Forgetting to Dress
"Can a virgin forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? Yet my people have forgotten me days without number." ~Jeremiah 2:32
Have you ever had one of those dreams where you went to work or school with no clothes on? I can tell you from personal experience, it’s more like a nightmare. When I find myself waking from such dreams—not yet aware of the truth—I always ask myself in stunned amazement, “What was I thinking?”
Jeremiah poses what is perhaps an equally absurd question: “Can a virgin and a bride forget their ornaments and attire?” He’s not asking, “Can they forget to put on clothing?” He’s asking, “Can they forget to adorn themselves with the finest clothes, jewelry, make-up, and fragrance they can afford?”
The bride, of all people, would look her best on the wedding day, would spend months preparing for it, and would anticipate numerous guests who themselves would be adorned with fine clothing. In the ancient world, weddings lasted several days and were known to be extravagant occasions.
But what is Jeremiah’s point? Simply stated, when God’s people forget Him, it’s more shocking than an unadorned bride. Forgetting God is like abandoning all that makes us beautiful and appealing; like leaving behind all that makes us pure and holy (v.3, 21). It is to forsake that which frees us from the shame of guilt (v.22) and protects us from our enemies (v.15). It is to embrace absurdity by pursuing earthly wealth and provision independent of the one who supplies them (v.7). When we do this, it’s more shocking than a bride who spurns beauty. We would be right to wonder, “What was I thinking?”
The irony is that the blessings Jeremiah recalls in chapter 2 are what human beings most want and need. The desires detailed in this chapter come to us when Christ is foremost in our lives. But when we begin to enthrone other desires—hobbies, careers, relationships, wealth, or any other form of idolatry—eventually we either lose them or grow weary of them.
Beware of all the purveyors of earthly blessing that care nothing and know nothing of their source. James reminds us that “every good and perfect gift is from above…from the Father of lights" (James 1:17). God is often most faithful to us by not granting what we most desire. As painful as this can be, consider that He withholds certain gifts because were He to grant them, we would drift further and further from Him. We would remember God less and less, while embracing His gifts more and more.
May we never abandon God because His blessings didn’t come when we expected them. Such people eventually come to realize they have cast off the source of all goodness, beauty, and satisfaction. Sooner or later, we’ll wonder, “What was I thinking?”
Rev. Marc Harrington, Associate Pastor