Chuck Larsen

Jeremiah, along with many of the prophets, confronted both the northern and southern kingdoms of Israel with their sins. Yet Israel could not see their wrong and certainly would not admit it. Even when the blood on their hands exposed their guilt, they refused to acknowledge their faults. Huey observes, “Since Adam’s sin and denial of blame (Gen 3:12), the human race has become skilled at sidestepping guilt. The most difficult words to form on human lips are ‘I was wrong; I am guilty.’” This stubborn refusal led to shame and failure. The Northern Kingdom experienced the consequences when Assyria scattered them throughout the world in 721 before Christ, carrying them away as captives. Judah still had an opportunity to repent, and Jeremiah was sent as the final prophetic voice to warn them. In Jeremiah 2:36 he declares, “How much you go about changing your way! You shall be put to shame by Egypt as you were put to shame by Assyria.” Their unwillingness to confess would eventually lead to disgrace.

The charge against Judah included inconsistency and disloyalty. The phrase “changing your way” reveals a nation shifting allegiances whenever convenient. They trusted Egypt one moment, Assyria the next, and later Babylon. They moved from one idol to another, abandoning the Lord who had delivered them from Egypt. Hughes writes, “Loyalty is indispensable to the survival of friendship. How many once-prosperous friendships have faded because of disloyal talk? Pascal put it pointedly: ‘I set this down as a fact, that if all men knew what each other said of the other, there would not be four friends in the world.’ You will never know a deep friendship unless there is mutual loyalty and trust.” Disloyalty inevitably produces shame. This pattern feels familiar in everyday life. It is easy to shift commitments when circumstances change or to place confidence in whatever promises immediate security. The human heart can change directions with surprising speed, often while insisting it has remained steady all along.

The New Testament exposes this same tendency and offers a clearer path. James writes, “A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8). Jesus taught that divided loyalty cannot endure: “No one can serve two masters” (Matthew 6:24). Yet Christ also embodies the loyalty humanity lacks. Paul reminds believers, “If we are faithless, he remains faithful” (2 Timothy 2:13). While people often search for meaning in shifting alliances, the gospel points to a Savior who remains constant. Willis notes that Israel should have looked to the Lord, the One who delivered them with a mighty hand. The New Testament echoes that truth, declaring that salvation is found not in earthly power but in Christ, “the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

During the days of the prophet Jeremiah, the nation carried “blood on their hands” and “blood on their skirts” as they twisted the law to steal from and destroy the poor. The evidence of injustice was visible to everyone except those committing it. Still, there was no remorse and no repentance. Jeremiah indicts them again, this time not merely for their sin but for their refusal to acknowledge it. In Jeremiah 2:35 the Lord declares, “Yet in spite of all these things you say, ‘I am innocent; surely his anger has turned from me.’ Behold, I will bring you to judgment for saying, ‘I have not sinned.’” They insisted they were innocent and assumed their prosperity proved divine approval. Their self-assurance blinded them to reality. Constance observes, “Their moral blindness was so great that they were not conscious that their sin violated all God’s requirements. They felt they were innocent and imagined that God would wink at their wickedness and that his anger would pass away.” Sin had so seared their conscience that right and wrong were reversed. They believed themselves righteous even while standing guilty.

The same tendency lingers in ordinary relationships. During years of pastoral counseling, it was often difficult to help people see their own part in a broken relationship. The repeated refrain sounded familiar: “He did this,” or “She did that.” Fault was always easy to locate in someone else. Rarely did anyone rush forward to claim responsibility. The consequences of refusing to acknowledge personal failure are severe because they prevent forgiveness and restoration. Many relationships crumble not simply from mistakes but from stubborn hearts unwilling to admit them. The Cornerstone Commentary notes, “Israel claims she has not sinned. Failure to see evil for what it is, is itself an evil.” That observation feels uncomfortably accurate. It is remarkably easy to justify ourselves while quietly drafting closing arguments for our own defense. From Adam onward, humanity has demonstrated a talent for self-justification that would impress any courtroom attorney.

The New Testament addresses this condition with clarity and grace. John writes, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). Yet he also declares, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us” (1 John 1:9). Jesus told of a Pharisee who confidently declared his righteousness and a tax collector who simply admitted his guilt; only the latter went home justified (Luke 18:14). Christ came not for those convinced of their innocence but for those aware of their need. As Paul explains, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). Where denial hardens hearts, honest confession opens the door to mercy, revealing the depth of grace offered through Him.