In Land Not Sown

"Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ² "Go and cry in the hearing of Jerusalem, saying, 'Thus says the LORD: "I remember you, the kindness of your youth, the love of your betrothal, when you went after Me in the wilderness, in a land not sown."

Jeremiah 2:1-2

God is the same yesterday, today and forever; He is faithful and good towards all, and His people know this well.  Through the prophet God addressed His people, the children of Israel, about how over time they had changed.  During the season when God led them like a flock through the wilderness, they followed Him by faith with fervent desire.  This newborn nation followed God like a betrothed woman sought out her husband to walk with him--with only eyes for Him.  Sadly, Israel's devotion and kindness toward God did not remain steadfast.  God remembered how Israel once followed Him in the wilderness:  in a land not sown.

It is significant Israel followed God in a land not sown, for in this barren land there was no hope of harvest, wealth from a crop, or food for their little ones.  In the early days Israel did not follow God in the hope of personal gain, hoping to get something out of him like a gold digger who seeks to profit from the rich.  Over time the children of Israel continued with sacrifices, tithing and keeping feasts according to the Law of Moses, but their works became transactional and tinged with selfishness rather than kind and loving as in their youth when they gladly went after Him in the wilderness.  Boaz commended Ruth when she asked him to perform the duty of a kinsman redeemer in Ruth 3:10:  "Then he said, "Blessed are you of the LORD, my daughter! For you have shown more kindness at the end than at the beginning, in that you did not go after young men, whether poor or rich."  Boaz was a great deal older than Ruth, yet she did not go looking for the youngest, most handsome men to redeem her.  Instead she went to the one who already showed her kindness in providing a safe place to glean.

Even in early days God witnessed the departure of His people to go after idols that never saved a soul or helped them, and this was memorialised in in Moses' song in Deuteronomy 32:16-17:  "They provoked Him to jealousy with foreign gods; with abominations they provoked Him to anger. ¹⁷ They sacrificed to demons, not to God, to gods they did not know, to new gods, new arrivals that your fathers did not fear."  Though God had protected them and provided for all their needs, they were enticed by their lusts to seek benefits by worshipping idols that were not God.  The kindness spoken of by the prophet Jeremiah and Boaz conveys loyal love, faithfulness and joint obligation, godly character that ought to mark God's children expressed towards Him as we follow His example towards us.  God desires that we would gladly, freely seek Him and follow Him by faith in a land not sown, knowing He is our life and will supply all our needs.

Do you pray, read the Bible, go to church and serve out of love for the LORD--or because He has something you want?  We often can tell when people come to us with ulterior motives, and God is not fooled when we come to Him for selfish reasons.  As God's adopted children by faith in Jesus, let us be those who show more kindness at the end than at the beginning because we remember how kind and loving God has always been to us.  Even in a land not sown we should not be weary of doing good, for the LORD has promised we will reap if we do not lose heart.  Haven't we already received all we need for life and godliness by His grace (2 Peter 1:3)?