Jeremiah 3 Study Notes: A Call for Faithless Israel to Return
God compares His people to an unfaithful wife and contrasts the exiled northern kingdom with Judah, whose turning back was only pretended. He calls His people to admit their guilt and return, promising faithful leaders, a reunited people back in their land, and healing, and the people end with confession.
General
According to 3:16-18, what does God say would happen in the days when the people multiply in the land?
Answer: Jerusalem would be called the LORD's throne and the nations would gather there
God says that in those days the people will no longer talk about the ark of the covenant, the sacred chest that stood for God's presence; no one will miss it or make another (3:16). Instead, Jerusalem itself will be named as the LORD's throne, and every nation will assemble there to honor His name. The people will no longer follow their stubborn, evil hearts, and Judah and Israel will come home together from the north into the land God gave their ancestors (3:17-18). Hosea likewise foresees Judah and Israel reunited as one people (Hosea 1:11). A psalm also speaks of all nations coming to worship the Lord and honor His name (Psalm 86:9), and Jeremiah later records God's promise to write His law on His people's hearts (31:33).
- Jeremiah 3:16-18 (BSB)““In those days, when you multiply and increase in the land,” declares the LORD, “they will no longer discuss the ark of the covenant of the LORD. It will never come to mind, and no one will remember it or miss it, nor will another one be made. At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the LORD, and all the nations will be gathered in Jerusalem to honor the name of the LORD. They will no longer follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts. In those days the house of Judah will walk with the house of Israel, and they will come together from the land of the north to the land that I gave to your fathers as an inheritance.”God describes days when the ark is no longer missed, Jerusalem is called His throne, the nations gather, and Judah and Israel come together.
- Psalm 86:9 (BSB)“All the nations You have made will come and bow before You, O Lord, and they will glorify Your name.”The psalmist says all the nations God has made will come to bow before Him and give glory to His name.
- Jeremiah 31:33 (BSB)““But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD. I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people.”Later in the book God promises to write His law on His people's hearts, the inward change behind no longer following stubborn hearts.
- Hosea 1:11 (BSB)“Then the people of Judah and of Israel will be gathered together, and they will appoint for themselves one leader, and will go up out of the land. For great will be the day of Jezreel.”Hosea foresees the people of Judah and Israel gathered together again.
Theological
What does the LORD foretell in 3:16-18 about the days of restoration?
Answer: Jerusalem would be called the LORD's throne and the nations would gather there
The promise of 3:16-18 describes a time when the ark of the covenant will no longer be spoken of, remembered, or remade, and Jerusalem itself will be named as the LORD's throne. The nations will gather there to honor His name (compare Psalm 86:9), the people will no longer walk by their own stubborn and wicked hearts, and Judah and Israel will return together from the north (compare Hosea 1:11). The inward change behind this is spelled out later in the book, where God promises to write His law on their hearts (31:33). The ark that once marked God's presence gives way to the city itself being called His throne.
- Jeremiah 3:16-18 (BSB)““In those days, when you multiply and increase in the land,” declares the LORD, “they will no longer discuss the ark of the covenant of the LORD. It will never come to mind, and no one will remember it or miss it, nor will another one be made. At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the LORD, and all the nations will be gathered in Jerusalem to honor the name of the LORD. They will no longer follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts. In those days the house of Judah will walk with the house of Israel, and they will come together from the land of the north to the land that I gave to your fathers as an inheritance.”God describes days when the ark is no longer missed, Jerusalem is called His throne, the nations gather, and Judah and Israel come together.
- Psalm 86:9 (BSB)“All the nations You have made will come and bow before You, O Lord, and they will glorify Your name.”The psalmist says all the nations God has made will come to bow before Him and give glory to His name.
- Jeremiah 31:33 (BSB)““But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD. I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people.”Later in the book God promises to write His law on His people's hearts, the inward change behind no longer following stubborn hearts.
- Hosea 1:11 (BSB)“Then the people of Judah and of Israel will be gathered together, and they will appoint for themselves one leader, and will go up out of the land. For great will be the day of Jezreel.”Hosea foresees the people of Judah and Israel gathered together again.
General
In 3:1, what situation does God compare to His unfaithful people wanting to return to Him?
Answer: A husband taking back a wife who had married another man
God asks whether a man who has divorced his wife may go back to his former wife once she is married to someone else, and whether that would not defile the land (3:1). The question resembles the law in Deuteronomy 24:4, which forbade such a remarriage. God's people have done worse: they have chased many lovers, meaning other gods, and yet expect to come back to Him. The question suggests that such a return could not be taken for granted. Yet the chapter goes on to show God Himself calling His unfaithful people to return (3:12, 14), showing mercy beyond what they had any right to. God shows the same kind of love in commanding Hosea to take back his unfaithful wife (Hosea 3:1).
- Jeremiah 3:1 (BSB)““If a man divorces his wife and she leaves him to marry another, can he ever return to her? Would not such a land be completely defiled? But you have played the harlot with many lovers—and you would return to Me?” declares the LORD.”God applies the law of divorce to Judah's many lovers, asking whether such a return is possible.
- Deuteronomy 24:4 (BSB)“then the husband who divorced her first may not remarry her after she has been defiled, for that is an abomination to the LORD. You must not bring sin upon the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.”The law forbade a man to take back a wife he had divorced after she had married another, calling it an abomination.
- Hosea 3:1 (BSB)“Then the LORD said to me, “Go show love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love to offer raisin cakes to idols.””God commands Hosea to love his adulterous wife as the LORD loves Israel though they turn to other gods.
Theological
What case does the LORD describe in 3:1 to picture His people's situation?
Answer: A husband taking back a wife who had married another man
The LORD poses a case that closely resembles the law of Deuteronomy 24:4, which barred a husband from taking back a wife he had divorced after she married another, since that would defile the land (3:1). His people have given themselves to many lovers, so the question implies they have no claim to be received back. The surprise of the chapter is that the LORD nevertheless summons faithless Israel and His wayward children to return (3:12, 14). His mercy exceeds any ground His people could claim, the same covenant love Hosea was commanded to show his adulterous wife (Hosea 3:1).
- Jeremiah 3:1 (BSB)““If a man divorces his wife and she leaves him to marry another, can he ever return to her? Would not such a land be completely defiled? But you have played the harlot with many lovers—and you would return to Me?” declares the LORD.”God applies the law of divorce to Judah's many lovers, asking whether such a return is possible.
- Deuteronomy 24:4 (BSB)“then the husband who divorced her first may not remarry her after she has been defiled, for that is an abomination to the LORD. You must not bring sin upon the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.”The law forbade a man to take back a wife he had divorced after she had married another, calling it an abomination.
- Hosea 3:1 (BSB)“Then the LORD said to me, “Go show love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love to offer raisin cakes to idols.””God commands Hosea to love his adulterous wife as the LORD loves Israel though they turn to other gods.
General
In 3:22, what does God promise as He calls His faithless children to return?
Answer: That He would heal their faithlessness if they returned
God says He longed to treat His people as sons and give them a beautiful land, hoping they would call Him Father, but they betrayed Him like an unfaithful wife (3:19-20). Then the people cry out on the hills, pleading with God and grieving that they have gone astray and neglected Him (3:21). God calls them again and promises to heal their faithlessness (3:22). The people answer that they are coming to Him, that the hill shrines brought only deception, that their rescue comes from the LORD, and they confess that they and their ancestors have sinned (3:22-25). Healing their unfaithfulness is God's own work, as He also promises through Hosea (Hosea 14:4), and salvation comes from Him (Jonah 2:9).
- Jeremiah 3:22-23 (BSB)““Return, O faithless children, and I will heal your faithlessness.” “Here we are. We come to You, for You are the LORD our God. Surely deception comes from the hills, and commotion from the mountains. Surely the salvation of Israel is in the LORD our God.”God calls His faithless children and promises healing, and the people answer with a confession that salvation is in the LORD.
- Hosea 14:4 (BSB)“I will heal their apostasy; I will freely love them, for My anger has turned away from them.”Through Hosea God likewise promises to heal His people's apostasy and love them freely.
- Lamentations 5:21 (BSB)“Restore us to Yourself, O LORD, so we may return; renew our days as of old,”The people pray that God would restore them to Himself so they may return.
- Jonah 2:9 (BSB)“But I, with the voice of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to You. I will fulfill what I have vowed. Salvation is from the LORD!””Jonah confesses that salvation is from the LORD.
Theological
What promise accompanies the LORD's call to His faithless children in 3:22?
Answer: That He would heal their faithlessness if they returned
After lamenting that Israel betrayed Him though He longed to give them sonship and an inheritance (3:19-20), the LORD answers the weeping on the heights (3:21) with a call to return and a promise to heal their unfaithfulness (3:22). The cure of faithlessness is His work, as in Hosea 14:4, which is why the people's prayer elsewhere asks God to restore them so that they may return (Lamentations 5:21). The model response follows: the people come, renounce the false hope of the hills, confess that Israel's rescue rests with the LORD alone (compare Jonah 2:9), and acknowledge their sin from youth (3:22-25).
- Jeremiah 3:22-23 (BSB)““Return, O faithless children, and I will heal your faithlessness.” “Here we are. We come to You, for You are the LORD our God. Surely deception comes from the hills, and commotion from the mountains. Surely the salvation of Israel is in the LORD our God.”God calls His faithless children and promises healing, and the people answer with a confession that salvation is in the LORD.
- Hosea 14:4 (BSB)“I will heal their apostasy; I will freely love them, for My anger has turned away from them.”Through Hosea God likewise promises to heal His people's apostasy and love them freely.
- Lamentations 5:21 (BSB)“Restore us to Yourself, O LORD, so we may return; renew our days as of old,”The people pray that God would restore them to Himself so they may return.
- Jonah 2:9 (BSB)“But I, with the voice of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to You. I will fulfill what I have vowed. Salvation is from the LORD!””Jonah confesses that salvation is from the LORD.
General
True or False: In 3:11, the LORD judges that faithless Israel stands in a better light than unfaithful Judah.
Answer: True
This is true. In 3:11 God judges that faithless Israel, the northern kingdom, comes out less guilty than unfaithful Judah. This does not mean Israel was innocent; she had been sent into exile for her sin. But Judah had seen Israel's punishment and still sinned, and then pretended to return (3:8-10), so her guilt was greater. Ezekiel makes a similar comparison, saying Jerusalem's sins made her sister look righteous (Ezekiel 16:51). Those who have seen more of God's warnings are more responsible (Amos 3:2).
- Jeremiah 3:11 (BSB)“And the LORD said to me, “Faithless Israel has shown herself more righteous than unfaithful Judah.”God weighs the two sisters and gives His verdict on which is more guilty.
- Ezekiel 16:51 (BSB)“Furthermore, Samaria did not commit half the sins you did. You have multiplied your abominations beyond theirs, and all the abominations you have committed have made your sisters appear righteous.”Ezekiel likewise says Samaria did not commit half of Jerusalem's sins, making her appear righteous.
- Amos 3:2 (BSB)““Only you have I known from all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.””Greater privilege brings greater accountability for God's people.
Theological
True or False: According to 3:11, the LORD rates faithless Israel as less guilty than unfaithful Judah.
Answer: True
This is true. The LORD's verdict in 3:11 is comparative, not exonerating: Israel was guilty and exiled, but Judah's guilt is heavier because she sinned against greater light. She saw Israel's judgment, did not fear, and returned only in pretense (3:8-10). Ezekiel 16:51 renders the same judgment on Jerusalem relative to Samaria, and Amos 3:2 states the principle that privilege increases accountability.
- Jeremiah 3:11 (BSB)“And the LORD said to me, “Faithless Israel has shown herself more righteous than unfaithful Judah.”God weighs the two sisters and gives His verdict on which is more guilty.
- Ezekiel 16:51 (BSB)“Furthermore, Samaria did not commit half the sins you did. You have multiplied your abominations beyond theirs, and all the abominations you have committed have made your sisters appear righteous.”Ezekiel likewise says Samaria did not commit half of Jerusalem's sins, making her appear righteous.
- Amos 3:2 (BSB)““Only you have I known from all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.””Greater privilege brings greater accountability for God's people.
General
After God held back the rains (3:3-5), how did the people respond?
Answer: They called God their Father but kept on doing every evil they could
Because the people had polluted the land with their idolatry, God withheld the spring rains (3:2-3), as Moses had warned (Deuteronomy 11:16-17). Instead of being ashamed, they acted shamelessly. They spoke warmly to God, calling Him their Father and companion from youth and asking whether He would stay angry forever, yet they kept on doing every wrong within their power (3:4-5). Their words did not match their actions. God condemns the same thing elsewhere, people who honor Him with their lips while inwardly staying distant from Him (Isaiah 29:13).
- Jeremiah 3:3-5 (BSB)“Therefore the showers have been withheld, and no spring rains have fallen. Yet you have the brazen look of a prostitute; you refuse to be ashamed. Have you not just called to Me, ‘My Father, You are my friend from youth. Will He be angry forever? Will He be indignant to the end?’ This you have spoken, but you keep doing all the evil you can.””Though rain was withheld, the people remained shameless, calling God Father while doing all the evil they could.
- Deuteronomy 11:16-17 (BSB)“But be careful that you are not enticed to turn aside to worship and bow down to other gods, or the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you. He will shut the heavens so that there will be no rain, nor will the land yield its produce, and you will soon perish from the good land that the LORD is giving you.”Moses warned that worshiping other gods would lead God to shut up the heavens and withhold rain.
- Amos 4:7-8 (BSB)““I also withheld the rain from you when the harvest was three months away. I sent rain on one city but withheld it from another. One field received rain; another without rain withered. People staggered from city to city for water to drink, but they were not satisfied; yet you did not return to Me,” declares the LORD.”Through Amos God says He withheld rain from His people, yet they did not return to Him.
- Isaiah 29:13 (BSB)“Therefore the Lord said: “These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is but rules taught by men.”God condemns a people who honor Him with their lips while their hearts are far from Him.
Theological
What response to the withheld rains does the LORD expose in 3:3-5?
Answer: They called God their Father but kept on doing every evil they could
The withholding of the showers and spring rain (3:3) is covenant discipline for a land defiled by idolatry, as threatened in Deuteronomy 11:16-17 and later recounted in Amos 4:7-8. Judah's response was a brazen refusal to be ashamed. They used the language of filial intimacy, calling God Father and friend of their youth, and presumed His anger would not last, while continuing to do all the evil they could (3:4-5). Pious speech without repentance is the hypocrisy God condemns in Isaiah 29:13.
- Jeremiah 3:3-5 (BSB)“Therefore the showers have been withheld, and no spring rains have fallen. Yet you have the brazen look of a prostitute; you refuse to be ashamed. Have you not just called to Me, ‘My Father, You are my friend from youth. Will He be angry forever? Will He be indignant to the end?’ This you have spoken, but you keep doing all the evil you can.””Though rain was withheld, the people remained shameless, calling God Father while doing all the evil they could.
- Deuteronomy 11:16-17 (BSB)“But be careful that you are not enticed to turn aside to worship and bow down to other gods, or the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you. He will shut the heavens so that there will be no rain, nor will the land yield its produce, and you will soon perish from the good land that the LORD is giving you.”Moses warned that worshiping other gods would lead God to shut up the heavens and withhold rain.
- Amos 4:7-8 (BSB)““I also withheld the rain from you when the harvest was three months away. I sent rain on one city but withheld it from another. One field received rain; another without rain withered. People staggered from city to city for water to drink, but they were not satisfied; yet you did not return to Me,” declares the LORD.”Through Amos God says He withheld rain from His people, yet they did not return to Him.
- Isaiah 29:13 (BSB)“Therefore the Lord said: “These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is but rules taught by men.”God condemns a people who honor Him with their lips while their hearts are far from Him.
General
In 3:12-13, when God calls faithless Israel to return, what does He ask of them?
Answer: Admit their guilt and their rebellion against the LORD
God tells Jeremiah to proclaim toward the north, calling faithless Israel, the northern kingdom that had been sent into exile, to return (3:12). God promises to stop looking on them in anger, because He is merciful and will not stay angry forever. He asks only that they admit their guilt: that they rose up against the LORD, spread their affections among foreign gods, and did not obey Him (3:13). God's mercy is His willingness to forgive those who deserve punishment (Psalm 103:8-9; Micah 7:18). The New Testament promises the same to those who confess their sins (1 John 1:9).
- Jeremiah 3:12-13 (BSB)“Go, proclaim this message toward the north: ‘Return, O faithless Israel,’ declares the LORD. ‘I will no longer look on you with anger, for I am merciful,’ declares the LORD. ‘I will not be angry forever. Only acknowledge your guilt, that you have rebelled against the LORD your God. You have scattered your favors to foreign gods under every green tree and have not obeyed My voice,’” declares the LORD.”God invites faithless Israel to return, promising mercy and asking only that they acknowledge their guilt.
- Psalm 103:8-9 (BSB)“The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion. He will not always accuse us, nor harbor His anger forever.”The LORD is compassionate and gracious and does not harbor His anger forever.
- Micah 7:18 (BSB)“Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity and passes over the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance—who does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in loving devotion?”God pardons iniquity and does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in loving devotion.
- 1 John 1:9 (BSB)“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”Those who confess their sins find God faithful and just to forgive.
Theological
What does the LORD require in 3:12-13 of faithless Israel as He calls them to return?
Answer: Admit their guilt and their rebellion against the LORD
The call goes northward to the exiled kingdom of Israel (3:12). The LORD grounds His invitation in His own character: He is merciful and will not keep His anger forever (compare Psalm 103:8-9; Micah 7:18). The condition is not reparation or achievement but confession: acknowledge the iniquity of rebellion against the LORD, the scattered idolatry, and the disobedience (3:13). Forgiveness rests on God's mercy, and confession is the way it is received (1 John 1:9).
- Jeremiah 3:12-13 (BSB)“Go, proclaim this message toward the north: ‘Return, O faithless Israel,’ declares the LORD. ‘I will no longer look on you with anger, for I am merciful,’ declares the LORD. ‘I will not be angry forever. Only acknowledge your guilt, that you have rebelled against the LORD your God. You have scattered your favors to foreign gods under every green tree and have not obeyed My voice,’” declares the LORD.”God invites faithless Israel to return, promising mercy and asking only that they acknowledge their guilt.
- Psalm 103:8-9 (BSB)“The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion. He will not always accuse us, nor harbor His anger forever.”The LORD is compassionate and gracious and does not harbor His anger forever.
- Micah 7:18 (BSB)“Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity and passes over the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance—who does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in loving devotion?”God pardons iniquity and does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in loving devotion.
- 1 John 1:9 (BSB)“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”Those who confess their sins find God faithful and just to forgive.
General
In 3:14-15, what does God promise to give the people He brings back to Zion?
Answer: Leaders pleasing to Him who would nourish them with understanding
God calls His faithless children to return, reminding them that He is their master, and promises that He Himself will take them, a few from each town and clan, and bring them to Zion, that is, Jerusalem (3:14). He will give them shepherds, meaning leaders, who match His own desires (compare 1 Samuel 13:14) and will nourish them with wisdom and insight (3:15). These leaders stand in contrast to the failed priests and rulers of 2:8. God repeats the promise of faithful shepherds later (23:3-4).
- Jeremiah 3:14-15 (BSB)““Return, O faithless children,” declares the LORD, “for I am your master, and I will take you—one from a city and two from a family—and bring you to Zion. Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.””God calls His faithless children to return and promises to gather some and give them faithful shepherds.
- Jeremiah 23:3-4 (BSB)“Then I Myself will gather the remnant of My flock from all the lands to which I have banished them, and I will return them to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and multiply. I will raise up shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or dismayed, nor will any go missing, declares the LORD.”God later promises again to gather the remnant of His flock and raise up shepherds who will care for them.
- 1 Samuel 13:14 (BSB)“But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought a man after His own heart and appointed him ruler over His people, because you have not kept the command of the LORD.””The phrase after His own heart was used of the ruler God chose in place of Saul, a leader who follows God's will.
Theological
What does the LORD promise in 3:14-15 to those He gathers to Zion?
Answer: Leaders pleasing to Him who would nourish them with understanding
The call to return is grounded in God's covenant lordship: He is their master, and He will take them and bring them to Zion (3:14). The gathering is God's own action and is selective, a few from each town and clan. To them He gives shepherds who share His heart, leaders conformed to His will (compare 1 Samuel 13:14), who will nourish them with wisdom and insight (3:15), the reverse of the leaders who rebelled in 2:8. The promise is renewed in 23:3-4.
- Jeremiah 3:14-15 (BSB)““Return, O faithless children,” declares the LORD, “for I am your master, and I will take you—one from a city and two from a family—and bring you to Zion. Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.””God calls His faithless children to return and promises to gather some and give them faithful shepherds.
- Jeremiah 23:3-4 (BSB)“Then I Myself will gather the remnant of My flock from all the lands to which I have banished them, and I will return them to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and multiply. I will raise up shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or dismayed, nor will any go missing, declares the LORD.”God later promises again to gather the remnant of His flock and raise up shepherds who will care for them.
- 1 Samuel 13:14 (BSB)“But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought a man after His own heart and appointed him ruler over His people, because you have not kept the command of the LORD.””The phrase after His own heart was used of the ruler God chose in place of Saul, a leader who follows God's will.
General
In 3:6-10, how does God describe Judah's turning back to Him after seeing what happened to Israel?
Answer: Her turning back was only a pretense, not wholehearted
During King Josiah's reign, God shows Jeremiah how the northern kingdom, called faithless Israel, worshiped idols on the hilltops, and God sent her away with a divorce document, a picture of the northern kingdom's exile (3:6-8). Her sister Judah saw this but was not afraid and did the same (3:8). Even when Judah did turn back, it was only for show and not wholehearted (3:10). The history in Kings records that Judah followed Israel's ways (2 Kings 17:18-19). God wants true, wholehearted return (Joel 2:12-13).
- Jeremiah 3:6-10 (BSB)“Now in the days of King Josiah, the LORD said to me, “Have you seen what faithless Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every green tree to prostitute herself there. I thought that after she had done all these things, she would return to Me. But she did not return, and her unfaithful sister Judah saw it. She saw that because faithless Israel had committed adultery, I gave her a certificate of divorce and sent her away. Yet that unfaithful sister Judah had no fear and prostituted herself as well. Indifferent to her own infidelity, Israel had defiled the land and committed adultery with stones and trees. Yet in spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not return to Me with all her heart, but only in pretense,” declares the LORD.”In Josiah's days God compares Israel's adultery with Judah's, whose return was not wholehearted.
- 2 Kings 17:18-19 (BSB)“So the LORD was very angry with Israel, and He removed them from His presence. Only the tribe of Judah remained, and even Judah did not keep the commandments of the LORD their God, but lived according to the customs Israel had introduced.”After God removed Israel, Judah did not keep His commands but followed Israel's customs.
- Ezekiel 23:11 (BSB)“Her sister Oholibah saw this, yet in her lust and prostitution she was more depraved than her sister.”Ezekiel also portrays a sister who saw her sister's fate yet became even more corrupt.
- Joel 2:12-13 (BSB)““Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning.” So rend your hearts and not your garments, and return to the LORD your God. For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion. And He relents from sending disaster.”God calls His people to return to Him with all their heart, rending hearts rather than garments.
Theological
How does the LORD characterize Judah's return in 3:10?
Answer: Her turning back was only a pretense, not wholehearted
The oracle, dated to Josiah's reign (3:6), sets the two kingdoms side by side as sisters. Faithless Israel committed adultery, and God sent her away with divorce papers, that is, the exile of the northern kingdom (3:8; 2 Kings 17:18-19). Unfaithful Judah witnessed this, yet was not afraid and did the same (3:8; compare Ezekiel 23:11). Her return was not with her whole heart but only for show (3:10). Outward reform without inward turning is not the repentance God seeks (Joel 2:12-13).
- Jeremiah 3:6-10 (BSB)“Now in the days of King Josiah, the LORD said to me, “Have you seen what faithless Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every green tree to prostitute herself there. I thought that after she had done all these things, she would return to Me. But she did not return, and her unfaithful sister Judah saw it. She saw that because faithless Israel had committed adultery, I gave her a certificate of divorce and sent her away. Yet that unfaithful sister Judah had no fear and prostituted herself as well. Indifferent to her own infidelity, Israel had defiled the land and committed adultery with stones and trees. Yet in spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not return to Me with all her heart, but only in pretense,” declares the LORD.”In Josiah's days God compares Israel's adultery with Judah's, whose return was not wholehearted.
- 2 Kings 17:18-19 (BSB)“So the LORD was very angry with Israel, and He removed them from His presence. Only the tribe of Judah remained, and even Judah did not keep the commandments of the LORD their God, but lived according to the customs Israel had introduced.”After God removed Israel, Judah did not keep His commands but followed Israel's customs.
- Ezekiel 23:11 (BSB)“Her sister Oholibah saw this, yet in her lust and prostitution she was more depraved than her sister.”Ezekiel also portrays a sister who saw her sister's fate yet became even more corrupt.
- Joel 2:12-13 (BSB)““Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning.” So rend your hearts and not your garments, and return to the LORD your God. For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion. And He relents from sending disaster.”God calls His people to return to Him with all their heart, rending hearts rather than garments.