In Jeremiah 2.12-13 (NRSV), God addresses the reality that His people have turned away from Him:

Be appalled, O heavens, at this,
    be shocked, be utterly desolate,
says the Lord,
for my people have committed two evils:
    they have forsaken me,
the fountain of living water,
    and dug out cisterns for themselves,
cracked cisterns
    that can hold no water.

The Lord says that His people have committed 2 sins: 1) they have turned away from Living Water, 2) choosing, instead, to dig their own well. In other words: they have chosen to worship other gods – and worshiping these pagan deities has led them to forget their call to love each other. This then leads them to, as described in Jeremiah 7.5-6: act unjustly; oppress the foreigner, the orphan, and the widow; and shed innocent blood.

And if that weren’t enough, there’s more. In verses 8-9, God then accuses them of trusting in deceptive words; of stealing, murder, adultery, and swearing falsely. Even so, they still go the Temple of God and do the acts of worship, while not living a life of worship.

So, why does God get so worked up when we worship false gods? Whether they go by the name of Baal, or Success, or Wealth, or Comfort, or Fulfilment, God cares WHO we worship because God cares HOW we live. In other words, worship and life are inseparable. If you worship God rightly, it leads you to LIVE rightly. Wander from worship, and your life wanders.

So, God is not a petty, petulant 2-year-old, demanding we do things His way. God is a jealous God because He is zealous for us to get worship right – which leads us to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God (Micah 6.6-8).

Of course, this kind of “right” worship is about more than Sunday. It involves Sunday, yes, but it’s more. It’s about submission, surrender, trust. It’s about coming before God on Sunday, yes; but it’s also about walking before God each day.

So, are you truly worshiping the One True God? One simple way to tell: How are you living each day?