Sarah loves her new horseback riding place! We even went to watch a very experienced rider in a competition last Saturday. However, the horse got spooked and bucked the rider off. It seemed the new environment and weird fake stones in the arena threw the horse out of sorts. She didn’t trust her owner to lead her safely around. The horse made a mess of things instead of following and trusting her owner’s lead.
The Israelites did the same thing with God. He led them safely to a
wonderful land and offered to provide for them and sustain them, as long as
they obeyed Him. However, they decided to do things their way, not trust Him
and rebel against him. They made a mess of things, too, and it didn’t turn out
well!
Jeremiah 2:13-19 “My people have committed two sins:
They have forsaken me,
the spring of living water,
and have dug their own
cisterns,
broken cisterns that cannot hold water.
14 Is Israel a servant, a slave by birth?
Why then has he become plunder?
15 Lions have roared;
they have growled at him.
They have laid waste his
land;
his towns are burned and deserted.
16 Also, the men of Memphis and Tahpanhes
have cracked your skull.
17 Have you not brought this on yourselves
by forsaking the Lord your
God
when he led you in the way?
18 Now why go to Egypt
to drink water from the Nile?
And why go to Assyria
to drink water from the Euphrates?
19 Your wickedness will punish you;
your backsliding will rebuke you.
Consider then and realize
how evil and bitter it is for you
when you forsake the Lord your God
and have no awe of me,”
declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.