Famine, Sword, and Pestilence (Jer. 14:1-15:9)

What is wrong with Zion’s repentance in our passage tonight?

Our shorter catechism provides a good summary of what is repentance: “Repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, does, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God with full purpose of and endeavor after new obedience.”

What’s missing in these verses?

Is there a true sense of sin? “Our iniquities testify against us – our backslidings are many” (14:7)

Is there an apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ? “O you hope of Israel, its savior in time of trouble…” (14:8) “You, O LORD, are in the midst of us, and we are called by your name” (14:9)

Is there grief and hatred of sin? “We acknowledge our wickedness, O LORD, and the iniquity of our fathers, for we have sinned against you.” (14:20)

Is there a turning to God? “We set our hope on you, for you do all these things” (14:22)

Is there a purpose for new obedience? It’s not explicit – but I think it’s there.

In other words, there’s nothing obviously missing here. This looks and sounds like true repentance because it is true repentance!

What God is saying is that there is a time when it is too late to repent. There is a point at which God says, “Time’s up!”...