“Backsliding”

Jeremiah 2:19

“Your own wickedness will correct you, And your backslidings will rebuke you. Know therefore and see that it is an evil and bitter thing That you have forsaken the LORD your God, And the fear of Me is not in you, Says the Lord GOD of hosts.”

It is easy to learn from this passage of Scripture that the Lord is quite displeased with Israel for their backsliding. He tells them it is an evil and bitter thing that they have forsaken Him. He identifies that they no longer fear Him. The writer of Hebrews says plainly, “Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him." (Heb. 10:38). Sadly, the Lord identifies through the prophet Hosea, “My people are bent on backsliding from Me. Though they call to the Most High, None at all exalt Him” (Hosea 11:7). The tendency for man as is apparent with Israel is to be “bent” or determine to backslide. In some instances the Lord’s people may seem to be serving Him but as the verse clearly shows they do not exalt the Most High. This is something Jesus pointed out “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. 9 And in vain they worship Me…” (Matt. 15:8-9). The Good Lord wants our hearts. This means, He wants us to truly love and serve Him. He wants us to have reverential fear for Him. To backslide is to forsake Him. Let us learn from the admonition of the Lord to Israel. Let us continuously fear the Lord, repent of our backsliding and turn to God’s course and not our own (Jer. 10:23).

 Jeremy W. Goen

To Regain God’s Favor

Jeremiah 3:13

“Only acknowledge your iniquity, That you have transgressed against the LORD your God, And have scattered your charms To alien deities under every green tree, And you have not obeyed My voice,' says the LORD.”

From this text, the Lord admonishes and instructs Israel to repent of their iniquity. He explains to them their “adulterous” behavior “Return, O backsliding children," says the LORD; "for I am married to you. I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion. 15 "And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding” (Jer. 3:14-15). As He claims Israel as His bride He lets them know that their backsliding included turning to alien deities. As God is a jealous God He explains their behavior is “Surely, as a wife treacherously departs from her husband, So have you dealt treacherously with Me, O house of Israel," says the LORD” (Jer. 3:20). The Lord promises, as He always has, to provide for them according to His heart. That means He will give them shepherds who will provide for their care and feeding. They will help them by feeding them with knowledge and understanding. For it is in constant feeding and understanding that will help the Israelites remain faithful to their groom. The writer of Hebrews states, “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God;” (Heb. 3:12). Let us always remember that we are the Bride of Christ and to turn to alien deities is to scatter our charms and disobey the voice of the Lord. Let us regain God’s favor by acknowledging when we backslide, repent, and turn back to Him.

Jeremy W. Goen

Use Your Bible!

Using your Bible answer the questions below

Theme: The origin of Evil

1. With whom did sin originate? (1 John 3:8)

2. From what time has the devil been a murderer? (John 8:44)

3. What is the devil’s relationship to lying? (John 8:44)

4. Was Satan created sinful? (Eze. 28:15)

5. What further statement of Christ seems to lay the responsibility for the origin of sin upon Satan and his angels? (Matt. 25:41)

6. What led to Satan’s sin, rebellion, and downfall? (Eze. 28:17; Isa. 14:13, 14)

7. In contrast with the pride and self-exaltation exhibited by Satan, what spirit did Christ manifest? (Phil. 2:6-8)

8. After man had sinned, how did god show His love, and His willingness to forgive? (John 3:16)

“A Walk With God”

We will “search the scriptures daily” (Acts 17:11) by reading through the entire Bible in a year for 2019. In this section of the Pekin Bulletin you will find the reading schedule to help you take “A Walk With God” so that you may grow closer to Him. This reading will be done in a somewhat “chronological order.” Enjoy!

June 2019

01 – Psalms 127-129               11 – Psalms 48-50                21 – 2 Chron. 6-9

02 – Psalms 130-134              12 – Psalms 73-76                22 – 2 Chron. 10-16

03 – Psalms 135, 136              13 – Psalms 77, 78                23 – 2 Chron. 17-21

04 – Psalms 146-150              14 – Psalms 79-81                24 – Obadiah

05 – 1 Chron. 1-5                    15 – Psalms 82-85               25 – 2 Chron. 22

06 – 1 Chron. 6-9                   16 – Psalms 87, 88               26 – Joel 1-3

07 – 1 Chron. 10-12                17 – 1 Chron. 17-22              27 – 2 Chron. 23:1 to 26:8

08 – 1 Chron. 13-16                18 – 1 Chron. 23-27             28 – Isa. 1-5

09 – Psalms 42, 44                 19 – 1 Chron. 28, 29            29 – 2 Chron. 26:9-23; Isa. 6

10 – Psalms 45-47                   20 – 2 Chron. 1-5               30 – 2 Chron. 27, 28