Jeremiah 17:13 “O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters.”
To “forsake” the “LORD, the hope of Israel” is to not obey Him, not worshipfully serve Him, and to give our time and affection to the carnal things of this present world. We can responsibly enjoy the wonderful things of this world, as gifts from the “LORD”, without forsaking our God. Those who “forsake”, “depart from” the “Lord” give no or only casual attention to His Holy Word, do not strive to understand the Word of God, make no effort to attend the Lord’s Church, and they abandon His Commandments for worship and moral behavior and integrity. Those who “forsake”, “depart from” the “Lord” “shall” ultimately “be ashamed”; for, the carnal idols, that they give their affection to, will ultimately fail them and they “shall be written in the earth”; that is, they “shall” come to failure and ruin and go to their deaths without honor and respect. Jeremiah issued this warning to Old Testament Israel (in particular the southern nation of Judah); but, they did not heed His warning and they ultimately lost their nation, their city, their freedom, and many lost their lives, while others were hauled away into captivity. The same Lord rules today and, while He is mercifully patient and longsuffering, the same rule applies to us in our day!