Child porn and broken cisterns

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Jeremiah 2:11-12 - "But my people have exchanged their Glory for worthless idols.  Be appalled at this, O heavens, and shudder with great horror." 

I find the above verse very interesting.  God is prophesying through the prophet Jeremiah, who is telling of the coming judgement of the southern kingdom of Judah for worshiping idols and forsaking the Lord.  It is not the judgment that I find interesting.  The Lord and I both know that if I were to be judged according to my deeds, nothing but a lake of fire would be suitable for the evil committed by my hands and heart.  It is the Lord's reaction to the people abandoning Him that I find the most revealing about God's character.

The Lord is appalled by the choice of the people to worship false gods.  He instructs all of heaven, all angels and heavenly beings, to be horrified at the action of God's lost people.  God is righteously angry that His people would exchange their glory, their honor to be His people and to serve the one true God, to worship at the altar of false gods.  He isn't just a bit perturbed or indignant, He is disgusted and sickened.

I imagine God felt the same way I felt when I read about a retired Granby police captain who was arrested for possession of one of the largest child pornography collections in the history of Connecticut.  His collection included what the New Haven Register describes as horrific photographs of infants and toddlers being sexually abused.  The irony: the retired captain was responsible for investigating child pornography cases and was even a speaker at conferences held to train law enforcement on catching pedophiles.  A man charged with protecting innocence and apprehending those whose nauseating crimes trouble the souls of even hardened murderers was a perpetrator himself.  

God feels the same way about His people exchanging their glory for worthless idols.  God goes on to say, "My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water" (Jer. 2:13).  Cisterns are pits that collected rainwater and a broken cistern is pictured at the top of today's blog.  God makes it clear that He is wonderful and that his edicts are good for His people.  He also makes it clear that by ignoring God's offering of Himself and creating their own alternative, these Israelites are left with broken cisterns that cannot even hold water.  God offers Himself, the best that He can offer because He is perfection, yet the Israelites have chosen a faulty and fleshy method of self indulgence.

God is disgusted, appalled and horrified by the Israelites' actions because of their blatant and willful disregard for His commandment to have no other gods before Him.  God is also heartbroken and frustrated because He wants to give His children His best, yet they choose the world's worst.  He charges them with possessing His Glory, but they forsake it for their own gratification.  Like the retired Granby police captain forsook his charge to protect the sacred innocence of children, the Israelites forsook their opportunity and responsibility to obey the Lord and live in His glory and blessings.

The point?  We do the same thing daily.  Every time we choose to do something that satisfies our flesh and does not please God, we appall Him.  Each time we choose to have sex before marriage, He is appalled.  Each time we choose to deny Him to feel social acceptance, He is horrified.  Each time we get drunk, He is disgusted.  It is not because He is surprised by our actions; He is God after all.  And it is not because He ceases to love us or have mercy upon us.  His grace and mercy for the repentant are limitless.  Still, I will hop off of the popular evangelical bandwagon that highlights the love of God and completely ignores His jealousy and justice as if they were the more annoying characteristics of God from which He is slowly recovering.  He is appalled, horrified and disgusted because we have chosen our worst over His best.  In the eyes of the Lord, our best effort in the flesh is a stinking offense compared to obedience to the Word and the promptings of the Holy Spirit.  Our best day in our flesh still earns us a seat in Satan's house.

I will not spend any further time identifying what behaviors or attitudes we may have that appall the Lord.  My pastor Josh Feay preached a sermon some time ago and I believe it was the best sermon I ever heard him give.  He was talking about sin and in regard to sin he said, "Just stop."  So whatever behavior or attitude you may have that the prophesy of Jeremiah could possibly address, I will quote my pastor.  Just stop.

We can drink fresh water from the spring of life or dig out our own broken cisterns that cannot hold water.  Let's learn from Israel's true story.