Researchers seem to disagree on just how common infidelity is in our culture today. Some studies suggest that 60% of men and 40% of women will cheat on their spouses; others studies set the figures much lower, at 24% for men and 14% for women. But even if this lower figure is accurate, that means that 30% of marriages are impacted by unfaithfulness. And infidelity is the leading factor in between 22-29% of all divorces and only about 35% of marriages survive an infidelity. That means that with time and work and patience, marriages can survive an affair… but they usually don’t. (See http://www.infidelity-etc.com/index.php/4)
In Jeremiah 3 (our OT reading for today), God is portrayed as a spouse who has been wounded by Judah’s infidelity in worshipping other gods. Like many a wandering spouse, Judah wants God to just get over the unfaithfulness, “Will you always be angry? Will your wrath continue forever?” (Jer 3:5). Judah does not understand how deeply their infidelity hurts God, and she does not really move to change her behavior, “This is how you talk, but you do all the evil you can” (Jer 3:5b). What God sees in her people is “the brazen look of a prostitute” (Jer 3:3). And yet God pursues his wandering spouse, calling her to repent and return—
“If you will return, O Israel, return to me,” declares the LORD. “If you put your detestable idols out of my sight and no longer go astray, 2 and if in a truthful, just and righteous way you swear, ‘As surely as the LORD lives,’ then the nations will be blessed by him and in him they will glory.”
Jeremiah 3 begins with God asking, “If a man divorces his wife and she leaves him and marries another man, should he return to her again?” That is the very thing that Moses divorce law forbids in Deuteronomy 24. A man could not divorce his wife and then remarry her after she had been married to someone else. This was to protect women from being divorced casually or on a whim “to teach them a lesson” and then taken back. Marriage was to be forever, but then so was divorce. And yet here, God was willing to take back his "wife" Judah after her prostitution with idols, a point God had made to an earlier generation through the life and writings of Hosea.
We need to understand how our sin hurts God. Sin is not something that our holy God can wink at and overlook. And yet, God in his mercy and love is always willing to take us back if we will repent. The call of God to his rebellious people is always “return to me.”
“Would you now return to me” (3:1)Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the Lord” (3:12)“Return, faithless people for I am your husband” (3:14)“Return, faithless people; I will cure you of backsliding (4:1)
6 comments:
Very interesting statistics. (and a little scary) Only God knows how many people have entertained the thought of infidelity and thus been unfaithful even if it was only for just a fleeting moment. As we chase the lustful passions from the corners of our minds. (Sometimes I wonder to myself which eye shall I put out first, then I think about looking at some beautiful landscape as the clouds roll in, some are very pretty in a rugged kind of a changing way. I remember God made it all and it is what we make of it. . . I give thanks for it all?) Infidelity of any kind hurts us more than we could ever know, God knows and he warns us against it. As minds eye begin to wonder so the heart will follow to where we have our treasures laid up. God wants faithful people just as all godly people want faithfulness from there own. God made it all and we should be happy with what we have and do what we can to make the most of each others.
What about our lips are they the lips the bride groom would want? Do we have a lying tongue, do we speak idyl gossip that falls sweet and heavy on waiting ears? Are we willing to remove ourselves from such?
Do our hands do the work of the one who we want to be with or are our hands those of the enemy doing his bidding distracting toward disruption and destruction?
Are we ready to meat the bridegroom to reveal our face before Him unashamed. Or will we hide ourselves from His eyes. Are we washed and ready?
I know that we all have not been at times and were in need of His grace and mercy even to this day and will be forever in His dept and in service to Him and that cause. It is His light I want to see reflected and not that false way written by the men and women who serve their bellies first and foremost.
Oh, it doesn’t always show but if we are honest with ourselves we know we all need His mercy and grace. The air that we breath. . . the food that we eat. . . even the air we breath means nothing, without His Love. We do it to serve Him by serving those in need for yet one more day. Let us prepare ourselves for the service of the Lord everyday in every way. As we lift one another on the way and reflect His joy, mercy and grace. . . and all that is good and wholesome let us bring that and share with one another.
After reading your post I thought of Matthew 19:8-9 (NIV). There it says 8) Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. 9) I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery." We should note that Jesus said "except". He didn't say divorce is required . We should repent for our sins and we should forgive others. In this situation God allows divorce when a spouse won't repent or forgive.
I just found your blog a few days ago and enjoy reading it. We've just started a blog at the Bayside Church of Christ (http://baysidechurchofchristblog.blogspot.com/) and I've written a post on this subject and linked it back to your post.
Post a Comment