Doubling Down on Idolatry

God allowed His people living in Judah to be taken into exile by the Babylonians in judgment over their idolatry and their abandoning of the Lord and His ways.  Some remained in Judah of course, but some of these fled to Egypt in fear of further Babylonian conquest.  While in Egypt, the people once again began worshipping false gods, including "the queen of heaven."  So, Jeremiah was sent to call the people to repentance and to remind them that their idolatry is what put them in this situation in the first place.  If they did not repent and change their ways, they wouldn't survive in Egypt or ever be able to return to their homes in Judah. (Jer. 44).

It was a stern warning and based in historical fact.  The exiles responded to Jeremiah's words by saying, "As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we will not listen to you.  But we will do everything that we have vowed, make offerings to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her, as we did, both we and our fathers, our kings and our officials, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For then we had plenty of food, and prospered, and saw no disaster" (Jer. 44:16-17).  Stunning. The people not only ignored Jeremiah, they doubled down on their idolatry!  They were determined to serve their false gods, which were really no gods at all.

How does such idolatry look in our day and age?  Our idols are perhaps not as obvious or "in your face" as those of the Israelites.  We don't typically say that we will make offerings to some false god.  Yet we do it.  We commit time and money to things that don't matter, things, people, institutions that we put our trust in over and above God.  We may know more about our favorite sports team or celebrity than we do about God's word. We may prioritize time on Sunday morning for family, fun, or sleeping in over hearing God's word and receiving His sacrament.  As God's chosen people, we should respond to God's rebuke concerning our own idolatry not by saying, "we will not listen to you," but "Lord, have mercy on me a sinner."