WHEN GOD TURNS HIS BACK ON A NATION ~ A Study in Jeremiah

God said Israel was like a swift young camel entangling her ways. (Jeremiah 2:23) Entangling means crisscross, twist, entangle, interweave, to interlace, or traverse. Of the verse it is said in the Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon: A camel entangling her ways is running about hither and thither in her heat. This is shameful behavior for any wife, but especially for God’s wife. 

 

In her striving to break free from the Husband who loved her with perfect love, Israel had become entangled in sinful idolatry. Even though Judah (the southern kingdom) could see what had already happened to the inhabitants of the northern kingdom, she could not/would not give up the idolatrous cravings of her heart. Addicted to sin, she followed the natural bent of her heart in pursuing her unbridled lusts with the passion of a wild donkey in heat. In Scripture (Acts 20:29 and Jude 10, for example) uses the term ‘brute beasts’ to describe those whose animalistic nature (the flesh or their physical desires) drives them—not their minds but their bodies, their desires, and wanting their lusts satiated in some way. It is the base desires that man has for gain, for glory, and for prestige.

It is impossible to try and convince someone with this desire only to gratify themselves of their sin because they simply do not care. People today who live accordingly, frivolously adopt the saying, “The heart wants what the hearts wants.”

 

Yesterday, we looked at the differences between those who only profess to follow Christ versus those whose lives line up with their confession. It made me think of the following verse in Hebrews as I began to think about the shameful behavior of Judah: Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3)

 

Jesus despised the shame of the cross. Shame in this verse means ignominy or public shame or disgrace, i.e. “the ignominy of being imprisoned…”. What is the parallel between the shame of the cross versus the shameful behavior of spiritual adultery? It is the difference between Jesus giving Himself up for His Bride versus the harlot wife giving herself to every false god. The difference is astounding. It is radical grace, especially when we realize that we all once played the harlot ourselves.

 

The phrase which so easily entangles us means skillfully surrounding or besetting, well standing around, i.e. (a competitor) thwarting (a racer) in every direction (figuratively, of sin in genitive case): —which doth so easily beset. It means to prevent or retard running. What is the difference used here in Hebrews versus how it is used in Jeremiah 2? Judah was entangling herself in sin as she ran from her Husband. The entanglements of the world are all around us today. The Christian is one who in preparation for running the good race lays aside every encumbrance and watches out for the sins that easily entangle so that we can run the race God has set before us. We can only do that as we fix our eyes on the One who for the joy set before Him endured the cross even while despising the shame. We fix our eyes on Jesus who is the author and perfecter of our faith so that we will not grow weary and lose heart.

 

Judah had given up or resigned herself to what had captured her heart, to what had already enslaved her. She knew the consequences, yet she could not help herself. However, she refused to turn to the One who could set her free.

 

As the thief is shamed when he is discovered, so the house of Israel is shamed; they, their kings, their princes, and their priests and their prophets, who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’ and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth,’ For they have turned their back to Me, and not their face; but in the time of their trouble they will say, ‘Arise and save us.’ But where are your gods which you made for yourself? Let them arise, if they can save you in the time of your trouble; for according to the number of your cities are your gods, O Judah. (Jeremiah 2:26-28)

 

Jesus said in John 1:10 that he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. In John 10:10 He said: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…” A thief operates in secrecy, usually under the cover of darkness so as not to be seen. Those who try to hide the wickedness in their hearts under the guise of self-righteousness hate to get caught. Having convinced themselves that they are not guilty, they are only ashamed and sorry if they get caught or must face the consequences of their sin. God has confronted His unfaithful wife exposing what she thought was hidden from His sight. In reality, He had been watching her participate in idol worship. Even so, she continues to bow down to idols. The whole house of Israel is guilty—from the rich to the poor. Even her leaders were promoting worship of the creation over the Creator.

…who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’ and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’ Peter Craigie says: “The leaders had promoted the worship of Asherah poles and stone pillars. These were phallic symbols in Canaanite religion that represented the powers of creativity and fertility.” Asherah, or Ashtoreth, was the name of the female deity worshiped in ancient Syria, Phoenicia, and Canaan. She was called Astarte by the Phoenicians, Ishtar by the Assyrians, and Asherah by the Philistines. When Israel conquered the land of Canaan, Asherah worship survived and Israel fell into idol worship. An Asherah pole was a limbless tree trunk planted in the ground. Asherah worship commonly took place in “groves”. “Asherah” referred either to the goddess or a grove of trees. Asherah was considered the moon-goddess, a consort of Baal, the sun-god. She was worshiped as the goddess of love and war. As such, worship of this goddess was noted for sensuality and involved ritual prostitution. The priests and priestesses of Asherah also practiced divination and fortune-telling. Later in Jeremiah, we will see Asherah referred to as “Queen of Heaven”. This title referred to Ishtar. She was thought to be the wife of the false god, Baal, also known as Molech.

Jeremiah is being extremely sarcastic when he refers to the female symbol of the tree as the one they call ‘Father’, and the male symbol of the stone is the one they say gave them birth. Israel did not even understand what she was worshiping when she looked to these false fertility gods for her very existence.

For they have turned their back to Me, and not their face; but in the time of their trouble they will say, ‘Arise and save us.’ But where are your gods which you made for yourself? Let them arise, if they can save you in the time of your trouble; for according to the number of your cities are your gods, O Judah.

God sees His wife turning her back on Him to pursue idol worship. The Hebrew word for face in the Old Testament is often translated ‘presence’. Seeking the face of God is seeking His presence. It is often associated with knowing His favor. Turning the back to someone is a sign of contempt.

Jesus, the Incarnate Word, had eternal face-to-face fellowship with the Father. All He ever knew was the loving, approving face of His Father. When Moses blessed the Israelites in Numbers 6, he asked that the Lord bless them, keep them, and make His face to shine upon them. He prayed the Lord would be gracious to them turning His face toward them and give them peace. To know God’s face was toward them was the highest blessing and greatest joy. To seek His face became the greatest ambition of man. For God’s people, having the Lord turn His face away became the worst fear imaginable. Therefore, David often prayed that the Lord would not hide His face from the psalmist.

On the cross, the worst, possible scenario took place for the Son of God. The Father turned His face away from His Son. That face of love turned away as He poured out His wrath upon Jesus for the sins of all who would ever believe on Him. He became cursed for us. At that moment, Jesus knew experientially what it meant that His Father’s eyes were too pure to look upon evil. This was the greatest part of the shame of the cross. Jesus response? “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?”

God’s wife turned her back on Him when she was pursuing her fleshly lusts. Like nominal Christians today, when storm clouds begin to hover threatening to break out upon their heads, men turn back toward the Lord to pray. Their religion is wholly dependent upon their circumstances. When things are going well, they forget God. But when things get rough, they cry out to God, ‘Arise, and save us!’ They have no more actual faith than the idolaters who cried out to their worthless idols.

God has every right to say to them, “Where are your gods which you made for yourself?” It is ludicrous to think that an idol carved by human hands could save anyone. Yet, still today people in religions everywhere bow down and worship before statues that are no gods at all. When trouble comes, God will respond to their cries, “Let them arise, if they can save you in the time of your trouble; for according to the number of your cities are your gods, O Judah.” Jeremiah 11:13—For your gods are as many as your cities, O Judah; and as many as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to the shameful thing, altars to burn incense to Baal. They had national deities, and every city had its own god. We do not have to look hard today in our own nation to find a church on every corner complete with carved out statues, backyard shrines, or even icons hanging in ones’ living room. Abortion clinics abound, and the worship of ‘self’ is more rampant than ever. Yet, in crisis, America cries out to God, “Bless America!”

In Jeremiah 17:18, God makes it very clear what will happen when judgment begins: ‘Like an east wind I will scatter them before the enemy; I will show them My back and not My face in the day of their calamity.’