Judah’s Broken Covenant (Day 21)

Read Jeremiah 11:1-17
 
   This section concerns the broken covenant, and a rebuke for those who returned to idols after Josiah’s reform. Jeremiah’s rebuke prompted a threat against his life by his own countrymen. As Jeremiah suffered, he pondered the prosperity of the wicked. As he brought these words to a close, he used a rotten linen belt and filled wineskins as object lessons of God’s coming judgment. 
   At first glance the command in verse 14 is shocking: God tells Jeremiah not to pray and says He won’t listen to the people if they pray. A time comes when God must dispense justice. Sin brings its own bitter reward. If the people were unrepentant and continued in their sin, neither their prayers nor Jeremiah’s would prevent God’s judgment. Their only hope was repentance: sorrow for sin, turning from it, and turning to God. How can we keep praying for God’s help if we haven’t committed our life to Him? God’s blessings come when we are committed to Him, not when we selfishly hang on to our sinful ways.