Jeremiah
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you: for I am merciful, saith the Lord, and I will not keep anger forever.
Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against
the Lord thy God.... Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord; for I
am married unto you.” “Thou shalt call Me, my Father; and shalt not
turn away from Me.” “Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal
your backslidings.”
Jeremiah 3:12-14, 19, 22
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And in addition to these wonderful pleadings, the Lord gave His
erring people the very words with which they might turn to Him. They
were to say: “Behold, we come unto Thee; for Thou art the Lord our
God. Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the
multitude of mountains: truly in the Lord our God is the salvation of
Israel.... We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us: for
we have sinned against the Lord our God, we and our fathers, from our
youth even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord
our God.”
Verses 22-25
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The reformation under Josiah had cleansed the land of the idola-
trous shrines, but the hearts of the multitude had not been transformed.
The seeds of truth that had sprung up and given promise of an abundant
harvest had been choked by thorns. Another such backsliding would
be fatal; and the Lord sought to arouse the nation to a realization of
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their danger. Only as they should prove loyal to Jehovah could they
hope for the divine favor and for prosperity.
Jeremiah called their attention repeatedly to the counsels given in
Deuteronomy. More than any other of the prophets, he emphasized the
teachings of the Mosaic law and showed how these might bring the
highest spiritual blessing to the nation and to every individual heart.
“Ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein,” he
pleaded, “and ye shall find rest for your souls.”
Jeremiah 6:16
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On one occasion, by command of the Lord, the prophet took his
position at one of the principal entrances to the city and there urged
the importance of keeping holy the Sabbath day. The inhabitants of
Jerusalem were in danger of losing sight of the sanctity of the Sabbath,
and they were solemnly warned against following their secular pursuits
on that day. A blessing was promised on condition of obedience. “If
ye diligently hearken unto Me,” the Lord declared, and “hallow the
Sabbath day, to do no work therein; then shall there enter into the gates
of this city kings and princes sitting upon the throne of David, riding
in chariots and on horses, they, and their princes, the men of Judah,