Jeremiah 3:10(KJB1611) “And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD”.
The passages before this verse reflect on the spiritual unfaithfulness of both Israel and Judah. Israel was called to repentance, but they did not hearken unto the Lord, on the other hand, Judah "repented" but the repentance was regarded as "feignedly" meaning "with falsehood", "a sham", or "deceitful". Judah's repentance was not with her whole heart, but rather hypocritical.
The repentance was insincere. "This borders on the fact that their hearts were still in love with the idolatry, and the spiritual adultery that plagued them. They were not fully persuaded as to the wickedness of their sin and the worthiness of the Lord for their obedience." Genuine repentance has to do with a change of one's mind toward God and sin.
This is not sinless perfection. It is that desire to consistently live to please God rather than the world and the flesh. A person who still wants to sin more than he wants fellowship with God is not penitent or repentant.
The Lord will have us be sincere in our repentance. We must be truly sorry and penitent for our sins. We should remember that nothing is hidden from God. Rather than be double-minded and unstable in our spiritual lives, we should sincerely acknowledge to God what He already knows, and be determined to move on stronger for Him, and pliable in His hands. Judah here is a picture of believers who appear to be repentant but inwardly still frolicking with the world and sin. There is a price to pay for living a lie. Every direct or indirect disobedience to the Lord does not go unnoticed. There is a consequence that awaits us. There is always that due season of reaping what we have sown.
Thought
May we sincerely repent of our wrongdoings wholeheartedly with a determination to live exemplarily. God works with sincere hearts.
©️Missionary Pastor David Orus(1Thessalonians 5:24/Mark 9:23)