Charles Spurgeon Commentary Jeremiah 3:1

"They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man`s, will he return unto her again? will not that land be greatly polluted? But thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith Jehovah." — Jeremiah 3:1 (ASV)

They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man's, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted?

God himself seems here to be at a loss. His people had gone away from him; they had acted unfaithfully toward him; they had joined themselves to other gods. The case was a very difficult one.

If the Lord takes these people back again, will it not look like putting a premium on sin? That is just the question that is constantly being raised.

If God freely forgives great sinners, will it not look as if he treated sin too leniently? Will not free salvation, by faith in Jesus, lead to sin? The world says that it will; and even Scripture seems to raise the question: If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man's, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted?

Yet Judah had been worse than the woman described here.

But thou hast played the harlot with many lovers;

Here was an awful depth of sin, a terrible enormity of wickedness.

Yet return again to me, saith the LORD.

What a splendor of divine love is here revealed! I do not wonder that the question should be put, "How can God act thus, and yet be just?" He can do it, and yet be just, as we have often shown you; but, still, it is a very great wonder of grace.