Jeremiah 7:1 - Meaning and Application

These verses begin another sermon, one that continues through the next two chapters and makes much the same call as the earlier message, to turn the people to repentance. Notice first the orders given to the prophet. Jeremiah had not only a general call from God, but also specific directions for every message he spoke. This word came to him from the Lord (Jeremiah 7:1).

We are not told exactly when this sermon was preached, but we are told where and to whom. It was to be preached at the gate of the Lord’s house, the entrance into the outer court, or the court of the people. That would offend the priests and expose Jeremiah to their anger, but he must not fear people’s faces. He could not be faithful to God if he let that stop him. It was to be preached to the men of Judah who came in through those gates to worship the Lord, likely during one of the three major feasts, when all the men from the land were gathered at the temple.

That was a good time to speak to a large crowd, and a serious time to warn them not to trust in their religious privileges. Even those who profess faith need preaching, not only those outside the faith. It is a great blessing to have a chance to speak to many at once. Wisdom calls out in the busiest places, and Jeremiah did so at the temple gates. Also, when we come to worship God, we need to be warned to worship in spirit and to put no confidence in outward fleshly things (Philippians 3:3).

The sermon itself comes in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel. As our Creator, we must respect the Lord of hosts. As his covenant people, they knew him as the God of Israel. What he said to them, he says to us in substance as well. It is much like what John the Baptist said to those he baptized: bear fruit that shows repentance, and do not say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our father” (Matthew 3:8-9).

Jeremiah tells them first what God truly said, words they could trust. If they would repent, reform their lives, and return to God in obedience, he would restore their peace, remove their troubles, and return to them in mercy (Jeremiah 7:3). “Amend your ways and your doings,” he says. This means there was much wrong in their conduct already. Yet it is a great mercy that God gives them room to change, shows them how to change, and promises to accept them if they do.

He explains what this change must look like (Jeremiah 7:5-7). It must be thorough. They must truly improve their ways and deeds. The reform must be firm, complete, sincere, and lasting, not partial, not fake, and not short-lived. They must make the tree good so the fruit will be good too. That means changing their hearts and thoughts, and then their actions will follow.

In particular, they must deal honestly and justly in every matter. Those with authority must carry out justice fairly between one person and another, without favoritism, according to the facts of the case. They must not oppress the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow, whether in court or in business. They must not protect those who oppress others, or refuse justice when these people ask for it. They must not shed innocent blood and so defile both the land and this holy place. They must also stay close to the worship of the true God alone. They must not follow other gods, long after them, or listen to those who try to draw them into idol worship. That would only harm them. God asks for what is best for them, and it is foolish to give worship to powerless idols and thereby provoke the God who alone can destroy or save.

This is what God requires. Then Jeremiah tells them what blessing they may expect if they obey (Jeremiah 7:7). If they quickly take up this work of reform and keep at it, God will cause them to dwell in this place, his temple, as their place of worship, safety, and fellowship with him and with each other. They will also remain in the land he gave their fathers forever and ever. They will continue to enjoy both civil peace and sacred privilege. God will settle them there and keep them there. Nothing but sin could drive them out.

This promise points ahead to the everlasting inheritance in the heavenly Canaan for all who live in godliness and honesty. The old Latin version also adds another promise in Jeremiah 7:3 and 7:7, “I will dwell with you in this place.” And indeed, even Canaan would be an unpleasant place if God did not dwell with his people there.

Jeremiah then warns them against the lying words of their own hearts, which they must not trust (Jeremiah 7:4). “Do not trust in lying words,” he says. They had already been told the way to safety and peace, so they must not fool themselves into thinking they could have peace on other terms or by another path. Yet they were indeed deceiving themselves, despite all the warning given to them (Jeremiah 7:8). They were trusting words that could not help them, resting on a claim that would not stand.

Those who ignore God’s true words, which would benefit them, end up hiding behind false words that can do nothing for them. And those false words were these: “The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are these.”

These buildings, the courts, the holy place, and the Most Holy Place, are the temple of the Lord. They were built by his command and for his glory. Here he lives, here he is worshiped, and here we come three times a year to honor him as our King in his palace. The people thought this was enough to keep God and his favor from leaving them, and to keep his judgments from coming on them.

When the prophets told them how sinful they were and how miserable their future would be, they still pointed to the temple. “How can we be in danger as long as we have that holy and happy place among us?” The prophet repeats their words because they kept repeating them. It was the slogan of the day, always on their lips. If they heard a warning sermon or frightening news, they soothed themselves again with this thought: “We cannot fail, because the temple of the Lord is here.”

The privilege of outward religion is often the pride and false confidence of people who know nothing of its true power. Those who are farthest from God often boast most about being near the church. They are proud because of the holy mountain (Zephaniah 3:11), as if God’s mercy were so tied to them that they could ignore his justice.

To show how empty this excuse was, and how little help it would give them, God first points out how foolish it is in itself. If they understood anything about the temple of the Lord, or about the Lord of the temple, they would see that using it as a defense for sin, or as a way to block God’s judgment, was absurd. God is holy, yet their excuse would make him seem like the supporter of sin, even the worst kind, the kind that common human conscience condemns.

He asks, in effect, will you steal, murder, and commit adultery, crimes against both common sense and the good of society? Will you swear falsely, which all nations that believe in God have always hated? Will you burn incense to Baal, a worthless idol, and then go after other gods you do not know? In doing all this, you insult God as the Lord of armies and the God of Israel. You trade the God whose power and goodness you have long known for gods whose help and kindness you know nothing about.

After doing all this against God, will you still have the nerve to come and stand before him in this house that bears his name? Will you stand there as if you were his servants waiting for his orders, or as if you were asking for his mercy? To rebel openly against him and still mix yourself with his people is to act as if he does not see your wickedness, or as if he does not care. That is the highest insult you could offer him. It is as if you were saying, “We have been delivered so that we may do all these hateful things.”

They may not have said those exact words, but their actions said the same thing. They knew God, even their own God, had often delivered them and kept them from destruction. He meant those rescues to bring them back to himself and lead them to repentance. Instead, they chose to keep doing evil. As soon as they were rescued, as in the days of the judges, they did evil again in the sight of the Lord. In effect, they were saying that God had saved them so they could rebel more freely and offer more to their idols.

Some understand it this way: they came before God with sacrifices and sin offerings, then said, “We are delivered, our guilt is gone, so this will do us no harm.” But really, they were only trying to hide their guilt from the world and silence their conscience, so they could keep doing these things more easily and look better to others.

God’s temple was a holy place, but their excuse would make it a shelter for the most unholy people. They treated God’s house as if it were a den of robbers. Did they think it was built to be a meeting place, refuge, and hiding place for the worst criminals? No. Even in the law, the altar could protect someone who killed by accident, but not a murderer or anyone who acted deliberately (Exodus 21:14; 1 Kings 2:29). So those who excuse unchristian behavior by hiding under the Christian name, or who sin more boldly because a sin offering is provided, turn God’s house of prayer into a den of thieves, as in Jesus’ time (Matthew 21:13).

Could they deceive God with this? No. He says, “I have seen it.” He sees the real sin under the mask of false devotion. People may fool one another with outward signs of religion, but they cannot fool God.

God then shows how useless this excuse is by pointing to Shiloh, where this same kind of confidence failed long ago. Go to Shiloh, the place where God once set his name and where the tabernacle stood when Israel first took possession of Canaan (Joshua 18:1). The ruins of that once-flourishing place were probably still visible, or at least its history was still known. The tribes used to go there for worship, but the priests and worshipers corrupted themselves, and from them came the wickedness of Israel. The very fountain was poisoned, and bad streams flowed out from it. So what happened? God forsook Shiloh (Psalm 78:60), let the ark be taken away, and cut off the house of Eli, who had led there. It is very likely the city itself was destroyed, and we hear of it again only as a warning that holy places do not protect wicked people.

God’s judgments on others, who have truly turned away from him while still keeping up an outward religion, should warn us not to trust false words. It is wise to learn from past examples and use them well. Remember Lot’s wife, remember Shiloh and the seven churches of Asia, and know that the ark and the lampstand are not fixed forever, but can be removed (Revelation 2:5; Matthew 21:43).

It is just as certain that Jerusalem will share Shiloh’s fate if quick and sincere repentance does not stop it. First, Jerusalem was now as sinful as Shiloh had been, and God himself had given clear proof against them: “You have done all these things, and you cannot deny it” (Jeremiah 7:13). They also stayed stubborn in their sin, as shown by God’s repeated warnings. He rose early and spoke, like someone deeply concerned, eager to warn them without delay, and choosing the best time, early in the morning, when they might be calm and clear-headed. But it was all wasted. God spoke, but they would not listen or pay attention. He called them, but they would not answer or come when he called.

What God has spoken to us makes our sin against him much worse. Second, Jerusalem would soon be as ruined as Shiloh had been: “I will do to this house what I did to Shiloh, and I will destroy it” (Jeremiah 7:14). Those who follow in the same sins as those before them must expect the same judgments, because all these things happened as examples for us. The temple in Jerusalem, no matter how strong it was, could not hold its ground if wickedness was found there. It would be as easy to bring down as the tabernacle at Shiloh when the day of God’s judgment came.

God says, “This house carries my name,” and they may think that means he must protect it. It was also the house they trusted in, the place they thought would keep them safe. The land and city were gifts he had given to them and their fathers, so they felt secure and imagined nothing could drive them out. But the people of Shiloh had fooled themselves in the same way.

He gives another warning example, the ruin of the ten tribes, the northern kingdom of Israel, who were Abraham’s descendants, had the covenant sign of circumcision, and lived in the land God gave to them and their fathers. Yet their idol worship drove them out and wiped them away. “And can you think,” God says in effect, “that the same evil ways will not be just as deadly for you?” They will be, because God acts in a steady and consistent way when he judges. Justice requires that like cases receive like judgment.

“You have corrupted yourselves just as your brothers, the people of Ephraim, did, and you have become their brothers in sin. So I will cast you out of my sight, just as I cast them out.” This makes the warning very severe. To be cast out of the land meant to be cast out of God’s sight, as though he would never look on them or care for them again. Whenever we are cast down, it is enough if we remain in God’s love. But if we are thrown out of his favor, our condition is miserable, even if we still live in our own land.

This warning, that God would make this house like Shiloh, comes up again later, and Jeremiah was accused for speaking it (Jeremiah 26:6).