Charles Spurgeon Commentary Jeremiah 2:1-3

"And the word of Jehovah came to me, saying, Go, and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith Jehovah, I remember for thee the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals; how thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown. Israel [was] holiness unto Jehovah, the first-fruits of his increase: all that devour him shall be held guilty; evil shall come upon them, saith Jehovah." — Jeremiah 2:1-3 (ASV)

Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying, Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus says the LORD, I remember you, the kindness of your youth, the love of your espousals, when you went after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown. Israel was holiness to the LORD, and the firstfruits of his increase: all that devour him shall offend; evil shall come upon them, says the LORD.

God remembered what Israel used to be in those good days when the Lord alone led them and there was no strange god among them. Now He bids them remember from where they had fallen, and repent and do their first works lest He come to them in wrath.

Oh, beloved, if you ever lived near to God—if you ever rested your head on Christ's bosom, and have now wandered away from Him and are spiritually cold and dead—begin to chide yourself, for the Lord Himself, in the word before us, does chide you.

He calls you to a sorrowful remembrance of the position from which you have descended—the heights of grace from which you have come down. Breathe the prayer that He would restore you again: Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?

Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying, Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus says the LORD: I remember you, the kindness of your youth, the love of your espousals, when you went after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown. Israel was holiness unto the LORD, and the firstfruits of his increase: all that devour him shall offend; evil shall come upon them, says the LORD.

God reminds his people of what they used to be in their first days, when they came out of Egypt. They had very sadly declined from what they then were. They were not very faithful to the Lord then, but they had fallen back even from that condition. Does not this passage come home to some of you who are not now what you once were? May the Lord graciously speak through these words to your ear, and to your heart, if you have backslidden from him in any degree!