“I
remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved me and followed
me through the wilderness”
Jeremiah
2:2
As I study Jeremiah today, these words
have special meaning to me. Today, Lynn and I celebrate our 24th
anniversary. This portion of the verse in chapter 2 rings pretty true to me.
Lynn and I were married in 1988 and we have been on an amazing journey together.
Thankfully, the rest of Jeremiah 2 is not an accurate depiction of our
relationship. Lynn and I remain very much in love and committed to one another.
That was not the case in Jeremiah’s time. God’s bride (His people) had forsaken
the marriage and abandoned His true love for worthless idolatry. This tender
description in Jeremiah 2:2 reminds me just how much God loves His people. The
prophetic words of Jeremiah 8:21 are his reflection of the compassion of God.
“Since my people are crushed, I am crushed.” The force of judgment described in
Jeremiah is harsh. But, behind the judgment is a God who saw His people as a
husband sees His bride. Consequently, Jeremiah includes a glimpse forward.
Jeremiah reveals the love of God that reaches forward in hope to a time when some
of His people return and find healing and redemption in
Him.
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