DEALING WITH UNFAITHFULNESS

Jeremiah 2: 4-13

There are dates in the minds of individuals and in the minds of communities that are etched in stone, perhaps never to be forgotten. Some are historic, like the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the date that will live in infamy. Others remember November 23, 1963 when America lost a president to an assassin’s bullet. Last Friday was (can you believe it) the 10^th anniversary of the death of Diana, the Princess of Wales. Dates become part of our human lexicon, our mental calendar. You might remember the death of someone close to you or your anniversary or the birthday of others. But some also remember times of personal disaster, such as a time when someone you love broke promises or vows made to you, or an employer went back on its promise to give you pension and medical coverage after your retirement. For some here, life changed 3 years ago when three hurricanes in a row destroyed parts of their lives, not to the degree, but in the same manner that hurricane Katrina devastated the gulf states 2 years ago. “You are in the nation’s thoughts and prayers; we will assist you.” said voices from Washington. And clearly millions of dollars did come, but some never did receive the help they needed. Bungled local and state government distribution plans along with inadequate insurance coverage made some people say that their neighbors, the government, and perhaps even their God had forgotten them. Pictures from devastated areas today show FEMA trailers inches apart from one another and the government saying they were not meant to be permanent homes. And then what happens? Blame, finger-pointing, hurt, and anger: it happens with catastrophic losses dealing with insurance companies, it happens in divorces, it happens when your pension or medical coverage is yanked, it happens anytime one person believes another has not acted in good faith. These are human, normal reactions.

That takes us to another important date: January 588 B.C. Assyrians had been the ruthless power in the region for many years, but Babylon was gaining power and the Kingdom of Judah was being led by Zedekiah, a well intentioned but weak king who began at age 21. He was unable to control the ultra-nationalists already in place, and worked on foreign policy with his neighboring leaders to no avail. The finger pointing was rampant: the people accused their King of forgetting them; King Zedekiah said that Jehoiachin, his chief advisor, was at fault for giving him faulty intelligence, (we’ve heard that charge before!). God finally said to Jeremiah that he had better warn the people that their unfaithful living would bring consequences. Jeremiah pointed to all who gathered and cried out: “See what you are bringing on yourselves and me!” Even though the idea of Karma is popular today in casual conversations, there in no doctrine of bad things happening mainly to bad people in Christianity. In Judaism, however, it was thought that unheeded warnings from prophets from God could certainly bring dire consequences, and it was illustrated time and again in the Old Testament. But this time, it was God who was crying “unfaithful!” about his chosen people. What were some of the things God pointed to as unfaithful, and which of them, if any, speak to our situations today? Certainly Jeremiah could have gone down the 10 Commandments, the Decalogue, and found plenty of reasons for guilt, even as they are a plumb line for right living in our country today. “Thou shalt not spend more time, give more attention to, or show more devotion to something else more than to me.” That’s what the first commandment means. What is your “obsession” besides God? About what are you a “fanatic?” In Jeremiah’s day prophets said problems usually involved sports figures, lust, and greed; is there anything new under the sun? Here is how God pleads with his children to change: “Thus says the Lord” Jeremiah preached, “I remember how devoted you were as youth, and how you earnestly listened to and followed me. I didn’t lead you wrong, so why have you decided to try a different path? I gave you a place to live, and food, and values, but you have defiled them by breaking your promises to me and to others.” The people remembered that a law book had been found in the Temple and that they had read from it a short time before: “do not use my name for swearing;” “do not work on the Sabbath,” “do not take what you did not pay for;” do not be unfaithful to your spouse.” These rules are so old and this prophesy so time-locked that who could possibly think we could learn anything from them? Who indeed ….

And so the rest is history: Jerusalem—Jeremiah’s city—warned of the coming consequences and was as ravaged by Babylonians as our gulf cities were by Katrina. Almost everything was destroyed. Sometimes our personal lives feel that ravaged, brought on by unfaithfulness, don’t they? We know that responding like angry or undisciplined individuals just moves us from civilization to anarchy, so what does our faithful God do with our unfaithfulness? The first thing God says, and Jesus repeated, is no eye-for-an-eye: unfaithfulness is not rebuffed by unfaithfulness in return. The Lord our God, like the father we learned about in the prodigal son story, and like God in the Jonah story, never stops being faithful. Some have accused God of being too patient as a judge, until they themselves are on trial! When you have been wronged, energy to “get even” can better be spent to make others admire you and for your God to say, in so many words: “well done; all that I have is yours. I will not abandon you.” Those who have done acts of unfaithfulness have, for a time, abandoned God. By contrast, you haven’t when you channel your anger into purposeful, new living. If you are slighted by a broken corporate promise, by infidelity, or by the lies of a friend, bring all the godly qualities of truthfulness, trust, and loyalty to bear on a solution, but to say “I’ll get even with him or her if it’s the last thing I do” belongs on film or TV; there is no place for that if we expect to lift our personal lives out of the ditch where they’ve been pushed. There are better ways. Today, consider the times you have been hurt by unfaithfulness; you have been hurt and hurt badly. Our God, and even our Savior, had to deal with unfaithfulness and betrayal as well; you are not alone. Pray for, go into counseling for, and work for control over your actions and emotions. Then, like a mighty army for change, or like church groups that have rebuilt home after home in Louisiana and Mississippi, we can show government leaders, neighbors, and people stuck in a state of feeling victimized what a band of believers can do in the name of God. There is a world that has been stung by unfaithfulness, and it probably resides in your heart as well. What a difference if you choose to respond like your Savior, instead of like a savage. Amen.

Jeffrey A. Sumner September 2, 2007