“The Failure in Trust”

Scripture: Jeremiah 2:4-9; 13; 16

Last week, we read that Jeremiah acknowledged that the word for his life came directly from the Lord God Jehovah, and not by his own volition – and not once, but three times. Throughout this book, we will see over and over again, that God is the author of all that the prophet would say and do. The task of calling Israel to account for their failure in faith was not Jeremiah’s idea – it was God’s! And when the Lord calls, he also enables.
Jeremiah had been given a divine appointment, as do all who accept the Lord’s word for their lives. We know that he was very young when the word came, but we have no indication as to when his ministry actually began. And that can be equally true for our own lives. God begins preparing us for his task long before our effort ever begins. But when it finally happens, there is no turning back and there is no modifying the message that we are given. Jeremiah would be given a difficult word to carry, and he never denied the call that he had received. And the first message that Israel had to hear was that they had lost their trust in their Lord.

As we read through Exodus and Numbers, we discover a number of instances when Israel struggled with this “trust” issue, and say that they would rather return to Egypt than to continue on this terrible journey to “who knows where”! (Exodus 14:11-12; Exodus 32:1-4; Numbers 11:4-9) But when life began running downhill, the Lord, through Moses, was able to bring them back to, at least some semblance, of faith in him. But now, even though times were getting very bad for the people, and even though the Lord continues to send prophet after prophet with message after message for them, they refuse to listen. But the Lord would continue to call his people home.

Read Jeremiah 2:4-7

These verses read as an indictment against Israel. They certainly don’t contain any judgement, but the overriding theme is that the Lord God is not happy. The nation is guilty of breaking the Divine covenant. (Genesis 17:3-8; Exodus 6:5-8; etc.) Now, some folks, even some today, can’t quite see that this is a serious matter – after all, we were given the gift of “free will”, and if Israel, or we for that matter, choose to do things our own way, isn’t that God’s fault? After all, he gave us the right to choose, didn’t he?

The problem is that the covenant was offered, and Israel accepted God’s good graces, which included freedom from Egyptian oppression, and the gift of the land that had been promised to Abraham, and sustenance during the wilderness years, and protection from enemies, and the joy of knowing the intimate love of the great Jehovah! They took all that God had offered, but were unwilling to give the one thing that the Lord had asked of them – that they would trust in his word, and would only worship him, and would set all other gods and idols aside. (Exodus 20:1-17)
The Lord asks rhetorically what he could have possibly done to break their trust. Obviously, the answer is “nothing”! And the Lord begins to recount all the ways that the people had denied him – this is the indictment that is being brought against Israel. As a matter of fact, this is the same indictment that stands against all who claim to be the people of God, and yet refuse to accept his word as the right and perfect way to live.
Just as in a secular court of law, the charges are read, the defendant is allowed an opportunity to hear them, and to either accept them, or reject them. But in the case of God’s court, there is no defense, no rebuttal, no questioning or cross examination, and no jury. God’s understanding of the situation is complete, perfect, and incontestable, and there is no one who can offer, or deny, or modify, or even explain, the charges. (Zechariah 3:1-9)

So what are the charges being leveled against Israel?
1. Instead of following the lead of their one, holy, and eternal God, they have created their own gods that are based in human understanding. The Lord tells Jeremiah that not only are these earthly gods worthless, they also make all who worship them just as worthless.

So where is our allegiance? Is it in the one true and almighty God who created us in his image, or is it in the gods of earth that we have created in our image? Do we worship the gods of financial wealth, or of secular power, or of sexual attraction, or of personal prestige, or any of the other earthly allures that call us away from the love of our Holy God?

2. Do we seek to live in the presence of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, in the redemptive gift of the living God of Calvary, and in the guidance of the Spiritual Advocate sent in the promise of Jesus Christ? Do we place our trust in the God of provision and protection? Do we worship this one God, or do we look to other, multiple, uncaring, insensitive, unresponsive gods?

Worshiping and trusting in the one worthy God will bring his worthiness to our lives. But when we place our hope in the incapable gods of earth, their worthlessness becomes our failure and condemnation.

3. Do we honor the many blessings that God grants, such as the opportunity to act in a ministry that resides in his Name, to offer others the gifts that God has given us, to claim the name that is above all names as our own? Or do we attempt to offer all that we have been given in the name of some other, weak, ineffective, dead god?

When we misuse or misrepresent the gifts that we have been entrusted with, we will, very soon, discover that in our corruption of the heavenly gifts, we will also lose the strength and blessing that comes with them.

Read Jeremiah 2:8-9

This last indictment is against the priesthood – the very ones who have been charged with the keeping of the faith and instruction for the people. Priests had been designated as the intercessors between the people and God, and when they failed in their responsibilities, it had a great impact on those who were in their charge. In James 3:1, we are told that the accountability assigned to teachers, as well as to others who lead the people in God’s truth, brings with it a great obligation to be true to the word of God. This includes pastors, priests and preachers, Bible study leaders, Sunday School teachers, administrators – in essence, all who can influence the faith and example that others are called to follow.
James then tells us that the expectations of these “teachers” will be much greater, and that they will be judged more strictly. Those who have authority must use that power wisely and in harmony with the word of God. And when we don’t, the effect isn’t only on our own lives, but on that of many others. In Matthew 18:6-7, Jesus says that causing others to sin will bring about dire consequences for the “teacher”.

We are to trust the Lord, and not depend on our own understanding.
(Proverbs 3:5-6)

Israel had failed the Lord in just about every way conceivable, and no matter how many messengers were sent to them, they continued to refuse the correction.
How about us - do we trust the Lord any better than these people did?

Read Jeremiah 2:13;16

The prophet is given 2 general examples of the sins that Israel has been living within. The first is that they have rejected the “spring of living water”, which represents the grace and mercy of God that has been offered to the nation. The term Living water is comparable to an artesian well that flows constantly without the benefit of any outside means. It is always fresh, always nourishing, while the water held in a cistern can easily become stagnant and tainted, and if the cistern is not built tightly, it will leak, and will lose all the water that has been stored there.

Living water has no need of storage – it flows constantly, providing life giving refreshment whenever and wherever it goes. That is God at work in our lives.

The second sin isn’t quite as obvious. Memphis and Tahpanhes are believed to be major cities in Egypt where it is possible that negotiations were held between Israel and the Egyptians. The Lord wanted the people to be allied with him, and to leave the relationships with other nations alone. Alliances with other nations were nothing but trouble, but the people didn’t seem to learn that lesson very well.

Israel had completely turned away from God and his ways. They had looked to other nations for help instead of trusting in the power of their Almighty God. They had chosen to make their own imperfect way in the world instead of following the perfect and righteous way that their Lord had prepared for them. They took the best that the God of heaven would give them, and offered their thanks and loyalty to the gods of earth.

Israel hadn’t just committed a sin or two – they had completely disregarded all that the Lord had done for them, and had broken the covenant that had existed between them and Jehovah God for over a thousand years. And the child Jeremiah was the one chosen to bring this truth to light in the lives of the people Israel. There was no message, or even an insinuation, of hope for the nation – only an indictment of gigantic proportions. If the people wouldn’t repent and turn away from their arrogant ways, a corrective action, initiated and carried out by God Himself, would be necessary. And it wouldn’t be pleasant.

And all it would take on the part of Israel, and of us, to avoid this calamity is to trust the Lord and his ways once again. But the words of the prophet must be heard loud and clear first, and trusted without hesitation.

Can you hear? Do you trust?