"Is it I whom they provoke? declares the Lord. Is it not themselves, to their own shame?" -- Jeremiah 7:19

Have you ever heard a parent say, "The punishment hurts me more than it does you"? Did you ever wonder if that was really true? Well, the verse before us says the very opposite. The rebellion, sin and apostasy brought more trouble and hardship to Judah than to the Lord.

We often deceive ourselves into believing that only God is heartbroken over our sin. To our own shame, our lives are wrecked and miserable as a result of our rebellion. We want to blame God for our misery, but all along we are the cause.

Hebrews 11:25 points out that the pleasures of sin are fleeting and we are told in Proverbs 13:21 that, "Disaster pursues sinners". In other words my friend, "The sin hurts you more than it hurts God".