Two Words

8/9/2016

Jeremiah3.11 11 The Lord said to me, “Faithless Israel is more righteous than unfaithful Judah. – St. Jeremiah, the prophet

Don’t know that I’ve ever considered the difference between faithless and unfaithful, but leave it to Jeremiah the prophet to give me insight.

When Solomon’s son Rehoboam, became king, he lost the northern ten tribes of Israel because he had the perfect opportunity to become a very great king, but he chose to play small-ball. He could’ve had the nation eating out of his hand but instead, he chose pettiness and petulance. The northern ten tribes said, Eat crap! and left. Israel had become divided.

Now, when Israel became its own kingdom under a guy named Jeroboam, they went all the way – they trashed all of what God had prescribed for the nation. They made their own chief city, they had their own religious holidays and they became idolaters. And not just a little bit; they went the whole way. Israel, the northern ten tribes became faithless. They completely threw out God.

Judah, the southern kingdom under the house of David, was a bit more insidious – they kept all the wishes of God in pretense but became idolaters by adding a bunch of stuff to the laws that God had given them. They became unfaithful. They became half. Half-married is worse than divorce.

Faithless is no faith. Unfaithfulness is pretense. At least faithless is a surety. Unfaithfulness is a ruse. I’d rather deal with someone that I know where they stand, than with someone I am not sure. God said of faithless Israel, at least I know where they stand…Judah, I can’t trust.

In our day, in our way, where do you think we are as a nation, as a people? Are we faithless, or unfaithful? One is worse than the other. Does it matter? As believers, what would someone say about us? They world thinks we are unfaithful because we claim to be one thing, and act another. At least with the atheist crowd, we know where they stand.

And personally, what am I: faithless, or unfaithful? Now, we’re getting down to the brass tacks. What has God called me to be? Where is my heart and my passion? What does my life speak? Am I part of the problem or part of the solution? Two words that tell the truth.

We can pretend and fool each other – for a while; but we can never fool God.

Father, these two words spoke volumes to me today about the nation, the church, and my own faith. If I were to stand in the scales today, would I weigh faithless, or unfaithful? Or would I weigh faithful? You are the Judge and You know the heart. Change my heart O Lord. Make it ever true. Change my heart O Lord, may I be like You. Amen