The inspiring thought prompts us to daily count on the steadfast love of the Lord. If you miss the entrance, and you never walk the path. His situation looked bleak, as this was not a good time to be a true prophet of God. Jeremiah 3:22. “Return, you faithless sons, I will heal your faithlessness.” “Behold, we come to You; For You are the LORD our God. For thou art the Lord our God — Words expressing the strongest inducements to return to God imaginable, because God had an undoubted right to them and their services, was willing to accept them, and able to save them, Isaiah 55:7; chap. God doth as it were bid them hearken to his messengers, and then he will heal their backsliding. Text: Jeremiah 33:1-3. Return, ye backsliding children’ I will heal your backslidings. Here God calls upon them, and invites them to consider whither they are going, and to hearken unto the voice of his ministers, Hosea 14:1 Acts 3:19. The benefit of what is here taught might indeed have reached to the miserable captives and exiles; but as Jeremiah was especially the teacher of his own nation, he labored chiefly no doubt for their advantage, as we have before stated. In the former view, it comprehends all those who in name and profession are his, but in reality are altogether regardless of his will. In discoursing on the words before us, we shall consider, I. God then undertakes to do these things; first, to stimulate the Israelites to repentance, and then to give them the hope of pardon: and he says that a remedy was provided for them, except they hardened themselves. Behold, we come to thee.] God here exhorts the Israelites to repent, that by their example he might move the Jews. TRANSLATION, MEANING, CONTEXT To get what Jeremiah 3:22 means based on its source text, scroll down or follow these links for the original scriptural meaning , biblical context  and relative popularity. But the number was small; nor was it a matter of surprise; for God had not previously said, without reason, that if one came from a city, and two from a tribe, he would be received, though others continued fixed in their perverseness. Behold, we come unto thee - rather, 'in obedience to thee;' literally, for thee (Rosenmuller.). Awake, ye deluded sinners, and return to him, whose “yoke is easy, and whose burthen is light.”], 2. So the Targum, And I will heal your backslidings.] Having declared their recognition of God, they would immediately pass on to a denunciation of the false gods to whom they had resorted. "This simple statement was crucial, for the root of past errors lay in their failure to recognize the Lord as their one and true God, and their consequent resort to the false gods of the fertility cults. Jeremiah wrote his lament as he sat in the ashes of a destroyed Jerusalem. And isn’t that what you’ve done— ‘whored’ your way with god after god? 5 tn The meaning of this last line is uncertain. Jeremiah 3. For its prey, which seizes … Biblical Commentary Lamentations 3:19-33 COMMENTARY: THE BROAD CONTEXT: Assyria and Babylonia were located in Mesopotamia, the area of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers where Iraq is located today—400-500 miles (650-800 km) northeast of Israel. and I will heal your backslidings; that is, I will forgive your sins. This is the call of the Jews to repentance in the latter day; See Gill on Jeremiah 3:14. and I will heal your backslidings; that is, I will forgive your sins. In Jeremiah 3:16 and Jeremiah 3:17 also the thought is clothed in a form characteristic of the Old Testament. Having seen the condescension of God, we can be at no loss to determine, II. and pardon. But the shameful thing hath devoured the labor of our fathers from our youth, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. {See Trapp on "Zechariah 13:9"}. heal — forgive (2 Chronicles 30:18, 2 Chronicles 30:20; Hosea 14:4). "Behold, we come to You; For You are the LORD our God." 22.Answering to this penitence is God’s gracious willingness to receive and pardon. They seem to have been widely practiced in Israel (Jeremiah 41:5; 47:5; 48:37; Isaiah 15:2-3; 22:12; Ezekiel 7:18; Micah 1:16, etc.) Would to God that the slaves of sin would reflect a moment what master they are serving, and what wages they are likely to receive! Filled with astonishment at his forbearance towards us, and solicitous to experience the renewed expressions of his favour, we shall say, “Behold we come unto thee.” No pleasures of sin will be suffered to detain us from him. The whole description is most graphically conceived. The figure used may be even said to be a coarse one, but man’s sin is itself a coarse thing. The people weeping upon the hills: God's gracious voice bidding them return: the glad cry of the penitents exclaiming that they come: the profession of faith won from them by the divine love; these form altogether a most touching picture of a national repentance. A subjection to sin is a vassalage most abject in its nature, and most fatal in its consequences [Note: Romans 6:16.]. How many are there of this description in every place! By these means he convinces their judgment, and makes them willing to comply with his solicitations. Because the idols did not profit them: they could give no help in time of trouble. Lamentations 3:22(ESV) Verse Thoughts Throughout his life, the truth of God that was faithfully taught by Jeremiah the prophet, was rejected and ridiculed by all and sundry.. but when He saw the destruction and devastation of Jerusalem, he fell into deep depression and wept and mourned over the ruins of the beautiful city of God. And I will heal your backslidings — Your revolts, or apostacies: I will take away the guilt of them, and save you from a refractory and revolting disposition. To those who are deliberately resisting the will of God—, [While casting off the restraints of God’s law, and following the dictates of your own will, you conceive yourselves to be enjoying perfect liberty. One concerns the fate of the nation, and the other concerns the feelings of the prophet. Sins are the diseases of the soul, and the wounds made in it; and pardoning them is healing them. Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers, Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament. Who can say that he has invariably, from the very first, pursued the path of duty in one uniform tenour of conduct? As long as we are in this life, we will always need to learn about prayer. Sure we are, that none can truly affirm this to have been their experience. Returne ye backsliding children, and I wil heale your backslidings: Beholde, wee come vnto thee, for thou art the Lord our God. Having “tasted the gall and wormwood of a backslidden state, our souls will have them still in remembrance.” We shall determine with the Church of old, “I will return unto my first husband, for then it was better with me than now [Note: Hosea 2:7. A. Return, viz. Behold, we come unto thee; the Targum represents this as what the Jews pretended always to say, and did say, in a hypocritical manner, with which they are upbraided, "lo, at all times ye say, we return to thy worship, save us;'. Jeremiah 3:22, NIV: "Return, faithless people; I will cure you of backsliding.' However this may have been, God here intimates that the Israelites would not be so refractory as not to obey his admonition when the hope of pardon and salvation would be presented to them: and this is mentioned, that the perverseness of the Jews might appear more detestable. Let it once be “shed abroad in our hearts,” and we shall instantly exclaim with rapture, “My Lord, and my God.” “What have I to do any more with idols,” will be the natural effusion of our souls [Note: Hosea 14:8.]. It is an echo to God’s call; an immediate, speedy answer, without delay; not we will come hereafter, but we do come now; we need not take time to consider of it. See Zechariah 13:9. His mood is bleak, his words are dark and angry. He promised to heal their faithless addiction to wandering from Him. Return, ye backsliding children - This they gladly receive, and with one voice make their confession to him: "Behold, we come unto thee, for thou art Jehovah our God;" and thence to the end of the chapter, show the reasons why they return unto God. .—We lose, as before, the force of the Hebrew repetition of the same root, Turn, ye children that have turned, I will heal your turnings. It must have been devastating for the prophet Jeremiah to witness the fall of Jerusalem, the enslavement of his people and the destruction of the holy Temple of God. Yahweh‘s answer to their prayer in Jeremiah 3:21 is immediately followed by their acceptance of the offer of divine mercy. See Zechariah 10:6 13:9. See Jeremiah 3:12. “Is there indeed no profit in serving him?” We will venture to put the matter to this issue. There is no graduation from the school of prayer, for … Jeremiah 14:22. Who amongst us may not consider the text as addressed to himself in particular? Wouldn’t that raise a huge stink in the land? The gate that so many Christians think they have walked through but never have, can be found in an idea so simple that we often miss it. And this was not only their case, but it was the case of their forefathers, who all suffered in consequence of their idolatry and disobedience. To this promise they answer, Behold, we come unto thee, for thou art the Lord our God. [Hosea 14:4 Isaiah 19:22] Oh sweetest promise! If your consciences be not altogether seared, your wounds are festering at this instant. He doesn’t grow impatient with our pathetic cries. It is a description, not of what was really done by the Israelites in general, but of what was necessary to be done in order to their regaining God’s favour; and of what he foresaw would actually be done by such of them as should believe on the Messiah, when he came, and receive the privileges and blessings of the new covenant. repent for sin and from sin. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the Lord our God. Lamentations 3:21-23 on God’s mercies “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.” For thou art the Lord our God; words expressing the strongest inducements to it imaginable, because God hath right to them, is willing to accept them, and able to save them, Isaiah 55:7 Jeremiah 14:22. Return, ye backsliding — Or revolted, children — Return to me, and to my worship and service; return to your duty. Are you as happy now in your departure from God, as you were when you were endeavouring to walk with him? 22 [It is of] the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. Jeremiah 3:22 New International Version (NIV) 22 “Return, faithless people; I will cure you of backsliding.”. Behold, we come unto thee. In all the history of mankind, there is hardly any greater tragedy than that which befell the disobedient people of God. Behold, we come unto thee; the Targum represents this as what the Jews pretended always to say, and did say, in a hypocritical manner, with which they are upbraided, "lo, at all times ye say, we return to thy worship, save us;''. Sins are the diseases of the soul, and the wounds made in it; and pardoning them is healing them. (See 2 Samuel 2:8). But he is a God of infinite compassion, and would rather win us by love. Jeremiah 3:22 Return, ye backsliding children, [and] I will heal your backslidings. Turn, ye turned children, I will heal your turnings. (Jeremiah 3:22) Two important things are woven into the fabric of this entire prophecy. He calls upon them as free agents, and enforces his exhortations with the most cogent motives. We shall no longer keep at a distance from God, but return to him with our whole hearts. (22) Return, ye backsliding children . Preached at / Published Life BPC 8 am service, 2007-03-11. (x) This is spoken in the person of Israel to the shame of Judah, who stayed so long to turn to God. even though they were forbidden.” (Thompson) 3. Verses 1-23 In this chapter, the sin of God’s people is put in the strongest possible light. and I will heal your backslidings; that is, I will forgive your sins. and I will heal your backslidings; that is, I will forgive your sins. Return, ye backsliding children - Yahweh's renewed invitation (Jeremiah 3:12; Jeremiah 3:14) and their immediate response. Jeremiah’s statement that God’s mercies are “new every morning” is related to the statement that follows: “Great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:23). Jeremiah 3:22. The people weeping upon the hills: God‘s gracious voice bidding them return: the glad cry of the penitents exclaiming that they come: the profession of faith won from them by the divine love; these form altogether a most touching picture of a national repentance. He also anticipated Israel"s response of acceptance. On this procedure Esh-Baal became Ish-bosheth! I will not only remove your judgments, but your sins also shall be forgiven. But some think that the Israelites are here upbraided, because they hypocritically pretended that they always sought God. Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Jeremiah 3:24, ESV: "“But from our youth the shameful thing has devoured all for which our fathers labored, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters." Nor does he “will, in any instance, the death of a sinner, but rather that he should return and live.” Hence, instead of saying, as we might well expect, Depart from me, he invites us to return. unto thee—rather, "in obedience to thee"; literally, "for thee" [Rosenmuller]. Return, ye backsliding children This is the call of the Jews to repentance in the latter day; (See Gill on Jeremiah 3:14). Jeremiah 3:22. Hence they elicit this meaning, “Ye indeed say, Behold, we return to thee, thou art our God; ” as though he condemned their hypocrisy, because they falsely alleged that they always sought him. Beware then lest God leave you to be “filled with your own ways [Note: Proverbs 14:14. "Behold, we are come unto thee; for thou art Jehovah our God. The beginning of a path is always the most important. “Be steadfast, immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord; and be assured that your labour shall not be in vain in the Lord.”]. It was not merely worthless but harmful. Jeremiah 3:22. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the Lord our God. The translation has taken it as proverbial for something new and unique. In the ways hast … Here begins a dialogue between God and his people, wherein he offers gracious terms of pardon to them, and they make sincere professions of obedience to him. But such liberty is the sorest bondage [Note: 2 Peter 2:19.]. “Yes, we will come to you, for you are the Lord our God. Be more and more diligent in every good word and work. To report dead links, typos, or html errors or suggestions about making these resources more useful use the convenient, Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Answering to this penitence is God’s gracious willingness to receive. Without can not be used by it self, meaning that it has to be minimum one more condition included (all/at least one,etc) all: "fish", without: "bread", will search for verses that contains "fish" but NOT "bread" start: “Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Soon would they then cast off the yoke which their own lusts have imposed, and seek for freedom in the service of their God. As so often in Hebrew poetry, we have the answer to the invitation given in dramatic form, and hear the cry—we might almost call it the litany—of the suppliants, “Behold, we come unto thee.” They at last own Jehovah as their one true God. God then here declares, that he would be reconcilable to the Israelites, how grievously soever they had sinned, he afterwards introduces them as answering, Behold, we return, or we shall come to thee: for the Prophet speaks here of the future conversion of the ten tribes. Return, ye backsliding children This is the call of the Jews to repentance in the latter day; (See Gill on Jeremiah 3:14). THOUGH the conversion of men is the result of God’s purpose, and solely the effect of his grace, yet it is wrought by rational means. Who has not often been conscious of secret declensions, and “backslidings of heart?”], To both these descriptions of people does God address an earnest and impressive exhortation—, [God well knows the danger to which all are exposed when they have turned aside from him. "Behold, we come to You; For You are the Lord our God. Jeremiah 22 Commentary: In Jeremiah 22 we see a continuation of God’s addressing the king’s household that we saw started in our lesson in Jeremiah 21.Read more about the Last Five Kings of Judah here. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the LORD our God. . Behold. It is then a dialogue between God and the Israelites. God heals our backslidings by his pardoning mercy, his composing peace, and his renewing grace. Your Sex-and-Religion Obsessions - GOD’s Message came to me as follows: “If a man’s wife walks out on him And marries another man, can he take her back as if nothing had happened? Alas! I will heal your backslidings, i.e. Behold, what astonishing mercy! and Jarchi is of opinion that these are words the prophet put into their mouths, and taught them to say, and to confess in this manner: but they are rather their own words, arising from a true sense of sin, under the influence of divine grace, and encouraged with the hope and assurance of pardon; declaring that as they were called upon to return, so they did return, and now were come to God by repentance, with confession and acknowledgment of sin, and by prayer and supplication for pardon and by the exercise of faith upon him for it; and also were come into his house to wait upon him, and worship him in his ordinances: for thou art the Lord our God; not merely as the God of nature and providence, or in a natural way, but in a way of special grace, of which they now will have an application by the Spirit of God. "This is a reference to Baal. By Rev Charles Seet. (1) God says to His unfaithful people, “ Return to Me .”. To those who, having begun to serve God, are drawing back from him—, [“Who hath bewitched,” who hath infatuated, your depraved hearts? Because they had no kind of prosperity since they had abandoned the worship of their Maker. Other Translations for Jeremiah 3:22. This profession of faith gives the reason why they return to Yahweh. “They say, ‘If a man divorces his wife, And she goes from him. So, what Jeremiah is recalling to mind is found in at least the two verses immediately following Lamentations 3:21 (KJV). He doesn’t think little of our repeated appeals to him for what we know he wants to do. KING JAMES VERSION (KJV) TRANSLATION, MEANING, CONTEXT. Jeremiah 3:22. We shall feel a holy indignation at the thought of having so long “provoked the Lord to jealousy;” and shall address him in the language of his repenting people, “Other lords besides thee have had dominion over us, but by thee only will we make mention of thy name [Note: Isaiah 26:13. "[30] "Bosheth" is a word that means "shame"; and it became the pattern in Israel to change names that once ended in "Baal" by rendering that syllable "bosheth." Hence I doubt not but that Jeremiah sets before the Jews, as in a picture, what ought to have constrained them not to persist so obstinately in their sinful courses: “Behold,” he says, “God is prepared to receive into favor your brethren, who are undone and past all hope; and when they shall hear God’s voice kindly and graciously inviting them to himself, they will doubtless return: why then do not ye obey?”. "I will love you freely," and cause your broken bones to rejoice. Such is his gracious declaration to us at this instant; and such is the encouragement which he affords to all who have departed from him.]. Give the whole turn, and not the half turn only. 24 The LORD [is] my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. Return, ye backsliding children’ I will heal your backslidings — Literally, Turn, ye turned children, I will heal your turnings. (Read Jeremiah 3:6-11) If we mark the crimes of those who break off from a religious profession, and the consequences, we see abundant reason to shun evil ways. Well might he threaten us with the dreadful consequences of our transgression, and address himself only to our fears. Today's Bible verse of the day is Lamentations 3:22-24. For - Rather, because … This profession of faith gives the reason why they return to Yahweh. Jeremiah 3:22 Context. God doesn’t get angry at you for asking him to do the things he’s already determined to do. Babylonia (southern Mesopotamia) has surpassed Assyria (northern Mesopotamia) as the dominant Mesopotamian Jeremiah 3:22, KJV: "Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. The Lord’s address to the backsliders—, The persons addressed are either mere nominal Christians, or real Christians in a declining state—, [The term “backsliding” refers to an unruly heifer that either will not at all draw in its master’s yoke, or that performs its work unsteadily [Note: Hosea 4:16.]. THOUGH the conversion of men is the result of God’s purpose, and solely the effect of his grace, yet it is wrought by rational means. and Jarchi is of opinion that these are words the prophet put into their mouths, and taught them to say, and to confess in this manner: but they are rather their own words, arising from a true sense of sin, under the influence of divine grace, and encouraged with the hope and assurance of pardon; declaring that as they were called upon to return, so they did return, and now were come to God by repentance, with confession and acknowledgment of sin, and by prayer and supplication for pardon and by the exercise of faith upon him for it; and also were come into his house to wait upon him, and worship him in his ordinances: for thou art the Lord our God; not merely as the God of nature and providence, or in a natural way, but in a way of special grace, of which they now will have an application by the Spirit of God. 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