Jeremiah 2:1-4:4

The Weeping Prophet
Part 2: God Files for Divorce (2:1-4:4)

Jeremiah’s Stunning Sermon
Jeremiah’s 1st recorded message paints the picture of a marriage between God and the Jewish people. For his part, God was passionate for His bride, protected His bride, and provided for His bride. For their part, at least at first, Israel loved God and was faithful to Him. (2:1-3) But something went terribly wrong. The bride stopped loving the bridegroom. In this sermon, Jeremiah acts as God’s lawyer, laying out the case for God’s divorce from His bride. He illustrates the unfaithfulness of the bride with nine nasty comparisons (2:5-9):

The Bridegroom’s Case Against the Bride
Exhibit #1 She’s like a nation changing its gods (2:10-12)
Exhibit #2 She’s like a person preferring dirt & thirst (2:13)
Exhibit #3 She’s like a beast breaking its yoke (2:20a)
Exhibit #4 She’s like a harlot waiting for action (2:20b)
Exhibit #5 She’s like a wild vine (2:21)
Exhibit #6 She’s like a stain that won’t come out (2:22)
Exhibit #7 She’s like a camel running loose (2:23)
Exhibit #8 She’s like a donkey in heat (2:24-25)
Exhibit #9 She’s like a bride forgetting her wedding (2:32)

The Bridegroom’s Attempts at Attention
God utilized 2 methods to get His bride’s attention. First, He issued a series of softer judgments (2:30, 3:3, 3:10) so as to avoid the judgment of an ultimate divorce. Second, He set up the world in such a way that wickedness carries negative consequences (3:2, 24). But neither of these methods brought the bride back home.

The Bride’s Defense
Even though the case was so strong and the verdict would inevitably be ‘guilty,’ the bride attempted to defend herself. This took 3 all too common forms:

Defense #1 The Docile Denial (2:23, 35)
Defense #2 The Blame Game (2:29)
Defense #3 The Sorry Speech (3:4-5, 10)

But God didn’t want His bride to defend herself. He wanted her to repent of her sins. And He was still willing to call off the divorce if she genuinely did so (3:12-14). Unfortunately, she did not do so.

The Future Hope
God will, however, one day be united to a faithful bride. This bride will be made up of all those who are honest about their sin (3:22b-25) and dedicate themselves to the Lord (4:1-4). This future wedding ceremony is described for us in Revelation 19:7 & 21:1-4.