Daily Devotions
Jeremiah
"The temple of the LORD"
Text: Jeremiah 7:4
A NEEDED WORD OF CORRECTION
It was God who had blessed Israel with a great spiritual heritage. He had revealed Himself to their forefathers. He had given them a system of worship that culminated with worship in the Temple in Jerusalem. But over the years, faith waned and all that was left behind was a form of religion that was emaciated.
“The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
‘Stand in the gate of the LORD’s house, and proclaim there this word, and say,
‘Hear the word of the LORD, all you of Judah
who enter in at these gates to worship the LORD!”
Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel:
‘Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place.
Do not trust in these lying words, saying,
‘The temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD,
the temple of the LORD are these.””
Jeremiah 7:1-4
1. “The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying”
a) God gave a powerful word to Jeremiah.
b) He must proclaim this word courageously.
2. “Stand in the gate of the LORD’s house, and proclaim there this word, and say, ‘Hear the word of the LORD, all you of Judah who enter in at these gates to worship the LORD!'”
a) Location: The gate leading to the Lord’s house (The Temple).
b) Jeremiah was to proclaim the word of the Lord boldly.
c) The addressees
i) All who lived in Judah.
ii) All who had come to the Temple to offer worship to the Lord.
3. “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel:
‘Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place.'”
a) The LORD, the God of Israel had a word for all worshippers!
b) Change was necessary
i) Their way of life must change (“amend”).
ii) Their actions (doings) were not pleasing to God.
iii) They must amend their way of life.
c) Dwelling in the land
i) Hope was still held out to these worshippers.
ii) They may be among the remnant but their lifestyles must still be amended.
iii) God may yet bless them and they may dwell in the land, though under threat of invasion.
4. “Do not trust in these lying words, saying,
‘The temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD are these.'”
a) This was a chant of the temple priests.
i) Their focus was the Temple.
ii) Their focus was not on the Lord.
b) Their teaching was false.
i) The existence of the Temple is no guarantee of blessing from God.
ii) This was the message that they were saying to all worshippers.
That they need not worry as long as the Temple existed.
iii) They banked on the false notion that God was bound to protect the Temple, His house.
iv) Their theology was wrong and what they were saying were lies!
Jeremiah’s task was to proclaim a message that would contradict this false teaching!