Week 4 Judah's response to God and repentance

Jeremiah 44:16 “As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we will not listen to you!

It amazes me that they could be so bold as to say to Jeremiah's face, we know you are speaking the word of the Lord but we will not listen or obey. They even go on to say they will return to worshipping their idols because things used to be so much better when they did that. Not seeing any correlation at all between their sin and the punishment that had come upon the country.

Absolutely amazing!!!

But then I calm down and come back to reality and see that their answer is really no different from some of mine that I have given the Lord. They are just more blunt and real about their rebellion than I am. But isn't it true that anytime I refuse to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in my life I am basically saying the same thing as these Jews? "God I know what you want me to do, but I am not going to do it. After all I have taken care of myself in the past and it worked out OK , so I should be able to handle this now in my own way".

I am just beginning to see clearly that any form of rebellion is indeed idolatry. Of course I am not going to go chop down a tree and carve an idol and drag it into my home, but putting my trust in anything besides God is just as bad. You just are not going to notice it when you walk in my door. But hang around me for awhile and you will notice that there is something just not quite right in either and attitude, or a word, or a feeling, etc.

So getting back to their response....they said they were much better off worshipping the Queen of Heaven...why do you think they felt this way? (look at the rest of the chapter and check back on the history of Judah and how they had prospered under different kings, some good and some bad)

A question to ponder.....God sometimes allows something to go on for awhile that is not part of His plan for us, so we really cannot use the fact that we are being blessed as proof that we are completely in His will, so how can we know that we are in God's will and doing all that we are supposed to be doing? (Try to be practical in your answers)