11 And the Lord said to me, “Faithless Israel has proved herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. 12 Go and proclaim these words toward the north and say,
‘Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the Lord;
‘I will not [h]look upon you in anger.
For I am gracious,’ declares the Lord;
‘I will not be angry forever.
13 ‘Only [i]acknowledge your iniquity,
That you have transgressed against the Lord your God
And have scattered your [j]favors to the strangers under every green tree,
And you have not obeyed My voice,’ declares the Lord.
14 ‘Return, O faithless sons,’ declares the Lord;
‘For I am a master to you,
And I will take you one from a city and two from a family,
And I will bring you to Zion.’15 “Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you on knowledge and understanding. 16 It shall be in those days when you are multiplied and increased in the land,” declares the Lord, “they will no longer say, ‘The ark of the covenant of the Lord.’ And it will not come to mind, nor will they remember it, nor will they miss it, nor will it be made again. 17 At that time they will call Jerusalem ‘The Throne of the Lord,’ and all the nations will be gathered to it, to Jerusalem, for the name of the Lord; nor will they walk anymore after the stubbornness of their evil heart. 18 In those days the house of Judah will walk with the house of Israel, and they will come together from the land of the north to the land that I gave your fathers as an inheritance.
This section starts out with a strange statement, that “faithless Israel” was more righteous than “treacherous Judah”. Side note for anyone who is confused by the difference between Israel and Judah: after the days of Solomon, the kingdom was split into two, Judah to the south, and Israel to the north (1 Kings 11-12).
From the very beginning of that division, those in Israel stopped worshipping in Jerusalem, since it was in the territory of Judah. Worse, their leader Jeroboam setup golden calves to worship, just like the ones that got Israel in trouble in the days of Moses. So from the beginning, they were led astray into idol worship and are rightly called “faithless”.
What was different about Judah then? Why was their treachery worse, so that God called the northern idol worshippers “more righteous”? It was worse because they had the temple, and “The ark of the covenant of the Lord.” They had priests to tell them the right way to worship, and many followed the rituals without ever putting their heart into it.
They followed God’s instructions when it suited their whims, when it put on a good show, and went their own way the rest of the year. They were exactly what God called them, “treacherous”; saying one thing, and doing completely the opposite. I wish I could say I was glad we don’t have that today, but it’s just as rampant now as it ever was. Plenty claim to follow God, especially when it gets them high marks from the masses.
But their hearts are far away, just as God told Isaiah earlier, “this people draw near with their [d]words and honor Me with their [e]lip service, but they remove their hearts far from Me…” When our religion becomes mere ritual, it is empty and hollow. Worse, others see through it, and think God is empty and hollow.
So what do our actions say? We need to examine our hearts, and our deeds. Do they proclaim a God who conquered sin and death, that loves us with an immeasurable passion? Judah believed that God existed, they just didn’t let it change their lives. It takes me once more to the writings of James, “What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works?”
Just a couple verses later, James writes “19 You believe that [r]God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. 20 But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?” To be clear, we aren’t saved by our works, but if we don’t have any works to show for it, do we have any faith? Again, it isn’t about the rituals, prayer and scripture reading are vital, but we don’t do them to show off.
It’s in the practical things, as James asked also, “15 If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, [o]be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?” So, if you have food, and someone doesn’t, show God’s love by giving them food instead of preaching at them. If they have no clothes, and you have a closet full? Or if they have no car and you have five?
When we follow God, David described it as a cup that overflows. Are you overflowing? Am I? We should be generous and hold loosely to the blessings of God. They are not meant to be hoarded or clung to, but to be shared, freely just as God gave so freely.