By Eugene Garner

JEREMIAH - CHAPTER 7

JEREMIAH'S MESSAGE AT THE TEMPLE GATE

(7:1-8:3)

    INTRODUCTION: It will be impossible to grasp the full force and significance of this tremendous message unless one considers it against the background of Josiah's efforts toward reformation, and the re-establishment of the ancient religious order in Judah. With his whole heart, this young king yearned to serve the Lord in an acceptable way. He realized that Judah had wandered far from Jehovah - especially so following the discovery, in the temple, of the Book of the Law (2 Kings 22:13). His reform movement was designed to destroy such idolatry as had turned the hearts of his people away from Jehovah, their God, (see 2 Kings 22:3-7; 23:21-23; 2 Chron. 34:8-13; 35:1-19).

    The people of Judah loved their young king and desired to please him. Thus, in outward form, they carried out his instructions relative to the destruction of the idol-groves, the cleansing of the house of God, the manifestation of great liberality toward the repair of the temple and the restoration therein of Israel's ancient form of worship. But, their hearts were not in it; nothing therein was changed! They rejoiced in the temple ONLY because they regarded it as a sort of fetish (or charm) that made them SAFE IN THEIR SINS!

    It is against this background that one must consider Jeremiah's message at the gate of the temple.

    As the crowning event of Josiah's reformation of the national religion, there was being observed a Passover such as the nation had not experienced since the days of Samuel. It was a tremendous affair, wherein the king, and various others within the nation, had made liberal contributions toward the national celebration. (The 41,000 animals that were slain were provided by Josiah, the priests and Levites.) The casual, undiscerning observer might have concluded that there had been a mighty spiritual awakening in the land; but the man of God could see through the facade. Thus, his shocking unveiling of the CORRUPTED HEART OF THE NATION, and his call to genuine repentance!

    The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, 2 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. 3 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. 4 Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, are these. 5 For if ye thoroughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye thoroughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbour; 6 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: 7 Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever.

    1. Jehovah, the covenant-God of Israel, commands Jeremiah to stand in the gate of the Temple, in Jerusalem, and there to proclaim His word to a hypocritical people who are entering the temple to worship Him, (vs. 1-2).
    2. The Lord of hosts, and God of Israel calls upon Judah to AMEND her ways and actions, (vs. 3, 5, 4:1; 18:11; 26:13); her prosperity is contingent upon an obedient response to that call.
    3. They must NOT rejoice in the temple as a guarantee that the divine presence therein will assure their security; here was a message wherein Jeremiah risked his very life, for the religious zealots in Judah would consider such a thing blasphemous!
      a. The PAID PROPHETS have assured them of their safety in the temple - even while they walked in rebellion against the Lord, and spoke LYING WORDS! (comp. Micah 3:9-12).
        1) "We are God's 'chosen people' - possessing His law and His temple; thus, He will not permit any evil to come upon US!" Such was their attitude.
        2) And the word of Jeremiah could not penetrate this deep-rooted, self-destructive conceit.
      b. To so prostitute the use of the temple will assure ITS DESTRUCTION - AND THEIRS! (vs. 9-11, 14).
    4. But, God still lays down certain conditions under which He will spare them - causing them to dwell securely in the land given, by covenant, to their ancient fathers, (vs. 5-7; 4:1; Deut. 4:40).
      a. They must completely amend their ways, (4:1-2; Isa. 1:19).
      b. They must truly execute justice between a man and his neighbor, (21:12; 22:3; I Kings 6:11-13).
      c. They must cease their oppression of the stranger, the fatherless and the widows.
      d. They must not shed innocent blood, nor walk after other gods.
      e. To continue in such sin will be to their own hurt.

    8 Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit. 9 Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; 10 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? 11 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.

    1. The lying words in which Judah has come to trust are unprofitable, (vs. 4; 13:25; 23:32; 28:15-17).
    2. The incense smoke ascending from the temple does not conceal from the eyes of the Most High the despicable acts and attitudes of those who expect His protection.
      a. Jeremiah observes their practice of: stealing, (Ex. 20:3, 13-16); murder, adultery and perjury.
      b. Where such things are permitted, the very presence of the pretending worshipper in the sanctuary is blasphemy before the name of Jehovah and a profaning of His holy place!
      c. Beside this, they still burn incense to Baal (11:13, 17; 32:29), and walk after other gods, (vs. 6; 19:4).
    3. Yet, a people guilty of such despicable disobedience of rebellion and unbelief, they have the audacity to stand before the Lord, in the house that is called by His name, and say: "WE ARE SAFE" (Vs. 10, 30; 32:34-35; Ezek. 23:39).
      a. Mere observance of specified religious forms and rituals, which do not change one's life and actions, is worthless!
      b. So today, church membership is an abomination to God if those resting in it are practicing a LIE; if their hearts are not bowed in loving loyalty and devotion to the Lord who purchased them with His own precious blood! (Rom. 6:4; 8:11).
    4. The Lord, who observes from on high, inquires: "Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes?" (vs. 11; comp. Matt. 21:13; Mk. 11:17; Lk. 19:46).
      a. A "robber's den" is a haven of protection and security for those who abuse their fellowmen.
      b. God declares that, for the sake of those who have suffered abuse at the hands of these robbers, this hiding-place WILL BE DESTROYED!

    12 But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel. 13 And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the LORD, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not; 14 Therefore will I do unto this house, which is called by my name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh. 15 And I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim.

    1. Jerusalem, comfortable with all her sin, is told to consider Shiloh - the sanctuary where Jehovah once caused His name to dwell among His people Israel, (Josh. 18:1; Judg. 18:31; l Sam. 1:3).
      a. They are to understand that, because of the wickedness of that people, God not only destroyed their sanctuary, (26:6; Psa. 78:60); He also sent Israel away into Assyrian captivity.
      b. The sanctuary in THEIR midst certainly failed to GUARANTEE THEIR SECURITY when their hearts rebelled against the righteous rule of Jehovah, their God!
      c. After the ark was captured by the Philistines, Shiloh was never able to regain its position as the religious center of the nation, (I Sam.4).
    2. Judah also has committed abomination in the eyes of the Lord; yet, again and again, He has "risen up early" - calling her to repentance, (vs. 13, 25; 11:7; 25:3-4; 26:5; 29:19; 32:33; 35:14-15; 44:4), but she would not hear.
    3. Thus, the Lord will do to the temple in Jerusalem - the house which is called by His name (Deut. 12:5-6; I Kings 9:6-7), and wherein they trust (vs. 4) - as He did to Shiloh, (I Sam. 4:10-11, 22; Psa. 78:60-64).
    4. He will as surely cast Judah out of His sight (because of her repeated and unrepented abominations) as He did her brethren, "even the whole seed of Ephraim" - who were taken into captivity around 711 B.C. by Sargon II of Assyria, (2 Kings 17:22-23; Psa. 78:67; Hos. 7:13; 9:3; 12:1).
    5. Nor should it be imagined that the same Lord will hesitate to cut off NEW TESTAMENT PEOPLE and CHURCHES if we err from His way and refuse His call to repentance! (Matt. 18:15-18; Jn. 15:6-10; Rev. 2:4-5; 3:15-20).

    16 Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee. 17 Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 18 The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger. 19 Do they provoke me to anger? saith the LORD: do they not provoke themselves to the confusion of their own faces? 20 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, mine anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place, upon man, and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched.

    1. Jeremiah's heart must have been deeply grieved for the nation he loved so dearly.
    2. As if He expected Jeremiah to intercede in behalf of Judah, the Lord forbad him to cry out or to pray for them (11:14; Ex. 32:10; Deut. 9:14); to such a prayer HE will TURN A DEAF EAR! (comp. 14:11-12; 15:1; Ezek. 14:14, 20; Rom. 1:24, 26, 28).
    3. If the prophet will observe what the people are doing, he will understand how utterly useless such intercession would be. What are they doing?
      a. Having concluded that their outward reformation did not pay off in tangible terms, the whole nation has turned to worship "the queen of heaven" (vs. 18; 55:17-25).
      b. This is commonly regarded as being Ashteroth or Astarte - the fertility goddess of the Canaanites (comp. 2 Kings 21:3-5) - which inevitably involved illicit sexual experience!
    4. The Lord views the people of Judah as sacrificing to false deities in order to provoke Him to anger, (44:17-19; 19:13; 11:17; Deut. 32:16, 21; l Kings 14:9; 16:2; Ezek. 8:17).
      a. However, they are not merely spiting the Lord; they are spiting themselves - to their own confusion, (9:19; 15:9; 22:22).
      b. The Lord's burning anger will indeed be poured upon them (6:11-12; 42:18; Isa. 42:25; Lam. 2:3-5; 4:11) - upon man and beast, the trees of the field and fruit of the ground - and will not be extinguished until they are utterly consumed!

    1 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Put your burnt offerings unto your sacrifices, and eat flesh. 22 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: 23 But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, 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. 24 But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward. 25 Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this day I have even sent unto you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them: 26 Yet they hearkened not unto me, nor inclined their ear, but hardened their neck: they did worse than their fathers. 27 Therefore thou shalt speak all these words unto them; but they will not hearken to thee: thou shalt also call unto them; but they will not answer thee. 28 But thou shalt say unto them, This is a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the LORD their God, nor receiveth correction: truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth.

    1. In words of irony and contempt, the Lord urges Judah to mix her burnt-offerings with her sacrifices and to "eat flesh." (vs. 21; 6:20; 14:12; Isa. 1:11; Amos 5:21; Ezek. 33:25; Hos. 8:13).
      a. According to the Levitical order, burnt offerings were not eaten, they belonged to the Lord; only a part of the peace-offering was eaten by the worshipper.
      b. In no uncertain terms, the Lord is informing Judah that He cannot receive what she is offering!
      c. The smell of her harlot-house (as He now regards the temple) makes Him feel more like vomiting than sharing her abominable paschal-meal!
    2. When He gave to Moses the "table of commandments"; and when, in audible, thundering voice, He spoke the words of the Decalogue from trembling Mt. Sinai, He required of their ancient fathers NO SUCH RITUAL as has now come to be regarded as EVERYTHING to them, (vs. 22).
    3. The ONE THING that He required of them, from the beginning, was OBEDIENCE, (vs. 23-24).
      a. "Obey my voice" (Ex. 15:26; Deut. 6:3), He had said, "and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people," (Ex. 19:5-6); failure to OBEY THE TRUTH is far worse than IGNORANCE of the truth, because such willful disobedience corrupts the heart, soul and conscience of men, (Jas. 4:17).
      b. If they would walk in the way of His commandments, all would be well with them, (38:20, 42:6; Isa. 3:10).
      c. But they would not attend to His word (11:8, Ezek. 20:8, 13, 16, 21); walking after the counsel, and in the imagination of their own evil hearts, they went backward instead of forward, (15:6).
    4. Since they came out of Egypt, the Lord has spoken to them faithfully, and often, through the prophets, (25:4, 2 Chron. 36:15; Lk. 11:49); but they refused to hear; hardening their necks (17:23; 19:25), they became increasingly worse, (16:21; Matt. 23:32).
    5. Once more the Lord will speak to them through Jeremiah, (vs. 27; 1:8; 26:2; comp. Ezek. 2:7).
      a. But, they will not give any heed to his words, (vs. 13; Ezek. 3:7).
      b. Though he calls to them, they will not answer, (Isa. 50:2; 65:12; Zech. 7:13).
    6. His message will not be popular, but they must still be confronted with the truth concerning themselves, (vs. 28).
      a. Judah does not obey the voice of the Lord her God, (6:17; 11:10).
      b. Nor does she accept correction from His hand, (5:3; Psa. 50:17).
      c. So utterly have they devoted their lips to falsehood that "truth (faithfulness) is perished!" (9:5; Isa. 59:14-15).
      d. No longer may they be regarded as representatives of the God of truth and righteousness; He has REJECTED THEM!

    29 Cut off thine hair, O Jerusalem, and cast it away, and take up a lamentation on high places; for the LORD hath rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath. 30 For the children of Judah have done evil in my sight, saith the LORD: they have set their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to pollute it. 31 And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart. 32 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter: for they shall bury in Tophet, till there be no place. 33 And the carcases of this people shall be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall fray them away. 34 Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride: for the land shall be desolate.

    1. Jerusalem is called to mourning - the polling of the hair being a symbol of deep sorrow, (vs. 29; Job 1:20; Mic. 1:16; Ezek. 19:1); God has rejected this people because of their multiplied abominations!
      a. This may allude to the vow of the Nazarites, whose unshorn hair symbolized their loyal dedication and devotion to Jehovah, their God.
      b. The cutting of the hair, then, would suggest that their vow had been broken.
      c. Thus, Jehovah has REJECTED and turned His back on this people as a "generation" upon whom His wrath must fall.
    2. The temple has been polluted and defiled by Judah's setting up of her abominable idols in its very precincts! (vs. 30; 2 Kings 23:13; Ezek.8).
    3. Furthermore, they have built altars for sacrificing their own children at Tophet (the place of fire) in the valley of the son of Hinnom, south of Jerusalem, (vs. 31) - something that was specifically forbidden by the law of the Lord, (Lev. 18:21; 20:2-5).
    4. Thus, the time will come when that place will be renamed; it will be called "the Valley of Slaughter" - overflowing, then with the corpses of Judah whereupon the birds of the heavens, and the beasts of the field, will feast. The slaughterers of their own offspring will be slaughtered by the Babylonians!
    5. In that day the voice of joy, mirth and gladness - the voice of bride and bridegroom - will cease from Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, for the land will become DESOLATE!