Why trimmest thou thy way to seek love? therefore hast thou also taught the wicked ones thy ways.
The verse exposes the willing and wicked backsliding of Judah and Israel as a wife unfaithfully leaving her husband to turn away from God. To trim the way to seek love is to eagerly adjust conduct by calculated and improper means to attract favor, seeking the favor, support, help and refuge of the world, the nations and worldly powers through false worship instead of trusting and following God. In seeking such love Israel also taught even the wicked ones her corrupt ways. Such union of God's church with the world is fornication and adultery against God, for the church once espoused to the Lord becomes unfaithful and a harlot by seeking the world's friendship and favor and attaching itself unlawfully to worldly powers. Seeking worldly favor through compromise and alliance with earthly powers is departure from God that brings confusion and destructive results, and the warning reaches Protestant churches that shape their course to gain political allies and seek civil power to enforce religious teachings or institutions. Yet though it exposes this grave wickedness, the verse stands in God's plea to backsliders to return, showing His words are appeals with hope for the backslider rather than proof that forgiveness is impossible.
Israel's Unfaithful Departure
Jeremiah 2 portrays the willing and wicked backsliding of Judah and Israel as a wife unfaithfully leaving her husband to turn away from God. That unfaithfulness is a turning from Him to seek the love and support of worldly powers, becoming like an unfaithful woman who turns to the nations. To trim the way to seek love is eagerly to adjust conduct through calculated, improper means in order to attract favor. It condemns Judah for shaping conduct to attract an unlawful partner, and such shaping teaches others the same corrupt ways.
Seeking love is seeking the favor, support, help and refuge of the world, the nations and worldly powers through false worship instead of trusting and following God. Israel courted worldly powers instead of following God, using worldly means and seeking the world's friendship and favor. Instead of trusting God, the people sought help and refuge through false worship, bringing confusion through alliance with earthly powers. That fellowship with idolaters grew by degrees, beginning with altars to Jehovah in the high places that accustomed the people to tolerate such worship and led to fellowship with idolaters and altars to false gods. In seeking such love Israel also taught even the wicked ones her corrupt ways, showing wicked ones how to follow her ways.
Despite exposing this grave wickedness, the verse stands in God's plea to backsliders to return. His words to those who turn away are appeals with hope for the backslider rather than proof that forgiveness is impossible. Even amid willing and wicked departure like a wife leaving her husband, God still calls His people to return.
Union With World Condemned
Union of God's church with the world is fornication and adultery against God. To turn from God and join another power is spiritual fornication. The Jewish church was once espoused to the Lord, but became unfaithful by seeking the world's friendship and favor. That unlawful attachment to worldly powers is the spiritual adultery that makes a church a harlot, and in seeking such favor she even taught the wicked her ways.
Turning from God to seek the love and favor of the world by worldly means is spiritual unfaithfulness that brings confusion through alliance with earthly powers. To court worldly powers instead of following God, and to teach even the wicked corrupt ways in the process, is departure from God through compromise with the world that brings destructive results. Such departure involves union with earthly rulers in their idolatry and errors, and such union can lead to persecution of God's people. The same warning applies to Protestant churches that shape their conduct to attract an unlawful partner and thereby teach others the same corrupt ways, when they seek political allies and pursue civil power to enforce religious teachings or institutions.
The marriage picture shows how a wife is to deal with a husband who breaks the marriage covenant and lives untrue. To keep living with him while he lives with a harlot wrongs both and makes her a partaker in impurity, so separation is justified. Yet to receive him back upon repentance does not violate the seventh commandment.
The verse exposes the willing and wicked backsliding of Judah and Israel as a wife unfaithfully leaving her husband to turn away from God. To trim the way to seek love is to eagerly adjust conduct by calculated and improper means to attract favor, seeking the favor, support, help and refuge of the world, the nations and worldly powers through false worship instead of trusting and following God. In seeking such love Israel also taught even the wicked ones her corrupt ways. Such union of God's church with the world is fornication and adultery against God, for the church once espoused to the Lord becomes unfaithful and a harlot by seeking the world's friendship and favor and attaching itself unlawfully to worldly powers. Seeking worldly favor through compromise and alliance with earthly powers is departure from God that brings confusion and destructive results, and the warning reaches Protestant churches that shape their course to gain political allies and seek civil power to enforce religious teachings or institutions. Yet though it exposes this grave wickedness, the verse stands in God's plea to backsliders to return, showing His words are appeals with hope for the backslider rather than proof that forgiveness is impossible.
Israel's Unfaithful Departure
Jeremiah 2 portrays the willing and wicked backsliding of Judah and Israel as a wife unfaithfully leaving her husband to turn away from God. That unfaithfulness is a turning from Him to seek the love and support of worldly powers, becoming like an unfaithful woman who turns to the nations. To trim the way to seek love is eagerly to adjust conduct through calculated, improper means in order to attract favor. It condemns Judah for shaping conduct to attract an unlawful partner, and such shaping teaches others the same corrupt ways.
Seeking love is seeking the favor, support, help and refuge of the world, the nations and worldly powers through false worship instead of trusting and following God. Israel courted worldly powers instead of following God, using worldly means and seeking the world's friendship and favor. Instead of trusting God, the people sought help and refuge through false worship, bringing confusion through alliance with earthly powers. That fellowship with idolaters grew by degrees, beginning with altars to Jehovah in the high places that accustomed the people to tolerate such worship and led to fellowship with idolaters and altars to false gods. In seeking such love Israel also taught even the wicked ones her corrupt ways, showing wicked ones how to follow her ways.
Despite exposing this grave wickedness, the verse stands in God's plea to backsliders to return. His words to those who turn away are appeals with hope for the backslider rather than proof that forgiveness is impossible. Even amid willing and wicked departure like a wife leaving her husband, God still calls His people to return.
Union With World Condemned
Union of God's church with the world is fornication and adultery against God. To turn from God and join another power is spiritual fornication. The Jewish church was once espoused to the Lord, but became unfaithful by seeking the world's friendship and favor. That unlawful attachment to worldly powers is the spiritual adultery that makes a church a harlot, and in seeking such favor she even taught the wicked her ways.
Turning from God to seek the love and favor of the world by worldly means is spiritual unfaithfulness that brings confusion through alliance with earthly powers. To court worldly powers instead of following God, and to teach even the wicked corrupt ways in the process, is departure from God through compromise with the world that brings destructive results. Such departure involves union with earthly rulers in their idolatry and errors, and such union can lead to persecution of God's people. The same warning applies to Protestant churches that shape their conduct to attract an unlawful partner and thereby teach others the same corrupt ways, when they seek political allies and pursue civil power to enforce religious teachings or institutions.
The marriage picture shows how a wife is to deal with a husband who breaks the marriage covenant and lives untrue. To keep living with him while he lives with a harlot wrongs both and makes her a partaker in impurity, so separation is justified. Yet to receive him back upon repentance does not violate the seventh commandment.