“Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, ‘Go and proclaim in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, ”Thus says the Lord, ‘I remember concerning you the devotion of your youth, The love of your betrothals, Your following after Me in the wilderness, Through a land not sown. Israel was holy to the Lord, The first of His harvest. All who ate of it became guilty; Evil came upon them,” declares the Lord.’ ” (Jeremiah 2:1-3)

The beginning of Jeremiah’s ministry. He was to leave the comforts of his hometown, Anathoth, for the unfamiliarity of the capitol city, Jerusalem. Most likely he was held in good standing, known for his faithfulness to YHWH. By contrast, he was being sent to a relative metropolis of Jerusalem, the political and reputed spiritual capitol of Judah. This is where the most powerful, the most wealthy, the most influential members of the Jewish culture lived. Here was the throne of David, Solomon's Temple, the Ark of the Covenant that certified the Aaronic priesthood.

There are two real-life analogies that come to mind.

1. Martin Luther, the Augustinian monk who unwittingly sparked the Protestant Reformation, walked 1,000 miles from Erfut, Germany, to Rome on business for the Augustinian Order, his order, in 1510. He arrived ecstatic, with high expectations of being enlightened and inspired by the depth and devotion of some truly godly men. He left completely dejected by the corruption, irreverance and immorality he saw there - among the priests! Imagine that - a corrupt, irreverant and immoral clergy!

2. A certain billionaire, with nothing to gain, but everything to lose, answered what he considered a Divine call to serve as President of the United States. Instead of being the rich man who had built up more than enough wealth to sustain himself and his posterity for multiple generations, he laid it all on the line to follow this call. Those who once celebrated, sought after, enjoyed him became those who would laugh at, ridicule, mock and scorn him. He won his first election, and for four years endured the most scandalous libel and slander. He was falsely officially accused of and investigated for collusion, quid-pro-quo, and insurrection. He wasacquitted of all of the charges. He lost his first attempt at reelection in an election where his opposition utilized lies, legislative manipulation and questionable ballot handling and tabulation practices. I could go on, but I think you know who he is. Regardless of what you think of him, he could have remained in the comfort and ease his wealth and fame afforded him, but chose to expose not only himself, but his entire family and all who bore any affinity or loyalty to him to unprecedented levels of slander, libel and efforts to destroy them socially, personally, economically and politically.

3. In Philippians, we are told that Jesus Christ,"who although He existedin the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." (Philippians 2:6-8)

Likewise, Jeremiah went from a place that he knew and where he was known to a place he did not know nearly as well, where he was unknown and we will soon see unwelcome – just as the Lord told him.

”Thus says the Lord, ‘I remember concerning you the devotion of your youth, The love of your betrothals, Your following after Me in the wilderness, Through a land not sown. Israel was holy to the Lord, The first of His harvest. All who ate of it became guilty; Evil came upon them,” declares the Lord.’ ” (Jeremiah 2:2-3)

God takes them back to the beginning of their relationship.

This is reminiscent of Revelation 2-3, where Jesus addresses the seven churches of Asia Minor, i.e., Turkey. Ephesus, the church of orthodoxy gone cold. The church where orthodoxy overrode passion. Well, here it was the direct opposite. Their passions had overridden Truth. In Pergamum, the issue was the tolerance of false teachers. If we look back at Israel and Judah, we will see that compromise leads to seduction, which leads to capitulation which leads to corruption which leads to destruction. This leads to Thyatira which had been corrupted. After tolerating heresy, we become corrupt, living only for our passions. This can only lead to spiritual, and maybe even physical death, like Sardis. God in His gracious love may send revival, which could lead us to Philadelphia, but the final condition is Laodicea, which on its best day is tepid, a disgusting mixture of all of the above, good and bad, that is ultimately foundrepulsive to Jesus. This church is not the Church, as Jesus is outside seeking admission.

When we read more about the reign of Josiah (II Kings 22), we learn something shocking.