Scripture Daily

Context No. 2743 of 4322 · Jeremiah

Context · Reflection

Jeremiah 34:12-16: in context

12Therefore the LORD’s word came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, 13“The LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I made a covenant with your fathers in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, saying: 14At the end of seven years, every man of you shall release his brother who is a Hebrew, who has been sold to you, and has served you six years. You shall let him go free from you. But your fathers didn’t listen to me, and didn’t incline their ear. 15You had now turned, and had done that which is right in my eyes, in every man proclaiming liberty to his neighbor. You had made a covenant before me in the house which is called by my name; 16but you turned and profaned my name, and every man caused his servant and every man his handmaid, whom you had let go free at their pleasure, to return. You brought them into subjection, to be to you for servants and for handmaids.’”

With Jerusalem under siege, the people made a solemn covenant to free their Hebrew slaves, exactly as the old law required, and for a moment they did the right thing. Then they turned around and forced the freed men and women back into servitude. God's word through Jeremiah is sharp. Your fathers ignored this law entirely. You finally obeyed it, and made the covenant in the house that bears my name, and then you profaned my name by taking it all back.

The sin here is not a failure to begin. It is a failure to stay. They did the right thing and then undid it, treating a covenant sworn before God as something they could quietly reverse the moment the pressure eased. A good act taken back becomes its own kind of contempt, worse in a way than never having acted, because it made a promise to God and then broke it.

Have I begun something right before God, a release, a forgiveness, a promise, and then quietly taken it back when keeping it grew inconvenient?

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