Slow Down
A wild donkey used to the wilderness, that sniffs at the wind in her desire; in her time of mating, who can turn her away? All those who seek her will not weary themselves; in her month they will find her. Withhold your foot from being unshod, and your throat from thirst. But you said, “There is no hope. No! For I have loved aliens, and after them I will go.” As the thief is ashamed when he is found out, so is the house of Israel ashamed; they and their kings and their princes, and their priests and their prophets…. – Jeremiah 2:24-26.
Occasionally, while I was growing up my Dad would give me some words of wisdom. Once, while we were passing a turn off where a car had overturned taking the turn too quickly, my Dad gave me some advice. He said, “Always slow down before making a turn. Hit the brakes before you start your turn.” The point being that if I didn’t slow down before turning, I would have an accident too. It was some well-timed words, which made an impact on me, and I have always remembered them and tried to practice what he told me.
I like the way the Message translates Jeremiah 2:24-26, “…tracks of a wild donkey in rut, sniffing the wind for the slightest scent of sex. Who could possibly corral her! On the hunt for sex, sex, and more sex–insatiable, indiscriminate, promiscuous. SLOW DOWN. Take a deep breath. What’s the hurry? Why wear yourself out? Just what are you after anyway?” But you say, “I can’t help it. I’m addicted to alien gods. I can’t quit.” “Just as a thief is chagrined, but only when caught, so the people of Israel are chagrined, caught along with their kings and princes, their priests and prophets….”
The Message makes this passage very obvious in application to the world today. The world is obsessed with sex and more sex. Of course, it is appealing to many, and there is a constant bombardment and saturation of this sex appeal. Once in its grips we become like an animal, like a wild donkey, losing our humanity in effect in the way we run after this evil. It becomes an addiction, which will destroy everything that is good, decent, and godly about you. It is an evil, which eats away at every area of your life and then like the Israelites, you are ashamed, chagrined; but its evil has done its work.
Before you take that turn off into the world of extramarital sex – SLOW DOWN!! SLOW DOWN and consider the consequences of taking that turn. SLOW DOWN and ask someone for help. SLOW DOWN and pray. SLOW DOWN and read your Bible. SLOW DOWN and go to church. SLOW DOWN before you have a wreck that will ruin your life. SLOW DOWN!
(If you make too sharp of a turn you will have a wreck.)