Learning from the Example of Others

​Jeremiah 3:8 ~ “She saw that for all the adulteries of that faithless one, Israel, I had sent her away with a decree of divorce. Yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but she too went and played the whore.”
 
The nation of Israel separated into two kingdoms, the northern kingdom which still referred to itself as Israel and the southern kingdom now called by the name of the tribe of Judah. And yet, Israel and Judah were all still the delivered people of God—the lineage of those who were rescued from Egypt and the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
 
It did not take long for the northern kingdom to fall into great sin and idolatry. They had forsaken the LORD, the temple, the sacrifices and worship of God. Soon after the separation, Israel established idolatry in full force as they built altars to the various false gods of the nations around them. But idolatry is as adultery to the LORD for it is to take the faithful devotion and love that God deserves and give it to another—to false gods. However, God is rich in mercy and patient in His faithfulness to Israel. He called upon them to return, sending prophets to the people and warning them of impending judgment. Jeremiah 7:25 says, “From the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt to this day, I have persistently sent all my servants the prophets to them, day after day.” And what reason did God have for sending prophets in the land, but to continually call Israel to repent and return to the LORD their God (see 2 Chronicles 24:19).
 
Israel, however, went into captivity. God sent her away, and all the while her sister nation, Judah, witnessed the whole thing. But, where Israel to the north was called “faithless,” Judah to the south was called “treacherous” (see Jeremiah 3:11). Why? Simply this: Judah had all the advantage over Israel, for in Jerusalem was the temple of God, His worship and the sacrifices. The priests, especially the high priest, were in Judah. Righteous kings would occasionally rule in the south, where the north had not one righteous king. And one more thing to add—Judah witnessed God’s judgment against Israel. They saw with their own eyes God’s response to the idolatry and rebellion of the northern kingdom, and it did not sway them against their own move toward sin. It is not unlike what happened to the son of Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. We know that Nebuchadnezzar had been disciplined by the hand of God (see Daniel, chapter 4). Belshazzar knew what God did to his father, Nebuchadnezzar, but it did not faze him one bit. Daniel 5:22 states, “And you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this.” He was a witness to the punishment of his father the king, but he willingly rebelled.
 
And this brings us to our text for today. Beloved, let us pay attention when we see God’s hand of discipline heavy upon those who are around us. They may have sinned of spiritual weakness and we are watching God discipline them to move them to repentance so that He can have mercy upon them. Let us then take warning from what we see and also set our hearts to repentance. For if we see what happened to another, and then willingly venture into the same rebellion, we would not merely be faithless—but treacherous. You may have not yet been disciplined by the hand of God, for He is slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness, even as Psalm 145:8 says, “The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” When we see another under the chastisement of God, let us fear the LORD and repent.
 
For that lack of fear, the nation of Judah fell into God’s judgment. The key passage of our text today is this: “Yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear.” If you know of another who is under God’s heavy hand, do not mock or ridicule them for their misfortune, but tremble with fear and learn from what you see so that, if necessary, you quickly repent and leave your sins behind.
 
Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:11, “Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.” Have you learned from the example that others have provided? Does it cause you to watch and be sober in your walk with Christ? Let me implore you, dear Christian, to look through the Scriptures and learn from the examples given to us that we may find both encouragement and, if necessary, correction. And you might, then, discover this promise also being fulfilled, “Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God” (Joel 2:14).
 
In His Grace,
Pastor Michael

---