our souls as regards Christ?
Let me implore you, especially you who are young, to beware of backsliding. The first movement toward it is that something comes in to intercept the enjoyment of the love of Christ, and your heart loses its sweet apprehension of His love and grace. You have forgotten Him, but He has not forgotten you. Paul brings the same thought before us when he says, “I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ” (2 Cor. 11:2-32For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. 3But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. (2 Corinthians 11:2‑3)). It was a great exercise to the beloved apostle in that day, lest anything should come in to make Christ less precious to them. To the Thessalonians also he says, “Now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord” (1 Thess. 3:88For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 3:8)).
The Heart Made Right
Are these lines in the hand one who is saying, I have gotten away from the Lord? It is good that you know it, for the Lord knows it, and always seeks to bring us back. To do this, does He chide? No. He may have to rebuke and chasten, but that which restores is His Word. I do not forget your devotedness; you may have forgotten it, but it was sweet to Me, says the Lord, so I have never forgotten the hour when you came to Me, and I was everything to you. By a word like this He sought to recover Israel; and, beloved friend, it is the same with the Lord today! He is yesterday, and today, and forever the same.
But it is of no use for a backslider to try and put things right outwardly. External washing will not do. It is the heart — that which is inside — that must be made right. “For though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord God” (Jer. 2:2222For though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord God. (Jeremiah 2:22)). If my soul is exercised, I may say, How am I to get back? The answer is simple — confession. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:99If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)). There is no breaking of the relationship on God’s part. It is really lovely to see how God tenderly seeks to recover and link the soul with Himself.
W. T. P. Wolston (adapted)