21 Now the word of the Lord came to me saying , 2 "Go and proclaim in the ears of Jerusalem , saying , 'Thus says the Lord , "I remember concerning you the devotion of your youth , The love of your betrothals , Your following after Me in the wilderness , Through a land not sown . 3 "Israel was holy to the Lord , The first of His harvest . All who ate of it became guilty ; Evil came upon them," declares the Lord .' " 4 Hear the word of the Lord , O house of Jacob , and all the families of the house of Israel . 5 Thus says the Lord , " What injustice did your fathers find in Me, That they went far from Me And walked after emptiness and became empty ? 6 "They did not say , 'Where is the Lord Who brought us up out of the land of Egypt , Who led us through the wilderness , Through a land of deserts and of pits , Through a land of drought and of deep darkness , Through a land that no one crossed And where no man dwelt ?' 7 "I brought you into the fruitful land To eat its fruit and its good things . But you came and defiled My land , And My inheritance you made an abomination .
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Jeremiah 2:1-7
Commentary on Jeremiah 2:1-8
(Read Jeremiah 2:1-8)
Those who begin well, but do not persevere, will justly be upbraided with their hopeful and promising beginnings. Those who desert religion, commonly oppose it more than those who never knew it. For this they could have no excuse. God's spiritual Israel must own their obligations to him for safe conduct through the wilderness of this world, so dangerous to the soul. Alas, that many, who once appeared devoted to the Lord, so live that their professions aggravate their crimes! Let us be careful that we do not lose in zeal and fervency, as we gain knowledge.