Jeremiah 2:2b-3 – Be faithful and love God consistently

In Jeremiah 2:2b-3, God was contrasting Israel’s present condition with their past devotion to Him. God’s love for Israel had never wavered. But the same cannot be said of Israel’s love for Him. He wished Israel would be consistent in their love toward Him. But obviously, she was not. Reading these verses, we sense how God was disappointingly recounting their early devotion to Him. Through Jeremiah, He pointed out to the people of Judah their inconsistency. They had lost their first love.

Here they were being compared to an unfaithful wife who had left their earlier devotion to their faithful husband. God described the early days and pointed to their devotion to Him. They trustingly followed Him as He led them out of Egypt through the barren wilderness. They became His consecrated people, for He had set them apart for Himself. As a nation, they became God’s covenant people, and He became their God. He even prided in them as the first of His harvest and would protect them. Any nation seeking to do evil to them would be punished.  

 

The first lesson we can learn from these two verses is that God cherishes faithfulness. Like Israel was God’s wife, the church is Christ’s bride. Through Christ, God has espoused us. We have become the apple of God’s eye. And He wants us to be consistent in our love for Him for faithfulness is demonstrated through consistent love. That’s why in the book of Revelation, Christ’s counsel to the church in Ephesus was for them to return to their first love. God treasures faithfulness. So we must not lose our first love for Him!

 

The second lesson we learn is that there are benefits to being faithful.  Not only will God protect us, but He will also provide for us. These are indicated in these two verses.  When Israel followed God trustingly through the barren wilderness, God not only provided but also protected them throughout their journey. Today we are also God’s pilgrims traveling through the barren land of his world. If we remain faithful to Him on this journey, He will also provide for us as well as protect us in the journey. So we must remain faithful to Him!