Am I the only one that feels like I’ve been slapped upside the head? We’re not used to hearing this kind of tone from God. Yet there can be no doubt how he feels about how his people are acting. One might think, “God must be over-reacting” or “It must be a huge misunderstanding.” Remember, this is God. He is all knowing and all powerful. If he is feeling slighted, even in the least, than his people must surely be disappointing him greatly.
Who was this rant meant for? Was it the Israelites in captivity or those who had been returned to their homeland? Does it matter? It could well be us, today, caught up with our own idolatry. Are we any less guilty of putting our faith in other “gods” or giving our attention elsewhere? What are our motivations?
The adultery he speaks of here is not between a husband and wife. “You have committed adultery on every high mountain. There you have worshiped idols and have been unfaithful to me.” God is seeing this sinful behavior as similar to what is causing the lack of unity between him and his children, just as between a husband and wife caught up in adultery with other people. We know how much that can hurt, how many marriages have been lost, peoples’ lives turned upside down.
God feels abandoned. You’ve got to wonder if that’s what people intended. Was their behavior intentionally meant to hurt God? Did they not realize it was hurting God? Were they so caught up in their own viewpoints and activities that God was simply an afterthought? Maybe we’ve been guilty of this indifference ourselves. That’s why it’s so important to be doing a faith check regularly. Ask, “what is motivating me?”
I feel like in this passage God is washing his hands of his people. He’s done so much to get their attention and yet he is ignored. I think of the rambunctious toddler in the grocery store, pulling on his mother’s sleeve, pleading for the candy he is clinging to with the other hand. Our ears can go deaf to the repeated cries, “Mommy, mommy, mommy, please!” Do we hear God calling us today?
Spend some time thinking about your motivations and priorities. Is God part of that mix?
Let’s pray … Lord, I thank you for not giving up on me during my wayward years. You had bigger plans for me, and I am so glad that I have listened to your voice and am doing what you have called me to do. I don’t want to get so comfortable that I forget to put my trust in you. Help me discern your will for each day, each encounter. I thank you for the peace I have knowing you are leading the way. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
