MARKED INIQUITY

"For though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before Me, saith the Lord GOD." (Jeremiah 2:22)

IT IS POSSIBLE FOR SPIRITUAL FILTH AND DEFILEMENT to so contaminate a soul that nothing can be done about it – at least not among men. Israel was in such a condition. In spite of unimaginable blessing from the Lord, it is said of them, "thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, when He led thee by the way" (2:17). They did not do this when they were in Egypt, but when He was leading them in the way. God had broken the yoke of servitude from their necks, and with one voice they responded, "I will not transgress." Then they proceeded to wander from Him on the high hills of idolatry, prostituting their affection for Him by serving other gods (2:19-20). In their beginning, the Lord God Almighty planted them, and they were "a noble vine, a seed of highest quality" (NKJV). Yet, they "turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto" the Lord (2:21). Those were the conditions of our text, and they set the stage for this awesome pronouncement.

THEIR STAIN WAS ONE THAT COULD NOT BE REMOVED. It was like a dark stain upon their soul that could not be removed with "lye" or "much soap" (NKJV). God said their iniquity was "marked" before Him. Other versions read, "The stain of your iniquity is before Me" (NASB), and "You are stained with guilt that cannot be washed away" (NLT). In another place, the Lord spoke of the iniquity in these arresting words. "The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond: it is graven upon the table of their heart, and upon the horns of your altars" (Jer 17:1).

"MARKED" INIQUITIES SPEAK OF A SITUATION THAT IS UNALTERABLE. David put it this way, "If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?" (Psa 130:3). This means infinitely more than sins that are simply known to the Lord. Rather, it is like the sin at the tower of Babel, that provoked the judgment of the Lord (Gen 11:5-7). It is like the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah, which came up before the Lord, and was "marked" by Him (Gen 18:20-21).

THIS IS WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO JUDAH. Their sins had become so ingrained and monumental, that God would no longer hear any petition raised for them. Thus He said to Jeremiah, "Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to Me: for I will not hear thee" (Jer 7:16). Again He said, "Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them: for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto Me for their trouble" (11:14). Let no one doubt it, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Heb 10:31).

THERE ARE SOME WHO DO NOT BELIEVE the human condition can get this bad. Let such souls ponder the world of Noah's day! God's Spirit ceased to strive with the people, and the judgment of the flood destroyed every living soul but eight. There is, indeed, mercy with the Lord. But when men impose upon that mercy, and willingly stumble on in the darkness, they are headed toward the place where iniquity becomes "marked," and nothing will be able to remedy their situation. Solomon also warned of such a condition when he wrote, "He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that WITHOUT REMEDY" (Prov 29:1).

JESUS HIMSELF SPOKE OF A SIN that could not be forgiven, either in this world, or the one to come. "Whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come" (Matt 12:32, NKJV). Mark records, "but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation" (Mk 3:29, NKJV). Our Lord did not precisely define this sin, and we do well to make no such attempts. His point was that there is a condition that cannot be remedied, either in this world, or the one to come. It was brought on by an attitude that slowly developed in the individual. Gradually, they came to a point where they could willingly and aggressively speak against the Holy Spirit. This is not some accidental speech, or a slip-of-the-lip. It denotes a state where the heart has become so impervious to the Holy Spirit that instead of being convicted by Him, it lashes out against Him. Those who teach that the Holy Spirit is not involved in the matter of conversion do well to ponder the words of our Lord. In this very discourse He said, "And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, IT SHALL NOT BE FORGIVEN HIM, neither in this world, neither in the world to come" (Mat 12:32). Mark's Gospel reads, "Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost HATH NEVER FORGIVENESS, but is in danger of eternal damnation" (Mark 3:29). Luke reported the discourse also: "And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it SHALL NOT BE FORGIVEN" (Luke 12:10). Those who choose to haggle about the work and influence of the Holy Spirit do well to give heed to this solemn warning.THE SIN OF REFERENCE is an example of the point where iniquity is "marked," and the stain becomes too deep to ever be corrected. Sin has pulled such a person into a spiritual quagmire, into which even the grace of God cannot reach. No person is wise in attempting to define where such a place exists, or at what time it occurs. The point is that as long as men and women serve sin, sin is staining their soul – and the stain is going deeper and deeper. Some may entertain the notion that they can cease serving sin whenever they want to. Or, worse still, that God will abort their obstinance toward him, and stop their plummet into degradation.

SOMEHOW, THE CHURCH NEEDS TO make people more aware of the seriousness of sin. There is too much of it in the modern church, and too little sensitivity to its malignancy. There are too many approaches to iniquity that do not contribute to a hatred for it. Doctrines that make people comfortable in alienation from God are among the most dangerous things believers face. Make sure you culture and maintain a absolute hatred for iniquity.

--Given O. Blakely