Jeremiah 2:4-8 – Don’t allow spiritual amnesia to set in

Like a broken marriage the nation of God’s people chose to walk away from Him, their faithful spouse. God has never been unfaithful to them, yet they dumped Him. Who moved? The answer is obvious. So as God lamented that they had left their earlier devotion to Him, He challenged them in Jeremiah 2:4-8, to identify and justify the reasons for their departure from Him.

God through Jeremiah asks them a few very probing rhetorical questions. He was puzzled that they should prefer to experience worthlessness. They preferred to pursue worthless idols in the promised land and became worthless. He was appalled that they did not even consider Him and how He would feel, despite Him being the source of their blessings. They had dismissed the fact that He had led them through harsh, long, dark, and uninhabitable terrains into a fertile fruitful land of plenty. There they ate the fruit and experienced the many good things of the land. Unfortunately, they chose to defile and desecrate the gift and turned their inheritance into an abomination. They had all behaved like a dog that turned and bit the hand that fed it.

Besides, the leaders of the nation had all turned wayward. The priests did not factor God into their lives and mission. They did not ask, “Where is God?” How pathetic! These priests whose assignment was to teach the law did not even know God personally. And the people who ruled the nation chose to transgress against God. Even their prophets spoke by the decree of Baal instead of God. They as a nation went pursuing unprofitable stuff.

Why did God’s people come to this state? The simple reason is negligence. They were so caught up in their worthless pursuit and did not even stop to ask, “Where is God?” Simply put, they stopped searching for Him. (1) They neglected Him and never once stopped to ask “Where is God? (2) The spiritual leaders were also negligent in their duties; they also did not ask “Where is God?” (3) They had forgotten God because they never cultivated a life of thankfulness.

Here are three lessons for us. Firstly we need to know that the moment we stop seeking God, we run the risk of forsaking Him. Here’s a good reminder from a Chinese proverb, “When drinking water, never forget the source.” Never allow spiritual amnesia to set into our lives till we forget God. Never forget that it is in Him that we move and breathe and have our being.

Secondly, we learn here that spiritual leaders must take their responsibility seriously. When they forget God, they too would become wayward and would lead God’s people into waywardness. Here the priests, the rulers, and the prophets, all leaders of the nation had all forgotten God. If we emulate them, we will also be leaders that are going through the motion and not leaders who serve out of the overflow of our relationship with God.

Thirdly, we must always live with a heart of thankfulness. We need to cultivate an attitude of gratitude. In everything, we must give thanks so that we will not forget that all the things we have in life come from God. Thanksgiving is good but thanks-living is more critical.