Ok, confession time. Who has a guilty pleasure reality tv show?
When I say guilty pleasure, I’m talking about a show that is a complete waste of time and you feel like a worse human being after watching it, but you do it anyway. It has zero content, adds zero value to your life, and it’s just a bunch of whiny, entitled people complaining about their lives. Which one is it for you? Real Housewives? The Bachelor? Keeping Up with the Kardashians? 90 Day Fiancé?
I have a favorite show that falls into this category. I’m not gonna tell you what it is because I know you’re already judging me super hard right now. Two of the characters on the show are a guy and a girl in a relationship and they constantly break up and get back together. They get in a fight, she cheats on him, he gets angry at her, they blame each other for their wrongdoings, she cries and apologizes, she swears it will never happen again, and finally he forgives her and they get back together. This vicious cycle happens over and over again. Every time it happens I’m there yelling at the television like “You idiot! Don’t take her back! She’s never gonna change. You know she’s gonna do it again!”
If there was reality TV back in the Old Testament, Israel would’ve been the most popular show to watch. It’s almost comical how similar God’s relationship is with the Israelites. They repeatedly abandoned God but then begged for mercy, falling into the same cycle as my favorite reality TV couple. When they reached the end of their rope, God was waiting to take them back. Let’s follow the account of their story in the book of Jeremiah.
First off, things were great!
“I remember how eager you were to please me as a young bride long ago, how you loved me and followed me even through the barren wilderness.”
Jeremiah 2:2 (NLT)
Then the Israelites decided that God wasn’t enough for them.
“Long ago I broke the yoke that oppressed you and tore away the chains of your slavery, but still you said ‘I will not serve you.’ On every hill and under every green tree, you have prostituted yourselves by bowing down to idols.”
Jeremiah 2:20
“You are like a wild donkey, sniffing the wind at mating time. Who can restrain her lust? Those who desire her don’t need to search, for she goes running to them! When will you stop running? When will you stop panting after other gods?”
Jeremiah 2:24-25
Then Israel played the victim and blamed God for the things they had done wrong!
“Why do you accuse me of doing wrong? You are the ones who have rebelled,” says the Lord.
Jeremiah 2:29
Israel treated it all so lightly—she thought nothing of committing adultery by worshiping idols made of wood and stone. So now the land has been polluted.
Jeremiah 3:9
After all the drama, God still loved them in spite of their sin and pleaded with them to come back to Him.
“O Israel, my faithless people, come home to me again for I am merciful. I will not be angry with you forever.”
Jeremiah 3:12
The last part is a crazy concept. It doesn’t make any sense. How could God choose forgiveness instead of justice? They deserve to be abandoned. Just like when I’m watching trashy television and the guy takes back his girlfriend that cheated on him, I get frustrated because his decision doesn’t make any sense. She deserves to be broken up with. She deserves to suffer for her actions!
Fortunately for us, God gives His people the same unmerited favor. He takes us back even though we don’t deserve it. We could abandon him 100 times and he’ll forgive us 100 times. The next time you think you’re too far gone from a relationship with God, remember the Israelites. We don’t serve a God of excommunication. We serve a God of mercy and love.