It is easy to remain true to our character when our comfort is not in jeopardy. When staying true to our character is the popular thing to do, or it will not cost us anything, it is not a challenge. However, when being true to our character will have a cost, it is suddenly not as easy to hold onto. It is these moments, the moments when being true to our character is not popular, or when it will, indeed, cost us something, that defines us. When the hard times come, will we remain true to our character? Jeremiah was a man who continued to remain true to his character, despite the obstacles and challenges he faced every day.
God called Jeremiah out of his comfort zone to be His prophet and spread His messages. This was no easy call. Many of the messages that Jeremiah received from God to share with God’s people were messages of judgment because they had worshiped other idols and forsaken God. Jeremiah 2 tells us about the first of these messages that God called him to give. This is part of the message that God gave Jeremiah, “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken Me, the spring of living water, and dug their own cistern, broken cisterns that cannot hold water” (verse13). God was telling His people in these verses that they were looking for life and fulfillment in the wrong places. They were turning to idol worship when God was the only person who could fill them up and give them life. This was the message Jeremiah was giving to the people of Judah.
This message that God gave Jeremiah to give His people was not an easy message to preach. He was calling them out for their sin and idolatry, and he was announcing the judgment they would face because they had turned away from God. It must have been intimidating to share with them because of how they might respond. Despite the difficulties and challenges that must have come with delivering this message, Jeremiah remained true to his character. He shared God’s message of repentance, knowing that he might receive opposition. He prioritized character over comfort and honored God with his obedience.
As followers of Christ, our call is to prioritize character over our own comfort. We are to make hard decisions, speak the truth even when the truth is not popular, and live in obedience to God, even when our comfort is at stake. Our character is far greater and more important than any comfort of this world.
Look up the dictionary definition for character. After writing this definition, pull out a notebook or your journal and think about the character you want to be known for. What do you want people to say about you behind closed doors? At the end of your life, what do you want to be known for? Write these things down. Refer to them often as a reminder to you to hold on to character every day.
The Lord gave me another message. He said, “Go and shout this message to Jerusalem. This is what the Lord says:
“I remember how eager you were to please me
as a young bride long ago,
how you loved me and followed me
even through the barren wilderness.
In those days Israel was holy to the Lord,
the first of his children.[a]
All who harmed his people were declared guilty,
and disaster fell on them.
I, the Lord, have spoken!”
Listen to the word of the Lord, people of Jacob—all you families of Israel! This is what the Lord says:
“What did your ancestors find wrong with me
that led them to stray so far from me?
They worshiped worthless idols,
only to become worthless themselves.
They did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord
who brought us safely out of Egypt
and led us through the barren wilderness—
a land of deserts and pits,
a land of drought and death,
where no one lives or even travels?’
“And when I brought you into a fruitful land
to enjoy its bounty and goodness,
you defiled my land and
corrupted the possession I had promised you.
The priests did not ask,
‘Where is the Lord?’
Those who taught my word ignored me,
the rulers turned against me,
and the prophets spoke in the name of Baal,
wasting their time on worthless idols.
Therefore, I will bring my case against you,”
says the Lord.
“I will even bring charges against your children’s children
in the years to come.
“Go west and look in the land of Cyprus[b];
go east and search through the land of Kedar.
Has anyone ever heard of anything
as strange as this?
Has any nation ever traded its gods for new ones,
even though they are not gods at all?
Yet my people have exchanged their glorious God[c]
for worthless idols!
The heavens are shocked at such a thing
and shrink back in horror and dismay,”
says the Lord.
“For my people have done two evil things:
They have abandoned me—
the fountain of living water.
And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns
that can hold no water at all!
The Results of Israel’s Sin
“Why has Israel become a slave?
Why has he been carried away as plunder?
Strong lions have roared against him,
and the land has been destroyed.
The towns are now in ruins,
and no one lives in them anymore.
Egyptians, marching from their cities of Memphis[d] and Tahpanhes,
have destroyed Israel’s glory and power.
And you have brought this upon yourselves
by rebelling against the Lord your God,
even though he was leading you on the way!
“What have you gained by your alliances with Egypt
and your covenants with Assyria?
What good to you are the streams of the Nile[e]
or the waters of the Euphrates River?[f]
Your wickedness will bring its own punishment.
Your turning from me will shame you.
You will see what an evil, bitter thing it is
to abandon the Lord your God and not to fear him.
I, the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!
“Long ago I broke the yoke that oppressed you
and tore away the chains of your slavery,
but still you said,
‘I will not serve you.’
On every hill and under every green tree,
you have prostituted yourselves by bowing down to idols.
But I was the one who planted you,
choosing a vine of the purest stock—the very best.
How did you grow into this corrupt wild vine?
No amount of soap or lye can make you clean.
I still see the stain of your guilt.
I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!
Israel, an Unfaithful Wife
“You say, ‘That’s not true!
I haven’t worshiped the images of Baal!’
But how can you say that?
Go and look in any valley in the land!
Face the awful sins you have done.
You are like a restless female camel
desperately searching for a mate.
You are like a wild donkey,
sniffing the wind at mating time.
Who can restrain her lust?
Those who desire her don’t need to search,
for she goes running to them!
When will you stop running?
When will you stop panting after other gods?
But you say, ‘Save your breath.
I’m in love with these foreign gods,
and I can’t stop loving them now!’
“Israel is like a thief
who feels shame only when he gets caught.
They, their kings, officials, priests, and prophets—
all are alike in this.
To an image carved from a piece of wood they say,
‘You are my father.’
To an idol chiseled from a block of stone they say,
‘You are my mother.’
They turn their backs on me,
but in times of trouble they cry out to me,
‘Come and save us!’
But why not call on these gods you have made?
When trouble comes, let them save you if they can!
For you have as many gods
as there are towns in Judah.
Why do you accuse me of doing wrong?
You are the ones who have rebelled,”
says the Lord.
“I have punished your children,
but they did not respond to my discipline.
You yourselves have killed your prophets
as a lion kills its prey.
“O my people, listen to the words of the Lord!
Have I been like a desert to Israel?
Have I been to them a land of darkness?
Why then do my people say, ‘At last we are free from God!
We don’t need him anymore!’
Does a young woman forget her jewelry,
or a bride her wedding dress?
Yet for years on end
my people have forgotten me.
“How you plot and scheme to win your lovers.
Even an experienced prostitute could learn from you!
Your clothing is stained with the blood of the innocent and the poor,
though you didn’t catch them breaking into your houses!
And yet you say,
‘I have done nothing wrong.
Surely God isn’t angry with me!’
But now I will punish you severely
because you claim you have not sinned.
First here, then there—
you flit from one ally to another asking for help.
But your new friends in Egypt will let you down,
just as Assyria did before.
In despair, you will be led into exile
with your hands on your heads,
for the Lord has rejected the nations you trust.
They will not help you at all.
