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In the eyes of God, the wicked one, the evildoer, is the one who does not come to drink of Him (Isa. 55:7); the evil condition of the wicked is that they do not come to the Lord to eat, drink, and enjoy the Lord; they do many things, but they do not come to contact the Lord, to take Him, to receive Him, to taste Him, and to enjoy Him; in the sight of God, nothing is more evil than this (57:20-21; cf. 55:1-2).
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God intended to dispense Himself into man as man’s satisfaction so that He might be enlarged, but man became unfaithful and unchaste and forsook God for idols:
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An idol in our heart (Ezek. 14:3) is anything within us that we love and treasure more than the Lord and that replaces the Lord in our life (1 John 5:21):
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Those who set up idols in their hearts are estranged from the Lord through their idols (Ezek. 14:5).
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All who have idols within them yet seek God in an outward way cannot find Him (v. 3; cf. Jer. 29:13).
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By worshipping idols, Israel made themselves vain, nothing; they had so many idols that the number of them was according to the number of their cities (2:5, 28; 11:13); Israel exchanged the reality of their God, their glory, for the vanity of idols (2:11; Psa. 106:20; Rom. 1:23).
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Apostasy is a matter of leaving the way of God and taking another way to follow things other than God; it is to forsake God and turn to idols—Jer. 2:19.
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When Israel was captured by the Babylonians, God’s people still would not give up their idols and had to carry them from the good land to Babylon; anything that replaces God or occupies the position of God is an idol that becomes a burden to the worshipper—Isa. 46:1.
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The dumb, voiceless idols (1 Cor. 12:2; Hab. 2:18-20) make their worshippers dumb and voiceless, but the living God causes His worshippers to speak in His Spirit (1 Cor. 12:3b; Psa. 115:4-8; 2 Cor. 4:13; Psa. 116:12-13):
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No worshippers of God should be silent; all should use their voices to speak forth “Jesus is Lord!” in the Spirit of God.
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This—to speak “Jesus is Lord”—is the main function of all the spiritual gifts; to call on the Lord’s name with a proper spirit is the way to participate in, to enjoy, and to experience the Holy Spirit—1 Cor. 12:3b; cf. Rom. 14:17.
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“The dead do not praise Jehovah, / Nor do any that go down into silence. / But we will bless Jehovah / From now and to eternity. / Hallelujah”—Psa. 115:17-18.
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Whatever we possess and even whatever we are can become an idol; Israel was evil and unfaithful to God in forsaking God for idols; in the matter of such unfaithfulness to God, we are the same as Israel.
Morning Nourishment
Isa. 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the evildoer, his thoughts; and let him return to Jehovah, and He will have compassion on him; and to our God, for He will pardon abundantly.Ezek. 14:3 Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts…
5 …The house of Israel…have become estranged from Me because of all their idols.
The evil condition of the wicked is that they do not come to the Lord to eat and enjoy the Lord. They do many things, but they do not come to contact Him, to take Him, to receive Him, to taste Him, and to enjoy Him. In the sight of God, nothing is more evil than this. Today, we may have a morning revival, come to the meetings, sing hymns, and even pray without contacting the Lord. To do this is to be a hypocrite. (Life-study of Isaiah, p. 200)
An idol in our heart is anything within us that we love more than the Lord and that replaces the Lord in our life (1 John 5:21 and footnote 3, par. 1). Those who set up idols in their hearts are estranged from the Lord through their idols (Ezek. 14:5). All who have idols within them yet seek God in an outward way cannot find Him (v. 3; cf. Jer. 29:13). (Ezek. 14:3, footnote 1)
Today’s Reading
God intended to dispense Himself into man as man’s satisfaction that God might be enlarged, but man became unfaithful and unchaste and forsook God for idols. This forsaking of God began in the garden of Eden. Eve, the wife of Adam, was not faithful to God but was seduced by the serpent to turn from God to Satan, symbolized by the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Through Eve, Adam also was seduced and ate of the fruit of the tree of knowledge. In this way man turned away from God to idols. Every branch of the tree of knowledge is an idol. Whatever we possess, and even whatever we are, can be an idol. Israel was evil and unfaithful to God in forsaking God for idols. In the matter of such unfaithfulness to God, we are the same as Israel.Israel exchanged the reality of God for the falsehood, the vanity, of idols (Jer. 2:5). They “exchanged the truth of God for the lie” (Rom. 1:25a). All idols are vanity; thus, to pursue an idol is to pursue vanity. Israel worshipped and served the creation rather than the Creator (Rom. 1:25b). They worshipped and served not only the things of God’s creation but also the things of their own creation—idols of wood, stone, and metal.
Israel sought the Egyptians’ and Assyrians’ help (man’s help) instead of seeking God’s blessing (Jer. 2:17-18, 36; Isa. 31:3). They did not trust in God’s blessing but in man’s help. As the wife of Jehovah, Israel forsook her chastity to commit fornication, having a harlot’s forehead and refusing to be ashamed (Jer. 2:20, 23-25; 3:1-3). Israel practiced apostasies rather than keeping her faithfulness (2:19). Apostasy is a matter of leaving the way of God and taking another way to follow things other than God. Israel increased the number of their gods (idols) according to the number of their cities (vv. 27-28). Wherever there was a city, there was an idol.
[According to verse 32], Israel had forgotten Jehovah “for days without number,” for so many days that they could not be counted. This means that they had forgotten Him for a very long time. In this matter, they were different from the virgin, who could not forget her ornaments, or the bride, who could not forget her attire. This word concerning ornaments and attire indicates that God is our ornament and attire; that is, God is our beautification.
In punishing them Jehovah did not even give them the showers or the spring rain [3:3a]. He caused the heavens above to be as brass, not giving them any supply. (Life-study of Jeremiah, pp. 27, 42-43)
Further Reading: Life-study of Jeremiah, msg. 6