A prominent theme that ran through Jeremiah chapter three was the Lord’s call to His wayward people to return. Calls like, “Return to Me” or “Return, O backsliding children” occur four, arguably five, times in the twenty-five verses of that chapter. That sentiment carries over into the opening four verses of chapter four. In some way Israel voiced a desire to return (Jer. 3:22b-25) and now, like a parent offering their child an impetus for obedience, the LORD extended to Israel an ultimate incentive to be realized as they closed the door to idolatry and walked across the threshold of obedience. But first He made the conditions clear:
