“If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the LORD, return unto me: and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not remove.”
My Notes
What Does Jeremiah 4:1 Mean?
"If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the LORD, return unto me: and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not remove." God offers Israel a conditional restoration: IF you return — return to ME (not to religion, not to ritual, but to ME). And IF you remove abominations from My sight — THEN you won't be displaced again. The return must be personal (to God) and practical (removing abominations). Both conditions must be met.
The phrase "return unto me" (elai tashuv — to ME you shall return) specifies the destination of repentance: the return isn't to the Temple, to the rituals, to the religious system. It's to ME — to God personally. The repentance is relational, not institutional. You can return to church without returning to God. God says: return to ME.
The "put away thine abominations out of my sight" (shiqqutzeyka tasir mippanai — your detestable things you shall remove from My face) adds the practical requirement: repentance without removal isn't complete. You can't return to God while the abominations remain in His sight. The detestable things must GO — not just be hidden or rearranged but removed from God's presence.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What needs to return to God personally — not to religion but to HIM?
- 2.What abominations need to be removed from God's sight — not hidden but eliminated?
- 3.How does 'return to ME' differ from 'return to church' or 'return to good behavior'?
- 4.What displacement are you experiencing that might end if you returned AND removed?
Devotional
Return — to ME. Remove the abominations — from MY sight. Then you won't be displaced. God's offer of restoration is personal AND practical: the return must be to HIM (not to religion in general) and the abominations must be REMOVED (not hidden or rearranged). Both conditions. Both required.
The 'return unto ME' is the most personal possible invitation: God doesn't say 'return to the Temple' or 'return to the Law' or 'return to right behavior.' He says return TO ME. The destination of repentance is a Person, not a system. You can resume religious practices without returning to God. You can attend services without returning to the One who called you. God says: I'm the destination. Not the institution. ME.
The 'put away thine abominations out of my sight' is the practical companion to the personal return: you can't return to God while carrying the things God finds detestable. The abominations must be REMOVED — not just acknowledged, not just felt sorry about, not just moved to the back room. Removed from God's sight. Taken out of the relationship. Eliminated from the space you share with God.
The 'then shalt thou not remove' is the promise of stability: if you return to God and remove the abominations, you won't be DISPLACED again. The removal of abominations prevents your own removal. The putting-away of detestable things results in your not being put away. The equation is clear: remove the bad things, and you won't be removed.
What needs to return to God (personally, not institutionally) and what abominations need to be removed from His sight?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the Lord,.... To which they had been encouraged, and as they had promised they…
Return - The repentance of Israel described in Jer 3:21-25 was a hope, and not a reality. The return, literally, would…
When God called to backsliding Israel to return (Jer 3:22) they immediately answered, Lord, we return; now God here…
Jer 3:6 to Jer 4:4. Conditional offers of restoration
We may subdivide thus.
(1) Jer 3:6-18. The ten tribes as less…
Cross References
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