3rd.: The Frustrations of God’s Heart
My sins often frustrate God.
And not just my sins, but those of others as well.
We see one example of this in Jeremiah 2:1-3:22.
The text is too long to include here.
From this passage, we see that he felt betrayed. He compared their behavior to that of a cheating wife.
God then asked, “What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they have gone far from me?” (Jer. 2:5).
Rephrased, God said, "What have I done wrong?"
Jeremiah then prayed, “Behold, we come unto thee, for thou art the Lord our God.
Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains.
Truly in the Lord our God is our salvation of Israel.
For shame has devoured the labour of our fathers from our youth;
their flocks and their herds, their sons, and their daughters.
We lie down in shame, and our confusion covers us.
For we have sinned against the Lord our God, we and our fathers,
from our youth even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God.” (Jer. 3:22b-25).
Jeremiah confessed those sins, as if he [Jeremiah] were the sinner.
Identifying with the sins of our own country indicates a humble attitude.
“He that covers his sins shall not prosper. But whoso confesses and forsakes them shall have mercy.” (Pr. 28:13)