In vain I punished your people; they did not respond to correction

Jeremiah 2:14-37

Have you not brought this on yourselves by forsaking the Lord your God when he led you in the way? Now why go to Egypt to drink water from the Nile? And why go to Assyria to drink water from the Euphrates? 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.

“As a thief is disgraced when he is caught, so the people of Israel are disgraced—they, their kings and their officials, their priests and their prophets. They say to wood, ‘You are my father,’ and to stone, ‘You gave me birth.’ They have turned their backs to me and not their faces; yet when they are in trouble, they say, ‘Come and save us!’ Where then are the gods you made for yourselves? Let them come if they can save you when you are in trouble! For you, Judah, have as many gods as you have towns.

In vain I punished your people; they did not respond to correction. Your sword has devoured your prophets like a ravenous lion.

You will also leave that place with your hands on your head, for the Lord has rejected those you trust; you will not be helped by them.

Why?

Turn away from the Lord there is wickedness that will punish you, and your backsliding will rebuke you.

But the people of Israel did not know what they are pursuing, they are chasing the wind so everything their hoped will go.

Most people look at this world more than the Lord, for we can not see the Lord but we can see the physical country and beautiful materials. We need the eyes of the Spirit and focus on the Lord.

The Lord asked them so many questions but they did not listen. Their heart of Israel are blind and fall into this world.

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自找出路的比喻：在家裏出生的僕人地位比較高。少壯獅子指巴比侖，挪弗人和答比匿人指找埃及，就是依靠強權，結果反而得羞辱。結局自己成為俘虜，還想從他們當中找什麼好處嗎？當人離開神的時候，似乎有快樂，但是很羞恥的。

呼籲人悔改：人不要那麼辛苦，不要為了自己找出路。腳上無鞋是指奴僕的身份，為什麼甘願當奴僕?平常不找神，遇到患難又來找神。神不是消防隊，不是加油站，平時不喜歡，但是有需要的時候要求來幫忙。

自找出路的原因：人沒有安全感，認為神是曠野、是幽暗之地。他們忘了神的幫助，神多麼愛他們。自己人以為有愛情，無辜的。靠著自己的打算，因此一直憂慮、勞苦愁煩。

自找出路的結局： 兩手抱頭就是投降。本來以為可靠的變成恥辱。

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How?

Everyone has to face this own behavior and his choice, For the consequence is due to his behavior. Jesus is the way I will follow him in my life.