The Righteous Harlot and the Treacherous Bride Text: Jeremiah 3:11-18
Introduction: The Scandal of Grace
We live in an age that is allergic to judgment but addicted to judging. We are very good at identifying the sins of others, particularly the sins of those who are not like us. The church is often full of people who are experts on the spiritual condition of the godless culture outside, while remaining blissfully ignorant of the rot within. We look at the open, flagrant rebellion of the world, the "faithless Israel," and we thank God that we are not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. And it is precisely into this comfortable, self-congratulatory mindset that the word of the prophet Jeremiah lands like a thunderclap.
The context here is a tale of two sisters, two wives of Yahweh. The northern kingdom, Israel, was the first to play the harlot. She chased after every pagan god on every high hill and was consequently divorced and sent into exile by God. She is off the scene, judged, and gone. The southern kingdom, Judah, saw all of this. She watched her sister's adulteries and the devastating consequences. And what did she learn? Nothing. In fact, she learned how to be worse. She became what Jeremiah calls "treacherous Judah." She kept up the temple worship, she maintained the religious facade, but her heart was far from God. She was the wife who smiled sweetly at her husband in public while carrying on multiple affairs in secret.
And so God delivers a verdict that is utterly scandalous to the religious mind. He declares that the exiled, divorced, faithless harlot, Israel, is more righteous than the treacherous, church-going bride, Judah. This is not a commendation of Israel's sin. It is a blistering condemnation of Judah's hypocrisy. God prefers honest apostasy to deceitful piety. He would rather deal with an open enemy than a false friend. This passage is a divine assault on all forms of religious pretense. It is a call to return that is grounded not in our worthiness, but in God's covenant loyalty. And it is a glorious promise of a future restoration that far exceeds anything the old covenant could offer.
The Text
And Yahweh said to me, “Faithless Israel has proved herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. Go and call out these words toward the north and say, ‘Return, faithless Israel,’ declares Yahweh; ‘I will not look upon you in anger. For I am One of lovingkindness,’ declares Yahweh; ‘I will not be angry forever. Only acknowledge your iniquity, That you have transgressed against Yahweh your God And have scattered your ways of harlotry to the strangers under every green tree, And you have not listened to My voice,’ declares Yahweh. ‘Return, O faithless sons,’ declares Yahweh; ‘For I am a master to you, And I will take you one from a city and two from a family, And I will bring you to Zion.’ Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will shepherd you on knowledge and understanding. It shall be in those days when you are multiplied and fruitful in the land,” declares Yahweh, “they will no longer say, ‘The ark of the covenant of Yahweh.’ And it will not come upon the heart, nor will they remember it, nor will they miss it, nor will it be made again. At that time they will call Jerusalem ‘The Throne of Yahweh,’ and all the nations will be gathered to it, to Jerusalem, for the name of Yahweh; nor will they walk anymore after the stubbornness of their evil heart. In those days the house of Judah will walk with the house of Israel, and they will come together from the land of the north to the land that I gave your fathers as an inheritance.
(Jeremiah 3:11-18 LSB)
An Offensive Comparison (v. 11)
The prophet begins with God's shocking legal verdict.
"And Yahweh said to me, 'Faithless Israel has proved herself more righteous than treacherous Judah.'" (Jeremiah 3:11 LSB)
Let this sink in. Israel was the apostate. She was the one who had already been judged, defeated, and scattered among the nations. Judah was the one left, the one with the temple, the priesthood, and the promises. And God says the apostate is more righteous. Why? Because Israel's sin was open, while Judah's was cloaked in hypocrisy. Israel was a prostitute on the street corner; Judah was a madam running a brothel out of the church basement. The word for "faithless" describes turning away, apostasy. The word for "treacherous" describes deceit, betrayal, a lie. God is telling us that He has more patience for the honest pagan than He does for the religious hypocrite. This is the same principle Jesus taught with the parable of the two sons. The one who said "I will not" and later repented was better than the one who said "I go, sir" and did not go. God is interested in reality, not religious performance.
This is a permanent warning to the visible church. It is entirely possible to have correct doctrine, beautiful liturgy, and a rich history, and yet be more offensive to God than the secular world we so quickly condemn. Treachery dressed in piety is a stench in God's nostrils.
The Gracious Call to Return (v. 12-13)
Because God is a God of grace, the verdict is immediately followed by an invitation.
"Go and call out these words toward the north and say, 'Return, faithless Israel,' declares Yahweh; 'I will not look upon you in anger. For I am One of lovingkindness,' declares Yahweh; 'I will not be angry forever. Only acknowledge your iniquity, That you have transgressed against Yahweh your God And have scattered your ways of harlotry to the strangers under every green tree, And you have not listened to My voice,' declares Yahweh." (Jeremiah 3:12-13 LSB)
The call goes "toward the north," to the place of exile. God initiates. The offended husband seeks out the adulterous wife. The basis of this appeal is not her loveliness but His character. "For I am One of lovingkindness." The word is hesed, that great covenant term that means loyal love, steadfast faithfulness, mercy. God is saying, "My commitment to My promise is greater than your commitment to your sin."
But grace is not cheap. It has one condition, and it is a non-negotiable one: "Only acknowledge your iniquity." This is repentance. It is not trying to earn your way back. It is simply telling the truth. It is agreeing with God about your sin. Notice the specifics. They must confess that they "transgressed," "scattered your ways of harlotry," and "have not listened to My voice." This is a confession of rebellion, spiritual adultery, and disobedience. It is to stop making excuses, stop blaming circumstances, and to own the sin. This is the narrow gate through which all who are saved must pass. You cannot be saved from a sin you refuse to name.
The Sovereign Husband and His Remnant (v. 14)
The call to return is repeated, this time with an assertion of God's authority and His sovereign choice.
"'Return, O faithless sons,' declares Yahweh; 'For I am a master to you, And I will take you one from a city and two from a family, And I will bring you to Zion.'" (Jeremiah 3:14 LSB)
"For I am a master to you." The Hebrew here is potent. The word is ba'al. This is the very name of the pagan storm god they had whored after. But the word also means husband or master. God is engaging in polemics. He says, "You chased after the Baals, but I am your true Ba'al. I am your rightful husband and Lord." He is reclaiming His title and His bride.
And how does He reclaim her? Not by a popular vote. He says, "I will take you one from a city and two from a family." This is the doctrine of election in shoe leather. God's salvation is not a mass movement; it is a sovereign plucking. He reaches into the mass of fallen humanity and takes whom He will. He is not constrained by family ties or geography. He saves individuals, a remnant chosen by grace, and He brings them to Zion, the place of His rule and presence.
The Promise of True Shepherds (v. 15)
Once God has gathered His people, He promises to fix the leadership problem that caused the apostasy in the first place.
"Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will shepherd you on knowledge and understanding." (Jeremiah 3:15 LSB)
The old shepherds, the kings and priests, had been a disaster. They had fleeced the flock and led them to poisoned pastures. The new promise is for leaders "after My own heart," a clear reference to King David, the man after God's own heart. This is ultimately a promise of the Messiah, the great Son of David, the Chief Shepherd. But it is also a promise for the life of the church. God promises to provide faithful undershepherds, pastors and elders, who will do one thing primarily: "shepherd you on knowledge and understanding."
A faithful shepherd is a feeding shepherd. He does not entertain the sheep. He does not coddle the sheep. He feeds them. And the food is "knowledge and understanding" of the Word of God. Healthy doctrine, clear teaching, and biblical wisdom are the marks of a church led by shepherds after God's own heart. A church that is starving for the Word is a church led by hirelings.
The New Covenant Glory (v. 16-18)
The prophecy now looks forward to a time of restoration so glorious that it will make the old symbols of God's presence obsolete.
"It shall be in those days when you are multiplied and fruitful in the land... they will no longer say, 'The ark of the covenant of Yahweh.'... At that time they will call Jerusalem 'The Throne of Yahweh,' and all the nations will be gathered to it... In those days the house of Judah will walk with the house of Israel..." (Jeremiah 3:16-18 LSB)
This is a breathtaking leap into the future. The Ark of the Covenant was the holiest object in Israel, the very symbol of God's throne and presence. Jeremiah says a day is coming when no one will even talk about it or miss it. Why? Because the symbol will be swallowed up by the reality. God's presence will no longer be localized in a gold-plated box, but the entire city, Jerusalem, will be His throne. This is a promise of the New Covenant, where God's presence is mediated not through furniture, but through His Son, Jesus Christ, who is Immanuel, God with us.
And this glory will not be confined to one ethnic group. "All the nations will be gathered to it." This is the Great Commission foretold. The gospel will smash the dividing wall between Jew and Gentile and create one new man in Christ. The healing of the schism between Israel and Judah points to this greater reconciliation. The Church of Jesus Christ is the one place on earth where all tribes, tongues, and nations are brought together from the "land of the north," the land of their exile in sin, and restored to their true inheritance in Him. The stubbornness of the evil heart is replaced by a new heart, and the scattered family is made one.
Conclusion: Come Home, Harlot
This passage lays two paths before us. We can be treacherous Judah, clinging to our religious forms, our spiritual pride, our quiet, respectable sins, all the while earning God's deepest wrath. Or we can be faithless Israel, admitting that we are spiritual harlots, that we have chased other lovers, that we have not listened to His voice.
The good news of the gospel is that God's call goes out to the harlot. He stands and cries, "Return!" The only thing you must bring with you is the truth about your sin. Acknowledge your iniquity. Lay down the arms of your rebellion. Stop pretending.
When you do, you will find a Husband whose love is steadfast, whose anger does not last forever. You will find that He is your true Ba'al, your Lord and Master who plucks you out of your sin and brings you to Zion. He will place you under the care of faithful shepherds who will feed you with truth. And He will make you a citizen of the true Jerusalem, the city filled with His glory, a member of a redeemed family gathered from every nation on earth. The choice is stark: treacherous piety that leads to judgment, or honest repentance that leads to a glorious restoration.