YHWH Calls On Judah To Consider what Had Happened To Israel, Her Northern Neighbour, When She Had Failed To Turn Back To Him, Something That Judah Is Also Failing To Do (Jeremiah 3:6-11).
YHWH here refers Judah back to consideration of the behaviour of Israel, her erstwhile northern neighbour whose land had been devastated and had by now been taken over by strangers. Because backsliding Israel had herself ‘played the harlot' on every high hill and every green tree, and had subsequently refused to turn back to YHWH, she had been punished and sent into exile. This was now intended to be an object lesson to ‘treacherous Judah'. For it was YHWH Who had given Israel a bill of divorce which had resulted in her exile among the nations. And yet even now it appeared that Judah had not learned her lesson and was demonstrating by her behaviour that Israel had been more righteous than ‘treacherous Judah', in that, while following in the ways of Israel, Judah was feigning a response to YHWH that was not genuine. This will then later lead on to the question as to what that would mean for Judah (Jeremiah 4:3 ff.), but first the issue must be pressed home, accompanied by a remarkable promise of future hope.
‘Moreover YHWH said to me in the days of Josiah the king, “Have you seen what backsliding Israel has done? She went up on every high mountain and under every green tree, and there she played the harlot.”
During the days when Josiah the king was on the throne YHWH, with a view to giving a message to Judah, asked Jeremiah whether he had noted what backsliding Israel had done. She had gone up on every high hill and under every green tree where she had ‘played the harlot'. (Compare Jeremiah 2:20 where the same was then true of Judah). In other words the whole of Israel, apart from the few who had heeded the teaching of the prophets like Hosea and Amos, had been following idolatrous practises.
“And I said after she had done all these things, ‘She will return to me', but she did not return, and her treacherous sister Judah saw it.'
But YHWH then informed Jeremiah (speaking anthropomorphically) that He had consoled Himself with the thought that Israel would eventually realise their folly and return to Him. Once they had sated themselves with these things surely they would return! But the truth had turned out to be that they did not return. And not only did they not return but the fact was observed by their treacherous sister Judah (many of whom probably visited the shrines at Bethel and Gilgal for the syncretistic feasts). The description of Judah as ‘treacherous' (it will be repeated three times) indicates that what He is now saying is really aimed at Judah.
“And I saw, when, for the very reason that backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce, yet treacherous Judah her sister did not fear, but she also went and played the harlot.”
But although Judah had observed what Israel had done in committing adultery against YHWH, and had noted that as a result YHWH had given to Israel a certificate of divorce (sending her into exile), ‘treacherous Judah' did not learn from it and become faithful to YHWH, but instead, she also went and ‘played the harlot'. She too committed adultery against YHWH.
“And it came about that through the lightness of her whoredom (i.e. Israel's casual attitude towards her whoredom), the land was polluted, and she committed adultery with stones and with trees.'
The result of Israel's light-hearted attitude towards her ‘whoredom' (that is, to her seeking to Baal and Asherah through ritual sexual misbehaviour) was that the land was polluted, and ‘she committed adultery with stones and trees'. The reference is seemingly to the fact that the sacred prostitutes with whom they mated represented Baal and Asherah who in turn were represented by stone pillars and wooden images.
“And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah has not returned to me with her whole heart, but feignedly (in pretence),” the word of YHWH (neum YHWH).'
And yet even with this vivid example before her, treacherous sister Judah also did not genuinely return to YHWH, but only pretended to do so - and this was stated to be so on ‘the word of YHWH' (neum YHWH).
‘And YHWH said to me, “Backsliding Israel has showed herself more righteous than treacherous Judah.”
Consequently YHWH sums up the situation by declaring that ‘backsliding Israel had showed herself to be more righteous than treacherous Judah'. Better an honest sinner than a hypocrite! And Judah's failure was made all the worse because they had already had the warning which Israel's fate should have brought home to them, and because they had experienced the miraculous deliverance of Jerusalem in the time of Hezekiah.. Note the threefold description of Judah as ‘treacherous' demonstrating the completeness of her treachery.