Jeremiah 7:1-15
In the days of Jeremiah (ca. 600 B.C.), the people of Judah faced difficult times.... The northern kingdom of Israel was history, taken into Assyrian captivity. Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had defeated Assyria, and was making his way into Judah. The people of Judah had developed a false trust.... One condemned by the Lord through His prophet Jeremiah. One which we do well to remember and avoid today.
We read of that false trust and how the LORD responded to it in Jer 7:1-15... The false trust of Judah was trusting in the temple to excuse their failure to fully serve the Lord - Jer 7:1-7. Jeremiah was commission to preach in the temple - Jer 7:1-2 “The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: "Stand in the gate of the LORD's house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD, all you men of Judah who enter these gates to worship the LORD.” Calling for repentance when the city was in danger of being destroyed by Babylonian forces - Jer 7:3 “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place.” Their trust was in the fact that the temple was in Jerusalem.
1) Their attitude: “We are safe; surely the Lord will not allow His temple to be destroyed!”
2) As implied by the threefold statement “The temple of the Lord...!” - Jer 7:4 “Do not trust in these deceptive words: 'This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD.'”
The Lord required more than rituals involving temple worship and outward piety:
1) Repentance and service was to be done “thoroughly” (truly, NASB) - Jer 7:5a ‘"For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds,”
2) Affecting their individual and daily dealings with people - Jer 7:5b-6 “if you truly execute justice one with another, if you do not oppress the sojourner, the fatherless, or the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own harm,”
Such true service would spare them from Babylonian captivity - Jer 7:7 “then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your fathers forever.” The false trust of Judah was trusting in the temple to excuse their obvious sins - Jer 7:8-11. Again, theirs was a false trust - Jer 7:8 ‘"Behold, you trust in deceptive words to no avail.” Blatantly transgressing the Law - Jer 7:9 “Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known,” Then going to the temple, believing that such excused their conduct - Jer 7:10 “and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, 'We are delivered!'--only to go on doing all these abominations?” Yet the Lord could see through their hypocrisy - Jer 7:11 “Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I myself have seen it, declares the LORD.”
The Lord’s response to the folly of such a false trust was: “Remember Shiloh!” - Jer 7:12 “Go now to my place that was in Shiloh, where I made my name dwell at first, and see what I did to it because of the evil of my people Israel.” The place where the tabernacle had once been - Josh 18:1 “Then the whole congregation of the people of Israel assembled at Shiloh and set up the tent of meeting there. The land lay subdued before them.” Where the ark of the covenant had been captured by the Philistines - 1 Sam 4:10-11. God would do likewise with Jerusalem and the temple - Jer 7:13-15, because of their failure to heed His prophets - Jer 7:13 “And now, because you have done all these things, declares the LORD, and when I spoke to you persistently you did not listen, and when I called you, you did not answer,”. What happened at Shiloh would happen at Jerusalem - Jer 7:14 “therefore I will do to the house that is called by my name, and in which you trust, and to the place that I gave to you and to your fathers, as I did to Shiloh.” They would be taken into captivity, just like Ephraim (Israel) - Jer 7:15 “And I will cast you out of my sight, as I cast out all your kinsmen, all the offspring of Ephraim.”; and 52:12-30.
In 1 Co 10:11-12, we’re told that God’s dealings with Israel were written for our admonition. With the very real danger of falling, what application can we draw from our text in Jeremiah? Perhaps one about the false trust some Christians have. Let’s first look at trusting in the church. Could we have a false trust as “members” of the church which Christ built? Like the Jews who cried “The Temple of the Lord...” There may be those who cry “The Church of Christ...” Acting (and perhaps believing) that membership excuses negligence and inactive service with an attitude based on faulty reasoning? For example, the church will be saved, I am a “member”, so I will be saved. As long as I am a “member”, I can get by. Yet remember the parable of the tares - Mt 13:41-43 “The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.” One may be in the kingdom (church) now, but cast out of the kingdom (church) at the last day. Salvation is dependent on individual allegiance, not group association! - Jn 15:2 “Every branch of mine that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”
Then there are those that disregard the consequences of sinful actions. Like the Jews who disobeyed God, then claimed exemption? Such as, living in the world, then going to “church”? Engaging in immorality, worldliness, but being a “faithful member”? God has not changed! His grace demands holy living - Ti 2:11-12 “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,” Despise His grace, expect His wrath! - He 10:26-31 “For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, "Vengeance is mine; I will repay." And again, "The Lord will judge his people." It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Salvation is dependent upon God’s grace, not church ritual!
The Lord’s response to the folly of such a false trust: “Remember Sardis!” - Re 3:1-6 ‘"And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: 'The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. "'I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'” They had “a living name”, but that did not free them from the threat of condemnation - Re 3:1-3. As always, salvation was based on individual consecration - Re 3:4-6,
To the folly of such a false trust: “Remember Laodicea!” - Re 3:14-22. They had become “lukewarm” - Re 3:14-15 ‘"And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: 'The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation. "'I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot!” They were in danger of expulsion because of worldliness - Re 3:16-17 “So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.” They were in need of rebuke and chastening - Re 3:18-22 “I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'"
Like the Jews whose salvation from destruction depended upon wholehearted service to God, so our salvation depends on complete and faithful obedience to the will of Christ! We must avoid the fallacy of “virtue by association”, and remember that God has promised to do to us just as He did to Israel if we are not faithful - Ro 11:19-22 “Then you will say, "Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in." That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but stand in awe. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.”
