DID GOD DIVORCE ISRAEL? What Did Jeremiah Really Teach? – with Rabbi Michael Skobac
Some Christian groups embrace a doctrine called Replacement Theology. They believe that God has rejected the people of Israel as His special, chosen nation and replaced them with the Church. These people believe they are the New Israel.
Some Christians find support for this idea in the third chapter of Jeremiah, where the prophet raises the case of a man who divorces his wife and she then marries another man. According to Biblical law, she is not allowed to then remarry her earlier husband should the second one die or divorce her. Jeremiah then berates those of God's people who committed spiritual adultery by worshipping idols and asks if they can then return to God after this treachery. These Christians assume that the answer is no, and that God would have permanently rejected these wayward children.
In this video lecture, Rabbi Skobac shows that this is a total misreading of the scriptures both in the immediate context and overall context of the Bible.
Throughout the scriptures, God repeats numerous times that His relationship with Israel is eternal and cannot and will not be terminated. And in Jeremiah chapter 3, God pleads with Israel, numerous times, to return to Him in repentance. It is clear that He hasn't cast them off for good if He is constantly urging them to renew their relationship and return to Him.