26 “As the thief is shamed when he is discovered,
So the house of Israel is shamed;
They, their kings, their princes
And their priests and their prophets,
27 Who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’
And to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’
For they have turned their back to Me,
And not their face;
But in the time of their [p]trouble they will say,
‘Arise and save us.’
28 “But where are your gods
Which you made for yourself?
Let them arise, if they can save you
In the time of your [q]trouble;
For according to the number of your cities
Are your gods, O Judah.29 “Why do you contend with Me?
You have all transgressed against Me,” declares the Lord.
30 “In vain I have struck your sons;
They accepted no chastening.
Your sword has devoured your prophets
Like a destroying lion.
31 “O generation, heed the word of the Lord.
Have I been a wilderness to Israel,
Or a land of thick darkness?
Why do My people say, ‘We are free to roam;
We will no longer come to You’?
32 “Can a virgin forget her ornaments,
Or a bride her attire?
Yet My people have forgotten Me
Days without number.
33 “How well you prepare your way
To seek love!
Therefore even [r]the wicked women
You have taught your ways.
34 “Also on your skirts is found
The lifeblood of the innocent poor;
You did not find them breaking in.
But in spite of all these things,
35 Yet you said, ‘I am innocent;
Surely His anger is turned away from me.’
Behold, I will enter into judgment with you
Because you say, ‘I have not sinned.’
36 “Why do you go around so much
Changing your way?
Also, you will be put to shame by Egypt
As you were put to shame by Assyria.
37 “From this place also you will go out
With your hands on your head;
For the Lord has rejected those in whom you trust,
And you will not prosper with them.”
This passage reminds me of a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar. We see right away in v. 26, “like a thief when he is discovered…” Yet to the end they dare to say, “I am innocent; surely His anger is turned away from me.” Just like the child caught in the act might say, “Oh, I wasn’t doing anything, just counting the cookies!” or “I was just making sure someone else hadn’t taken any!”
Yet as Israel protested their innocence, God could have asked, “Which command haven’t you broken?” There would have been no answer, for they broke every last one, even murder, which we often think as the most heinous. To God, it was one and the same, when we break one, we’re guilty of all. Why? Because it isn’t about the specific command we broke, it’s that we disobeyed God in the first place.
We see this emphasized throughout this passage, as God reminds them of their foolishness in v. 27, saying to a tree “you are my father” and to a stone, “You gave me birth.” In their time of trouble, it all becomes so clear, there is only one God, and they cry out to Him. Yet why should He rescue, don’t we have a hundred other things we can depend upon?
Yes, even we are guilty of similar sin, even if we haven’t “sunk” to the low of murder. We rely on our job, our income, our family, our house, etc. We put so many things in our lives before God, and then wonder where He is when we need Him. Well, most likely right back where we left Him. That is, where “we left”, and pursued our own designs.
We need to put God first in all we do, our job, our finances, our family, where we live… Every aspect of our lives belongs to Him, and is either a gift from God or a test. Will we trust Him with everything? It’s not an easy task, but one which we should strive for every day. Where did you leave God, where did you see Him last?
In truth, God is only one step away, though the Israelites may have thought Him so far away (v. 31). It isn’t a long journey, so go back (repent, turn around), and make Him first once more today. And do it again tomorrow. Make God your first priority in all you do, and trust His guiding plan for your life.