“I thought
that after she had done all this she would return to me but she did not, and
her unfaithful sister Judah saw it. I gave faithless Israel her certificate of divorce and sent her away
because of all her adulteries. Yet I saw that her unfaithful sister Judah had
no fear; she also went out and committed adultery.” Jeremiah
3:7-8
In God’s eyes, there’s guilty and
not guilty, not “sort of guilty” and “not so guilty.” If you sin, you are guilty and sent away from
God to hell after you die. If your sins have been paid for, then you are not guilty.
However, there are different
consequences for certain sins and different punishments we face on earth.
In the case of Israel and Judah,
Judah saw Israel sin by worshiping other gods, saw the real God’s wrath and
disintegration of Israel then turned around and did the same thing. God’s anger built and caused a greater
response to their sin.
Same sin. Same end result (dissolving the nation). Different severity and impact.
So there is not more guilt, but more
wrath You will face. For example, why would
someone commit adultery if they saw the impact of adultery in their own parents
or friend? God thinks you should know
better.