October 12th, 2025: Jeremiah's Message | Jeremiah 7:1-11, 21-23

Imagine being asked to stand in the church doorway and preach about the sinfulness of the people attending.  That is exactly what Jeremiah did.   God told Jeremiah exactly where to go and what to say to the temple faithful from Judah.  They may have been expecting a little praise for their work in restoring the temple under King Josiah, but what they heard needs to be preached in every church today. Religion, rituals, and our own preferences have replaced obedience and a tender heart for God. Pray with an open mind, for wisdom, and turn to God in repentance as Jeremiah’s message reveals the heart of God through to His people just prior to their Babylonian exile. 

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 ye of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the Lord.

A true prophet operates at the direction of God. He went where God sent him. He said what God instructed. As the scribe and friend of Jeremiah, Baruch wrote down the words we read today nearly 3000 years ago, yet the message has not changed.  Some commentators feel that Jeremiah chapter 26 is a more detailed version of Chapter 7. Others disagree, saying that Jeremiah chapter 7 was written at the time King Josiah refurbished the temple. As would happen today, many people came back to the Temple just to see how much renovation had been done; curious about what changes Josiah had made and to check out the improvements to Solomon’s great temple. Jeremiah’s words would indicate that many paid little attention to changing their lifestyles or repenting of sin, and instead opted to marvel in pride at external decorations. Jeremiah’s message was for those arriving to worship. Consider, is it possible to attend worship service and not hear or actually care about the truth of God’s word?  Do we today, allow the word of God to lead us to repentance, or are we content with our routine and our lifestyle?  May we all be mindful of God’s methods and messengers sent to stir our hearts and break us free from our own self-righteousness. Lord, teach us to apply your word to our lives!

Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, are these.

Jeremiah’s first words were words of warning. Change your ways. Change what you are doing. I (God) alone have the ability to keep you in this place. False prophets (those not sent by God) had said that God would not destroy Jerusalem, this temple, or these people. Why?  Because the nation of Judah was chosen by God, God’s covenant with them is still in effect. Jeremiah boldly stood to say what God had decreed about the consequences of sin and rebellion- trust not in lying words. The only way to be deceived, then as now, would be to neglect the word of God and the record He had established by keeping his promises, both to bless righteousness and punish sin. What sounds good and reasonable to hear does not always align with the expressed will of  God.   

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6).

The fact that the phrase “The Temple of the Lord” is repeated three times indicates significance- those hearing are to LISTEN! King Hezekiah was spared from the destruction and captivity by the Assyrians almost 100 years prior. Let’s not leave out the details of what he did. King Hezekiah spread out the threatening, terroristic words of the Assyrians in the temple and asked God for help. The Temple was not magical. The temple was a sacred place to meet with God. Our trust is not in things, buildings, tabernacles, metals, good luck charms, or anything man-made. Our trust is in the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, the Savior of the world. They were being deceived into thinking that they would be protected from the wrath of God by the ornaments of their faith, but God sees the heart.  

For if ye throughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye throughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbour; If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt: Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever. Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.

This is an amazing “If, Then” statement.  God is saying, if you change your ways, then I will spare and allow you to stay in this place given to your ancestors. In His grace, God is offering a chance for repentance and offering forgiveness if they would turn to  Him. They could choose to renew their covenant instead of breaking it and experiencing the horrors of destruction and captivity.  The agreement on Mount Sinai was simple. 

Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel. And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the Lord commanded him. And all the people answered together, and said, All that the Lord hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the Lord. (Exodus 19:5-8).

A lot of things had transpired in the 1,230-plus years between the covenant at Mount Sinai and Jerusalem’s impending Babylonian captivity. The one thing that had not changed was God. Notice the keyword in the covenant is OBEY. They were to obey God, a word difficult then and even more so today. In His mercy, He provided sacrifices and instructions for restoration when they failed to keep their part of the promise. The nation of Judah, their false prophets, and many of the religious leaders were willingly deceiving themselves, thinking that they could abandon obedience to God and trust in their own created idols to protect them. They had created many new rules and explained away many old ones. Sound familiar? Can we deceive our own hearts? James says it like this:  If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. (James 1: 26-27). May we evaluate our lives in prayer and through the lens of God’s word to root out those things that are distractions or sinful. Going to church is not enough. God looks on our hearts. We must be born again, transformed by Jesus Christ. If he lives in us, our lives will change. Obedience to God is better than sacrifice.

Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations? Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the Lord.

If God were using our vernacular today, He would ask, why are hypocrites occupying the temple? They claim to be under the law, yet look at all the commandments that are being broken, their actions prove they think they are above it. Jeremiah’s message was clear. Though they hid their secret sins from each other, God saw everything. Jesus cleared the temple in His day, calling it a den of thieves. Under grace, Paul says to the church today.

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. (Romans 6: 12-18).

It is the heart that God seeks.  It is the heart that will reveal the hidden, the hypocritical, and the unfaithful. 

The lesson skips much of the chapter to end with verses 21-23.

Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Put your burnt offerings unto your sacrifices, and eat flesh. For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices: But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your  , and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.

The simplicity of Jeremiah's message is helpful for us, even today. God reminded Judah of their history. He reminded them that when he delivered them from the bondage of Egypt, the first thing he required was obedience. Before there was the law, before there was a tabernacle or temple, God required obedience. Simple- right? Obey my voice and I will be your God. Do what I’ve told you. Trust me. Run to me in trouble. Run away and flee from sin. The commandments came first, then came the sacrifices. If the building, ritual, or sacrifices replaced obedience, the nation completely missed the point.   

Jeremiah’s words are relevant for the church today. Are you living in obedience to God, or have you made your liberty in Christ into an idol, allowing you to sin?  Do you have anything you love more, desire more, or care about more than your relationship to Him?  Are you hiding sinful attitudes and actions, thinking God won’t see? Do you love those around you, even as much as yourself?  It is so easy to surround ourselves in the box of religion instead of opening ourselves up to obedience and the plans of God.  

Our relationship with God is not a game; it is not worked out with magic words or good luck charms. It is not about keeping score or figuring out what we can get by with unnoticed, pleasing ourselves. The Lord of Hosts, the God of the universe, wants a relationship with each of us, made possible through knowing His Son. The church, just like the worshipers at the temple, needs to do some cleaning, some renewal, some reevaluation of things that have crept in as distractions and wrong thinking. Standing at the door of the house of God is the truth of His word. That truth and obedience to God is the sign of a changed heart and the presence of eternal life.

Thank you for studying with us! God bless!