Ineffectual Repentance

Jeremiah 34:15-16: "Recently you repented and did what is right in my sight: Each of you proclaimed freedom to his countrymen. You even made a covenant before me in the house that bears my Name. But now you have turned around and profaned my name; each of you has taken back the male and female slaves you had set free to go where they wished. You have forced them to become your slaves again."


Slavery was a reality during the days of Jeremiah. Not only did certain Israelites have slaves from foreign nations, but they also had fellow Hebrews as slaves. The predominant reasoning for Jewish enslavement would have been as payment to satisfy certain financial responsibilities that a person may have been unable to pay with money or other assets. Therefore, this servitude would have been voluntary on the part of the Hebrew slave, and the Law of God demanded that this slave be treated respectfully and with dignity, like a hired worker might expect to be treated. And at the end of every seventh year, all slaves were to be released from their servitude should they desire their freedom (Jeremiah 34:14). In effect, a Jew would become a slave with the understanding that he or she was attempting to satisfy a financial need through his offering to work for a fellow Hebrew (see Leviticus 25:39f).


With the Babylonians invading the region of Judah, God sent a directive to the prophet Jeremiah to tell the Jewish people to release their slaves. To be sure, this was a horrific time for the Jewish people; slaves needed to be released from their obligations in order to address the indigenous needs of their immediate families. There was no time to waste; all people of Judah needed the freedom to prepare for the onslaught of the invading armies that had arrived.


At first, the Jewish slave owners agreed to the directive by the Lord, and they released their slaves; in fact, they consecrated their commitment by participating in a covenant ceremony at the Temple of the Lord. This receptiveness to the command of the Lord likely was the result of the intense pressure being placed upon the Jewish people by the Babylonian armies; in fact, at the time of this communication of emancipation from the Lord, Judah maintained only two fortified cities (Lachish and Azekah). All of the other cities had seen their defenses compromised by the powerful invading Babylonians.


Interestingly, God blessed the Jewish people for their response of obedience by having the king of Babylon withdraw his forces from the cities of Judah. One would think that the Jewish people would see that their positive response to the dictates of the Lord was bringing blessings to them, and they would continue to follow their path of submission; however, with this reprieve from the pangs of war came a return to slavery. This time the slave owners forced their former slaves into enslavement; these owners enjoyed forcing these servants into bondage in order that they might take advantage of them.


God saw such renewed rebellion as a "profaning of his Name." In turn, the Lord proclaimed that these Israelites would be given a "freedom to fall by the sword, plague, and famine." The Lord would bring the Babylonians back to the region to destroy the cities of Judah to punish the people of Judah for their persistent wickedness. No more would the patience and forbearance of the Lord be seen by the people of Judah.


There is a good word for us. As we read the account above, we must ask ourselves, "Are we apt to repent when we are experiencing difficulties in life, only to return to our rebellious ways when God brings relief from our misery and begins to bless us for our faithfulness to Him?" If the answer is "yes" then we know that our repentance is ineffective, for it desires liberation from the trials of life, rather than genuine determination to change behavior. When we only want to change our lives of sin in order to get out of a jamb and are quick to return to our sinful ways once we are not burdened by the consequences of our sin, we reveal the true (and sinister) intent of our hearts. If we have such a disposition toward our sin, we in effect are proclaiming our desire to continue in it, provided we can avoid any consequences for our sin. This is no repentance at all; rather, it is a hope to not have to suffer for our sinful ways. God hates such hypocrisy.


Let us not want to repent only to avoid the suffering that comes with such obstinacy; instead, let us truly surrender to the One True Lord of Hosts. For then our motivation is not fueled by the desire to see how much we can get away with; to the contrary, we will find ourselves with an earnestness to please our Lord and Savior. Let's be a people who truly want to follow the Lord.